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by Gabriel Sarrazin (c1853 - 1935)
Translation © by C. Ersel King

La damoiselle élue
Language: French (Français)  after the English 
Our translations:  ENG ITA
Chœur (Sopranos et Contraltos)
 La damoiselle élue s'appuyait
 Sur la barrière d'or du Ciel,
 Ses yeux étaient plus profonds que l'abîme
 Des eaux calmes au soir.
 Elle avait trois lys à la main
 Et sept étoiles dans les cheveux.

Une Récitante
 Sa robe flottante
 N'était point ornée de fleurs brodées,
 Mais d'une rose blanche, présent de Marie,
 Pour le divin service justement portée ;
 Ses cheveux qui tombaient le long de ses épaules
 Étaient jaunes comme le blé mûr.

Chœur
 Autour d'elle des amants
 Nouvellement réunis,
 Répétaient pour toujours, entre eux,
 leurs nouveaux noms d'extase ;
 Et les âmes, qui montaient à Dieu,
 Passaient près d'elle comme de fines flammes.

Une Récitante
 Alors, elle s'inclina de nouveau et se pencha
 En dehors du charme encerclant,
 Jusqu'à ce que son sein eut échauffé
 La barrière sur laquelle elle s'appuyait,
 Et que les lys gisent comme endormis
 Le long de son bras courbé.

Chœur
 Le soleil avait disparu, la lune annelée
 Était comme une petite plume
 Flottant au loin dans l'espace ; et voilà
 Qu'elle parla à travers l'air calme,
 Sa voix était pareille à celle des étoiles
 Lorsqu'elles chantent en chœur.

La Damoiselle Élue
 Je voudrais qu'il fût déjà près de moi,
 Car il viendra.
 N'ai-je pas prié dans le ciel ? Sur terre,
 Seigneur, Seigneur, n'a-t-il pas prié,
 Deux prières ne sont-elles pas une force parfaite ?
 Et pourquoi m'effraierais-je ?

 Lorsqu'autour de sa tête s'attachera l'auréole,
 Et qu'il aura revêtu sa robe blanche,
 Je le prendrai par la main et j'irai avec lui
 Aux sources de lumière,
 Nous y entrerons comme dans un courant,
 Et nous nous y baignerons à la face de Dieu.

 Nous nous reposerons tous deux à l'ombre
 De ce vivant et mystique arbre,
 Dans le feuillage secret duquel on sent parfois
 La présence de la colombe,
 Pendant que chaque feuille, touchée par ses plumes,
 Dit son nom distinctement.

 Tous deux nous chercherons les bosquets
 Où trône Dame Marie
 Avec ses cinq servantes, dont les noms
 Sont cinq douces symphonies :
 Cécile, Blanchelys, Madeleine,
 Marguerite et Roselys.

 Il craindra peut-être, et restera muet,
 Alors, je poserai ma joue
 Contre la sienne ; et lui parlerai de notre amour,
 Sans confusion ni faiblesse,
 Et la chère Mère approuvera
 Mon orgueil, et me laissera parler.

 Elle-même nous amènera la main dans la main
 À Celui autour duquel toutes les âmes
 S'agenouillent, les innombrables têtes clair rangées
 Inclinées, avec leurs auréoles.
 Et les anges venus à notre rencontre chanteront,
 S'accompagnant de leurs guitares et de leurs citoles.

 Alors, je demanderai au Christ Notre Seigneur,
 Cette grande faveur, pour lui et moi,

 Seulement de vivre comme autrefois sur terre
 Dans l'amour, et d'être pour toujours,
 Comme alors pour un temps,
 Ensemble, moi et lui.

Chœur
 Elle regarda, prêta l'oreille et dit,
 D'une voix moins triste que douce :

La Damoiselle Élue
 Tout ceci sera quand il viendra.

Chœur
 Elle se tut.
 La lumière tressaillit de son côte, remplie
 D'un fort vol d'anges horizontal.
 Ses yeux prièrent, elle sourit ;
 Mais bientôt leur sentier
 Devint vague dans les sphères distantes.

Une Récitante
 Alors, elle jeta ses bras le long
 Des barrières d'or.
 Et posant son visage entre ses mains,
 Pleura.

Chœur
 Ah, ah.

