Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.
It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.
To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at
If you wish to reprint translations, please make sure you include the names of the translators in your email. They are below each translation.
Note: You must use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.
Le marchand de perles m'a dit : Ton front veut-il une couronne ? Tout mon bazar qui resplendit, Pour ta prunelle, je le donne. Le marchand de roses reprit : Laisse les perles chez l'orfèvre ; Tout mon royaume qui fleurit, Je l'échange contre ta lèvre. Le poète au rêve étoilé Dit à son tour : vivante flamme, De ton cœur donne-moi la clé, Et dans mes chants je te proclame. Mais que m'importe aucun trésor ? Je garde cœur, lèvre et prunelle Pour quelqu'un n'ayant pas encor Soupçonné ma plainte éternelle. Perles, roses, vers, à mes yeux, Cela ne vaut pas un grain d'orge. Du bien-aimé j'aimerais mieux Que l'étrier broyât ma gorge.
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Les nuits persanes par Armand Renaud, Paris, Alphonese Lemerre, 1870, pages 77-78.
Authorship
- by Armand Renaud (1836 - 1895), "Délire", written 1870?, appears in Les nuits persanes, in 5. La solitaire, no. 3, Paris, Éd. Alphonse Lemerre, first published 1870 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)
- by Xavier Henri Napoleon Leroux (1863 - 1919), "Le délire", published c1886 [high voice and piano], from La Solitaire, mélodies Persanes de Armand Renaud, no. 2, Paris, Éd. G. Hartmann [ sung text checked 1 time]
- by Youssef Khan Nazare-Aga, dit Kyna (1870 - 1942), "Délire", published 1906 [high voice and piano], from Les nuits persanes, no. 4, Paris, Éd. E. Demets [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Garrett Medlock) , copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2016-11-30
Line count: 20
Word count: 114
The pearl merchant said to me: “Does your forehead desire a crown? I would give all my bazaar which shines For your gaze.” The rose merchant [retorted]: “Leave the pearls at the smith’s; I would trade all my realm which blooms For your lips.” The poet in the starry dream Said on his walk: “Lively flame, Give me the key to your heart And I will extol you in my songs.” But what does any treasure matter to me? I am saving [my] heart, lips, and gaze For someone [who has] not yet Doubted my eternal complaint. Pearls, roses, verse, These are not worth a grain of barley to my eyes. I would love best the sweetheart Who crushes the stirrup [at] my throat.
About the headline (FAQ)
Translations of title(s):
"Délire" = "Delirium"
"Le délire" = "Delirium"
Authorship
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2019 by Garrett Medlock, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact:
- a text in French (Français) by Armand Renaud (1836 - 1895), "Délire", written 1870?, appears in Les nuits persanes, in 5. La solitaire, no. 3, Paris, Éd. Alphonse Lemerre, first published 1870
This text was added to the website: 2019-05-02
Line count: 20
Word count: 124