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Ton sourire infini m'est cher
Comme le divin pli des ondes,
Et je te crains quand tu me grondes,
Comme la mer.
L'azur de tes grands yeux m'est cher :
C'est un lointain que je regarde
Sans cesse et sans y prendre garde,
Un ciel de mer.
Ton courage léger m'est cher :
C'est un souffle vif où ma vie
S'emplit d'aise et se fortifie,
L'air de la mer.
Enfin ton être entier m'est cher,
Toujours nouveau, toujours le même ;
O ma Néréide, je t'aime
Comme la mer !
Authorship:
- by René-François Sully-Prudhomme (1839 - 1907), "Chanson de mer", appears in Stances et Poèmes, in 1. Stances, in 4. Mélanges, no. 11, Paris, Éd. Alphonse Lemerre, first published 1866 [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 Louis Aubert (1877 - 1968), "Chanson de mer", 1900, published 1909 [ medium voice and piano ], from Douze Chants, no. 6, Paris, Édition Durand [sung text not yet checked]
- by René de Boisdeffre (1838 - 1906), "Chanson de mer", op. 45 no. 1, published [1892] [ medium voice and piano ], from Six mélodies, recueil 3, no. 1, Éd. J. Hamelle [sung text not yet checked]
- by Henri Marteau (1874 - 1934), "Chanson de mer", op. 19b no. 5 (c1917) [ voice and piano ], from Huit Mélodies pour chant avec accompagnement de piano, no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jean Rebillard , "Chanson de mer", published [1913] [ high voice and piano ], from Trois mélodies, no. 3, Éd. Maurice Senart & Cie. [sung text not yet checked]
- by Pauline Viardot-García (1821 - 1910), "Chanson de mer" [ voice and piano ], Éd. Enoch Frères & Costallat [sung text not yet checked]
- by Louis Vierne (1870 - 1937), "Chanson de mer", op. 29 no. 2 (1912) [ high voice and piano or orchestra ], from Stances d'amour et de rêve, no. 2, Éd. Durand et Cie [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CZE Czech (Čeština) (Jaroslav Vrchlický) , "Píseň na moři"
- ENG English (Michael Berridge) , "Sea song", copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Amy Pfrimmer) , "Song of the sea", copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2013-12-10
Line count: 16
Word count: 90
Your infinite smile is dear to me Like the divine fold of the waves, And I fear you when you scold me, Like the sea. The azure-blue of your great eyes is precious to me: I am looking at a distance Without ceasing and without caution, A sky of the sea. Your light courage is dear to me: It's an intense breath where my life Fills with pleasure and it strengthens, The air of the sea. Finally your whole being is dear to me, Always new, always the same; O my néréide, I love you Like the sea!
Translator's note for stanza 4, line 3 - "néréide" = "sea nymph"
Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2020 by Amy Pfrimmer, (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.
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Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by René-François Sully-Prudhomme (1839 - 1907), "Chanson de mer", appears in Stances et Poèmes, in 1. Stances, in 4. Mélanges, no. 11, Paris, Éd. Alphonse Lemerre, first published 1866
This text was added to the website: 2020-02-29
Line count: 16
Word count: 98