Text Authorship:

  • by Gabriel Sarrazin (c1853 - 1935), "La damoiselle élue" [an adaptation] [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]

Based on:

  • a text in English by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828 - 1882), "The blessed damozel"
    • Go to the text page.

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

  • by Claude Achille Debussy (1862 - 1918), "La damoiselle élue", L. 69/(62) (1887-8) [soprano, mezzo-soprano, ssaa chorus, and orchestra], Paris: Librairie de l'Art independant (1893); NY : G. Schirmer: 1903 ; Paris : Durand (1906). [ sung text checked 2 times]

Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

  • ENG English (C. Ersel King) , "The chosen young lady", copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "La damigella eletta", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this page: Guy Laffaille [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2010-04-28
Line count: 97
Word count: 522

The chosen young lady
Language: English  after the French (Français) 
Chorus
 The chosen young lady leaned out
 From the golden barrier of heaven.
 Her eyes were deeper that the depths
 Of calm waters at night.
 She had three lilies in her hand
 And seven stars in her hair.

Narrator
 Her buoyant dress
 Was not decorated with embroidered flowers,
 But a white rose, a gift from Mary,
 Was aptly worn for the divine service.
 Her hair falling down to her shoulders
 Was as yellow as ripe corn.

Chorus
 Around her were lovers
 Recently united.		
 To each other, to be repeated forever,
 They spoke new names for ecstasy.
 And souls, that came up to God,
 Passed by her like delicate flames.

Narrator
Then she bowed again and leaned out,
Apart from the encircling charm,
Until her breast had warmed
The barrier on which it had rested,
And the lilies lay as if asleep
Along her outstretched arm.

Chorus
 The sun has disappeared, the curled moon 
 Was like a little feather	
 Floating off into space, and now
 She spoke thorugh the calm air.
 Her voice was like the stars
 When they sing in chorus.

The chosen young lady			 
 I wish he were already beside me,
 For he will come.			
 Have I not prayed in heaven? On earth,
 Lord, Lord, has he not prayed?
 Are not two prayers a perfect force?
 And why should I feel afraid?

 When around his head I will place a halo,
 And he shall put on his white robe.
 I will take his hand and go with him
 To the sources of light.
 We will enter as into a stream
 And bathe there before the face of God.

 We will both rest in the shade 
 Of that living and mystical tree,
 In the secret foliage where one sometimes feels 
 the presence of the dove,
 While each leaf
 Touched by its feathers
 Says his name distinctly. 

 We both seek the groves
 Where lies the throne of Dame Mary,
 With her five handmaidens, whose names
 Are her five gentle symphonies:
 Cecily, Blanche, Magdalen,
 Margaret and Rose.

 He will fear perhaps, and remain silent,
 Then I will put my cheek
 Against his and speak to him of our love,
 Without confusion or weakness,
 And the dear Mother will approve
 My pride, and let me speak.

 She herself will bring us hand in hand
 To The One around whom all souls
 Kneel, the innumerable heads, clearly arranged, 
 Bowing with their haloes.
 And the angels who come to meet us shall sing,
 Accompanied by their guitars and their citoles.

 Then I wil request from Christ our Lord,
 This great favor, for him and me,
 To live only as once we did on earth,
 In love, and to be forever,
 As we did then for a time,
 Together, me and him.
 
Chorus
 She looked, listened and said,		
 In a voice less sad than sweet:

The chosen young lady
 All this will be when he comes.

Chorus
 She fell silent.
 A light fluttered to her side, filled
 From a strong horizontal flight of angels.	
 Her eyes prayed; she smiled.
 But soon their path 
 Became vague in the distant spheres.

Narrator
Then she threw her arms along
The golden barrier,
And putting her face in her hands,
Wept.

Chorus
 Ah, ah.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2018 by C. Ersel King, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you must ask the copyright-holder(s) directly for permission. If you receive no response, you must consider it a refusal.

    C. Ersel King.  Contact: erselking (AT) watervalley (DOT) net

    If you wish to commission a new translation, please contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

  • a text in French (Français) by Gabriel Sarrazin (c1853 - 1935), "La damoiselle élue" [an adaptation]
    • Go to the text page.

Based on:

  • a text in English by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828 - 1882), "The blessed damozel"
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2018-10-09
Line count: 98
Word count: 534

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This website began in 1995 as a personal project by Emily Ezust, who has been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your help is greatly appreciated!
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