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by Paul Verlaine (1844 - 1896)
Translation © by Amy Pfrimmer
Ô triste, triste était mon âme
Language: French (Français)
Ô triste, triste était mon âme À cause, à cause d'une femme. Je ne me suis pas consolé Bien que mon cœur s'en soit allé. Bien que mon cœur, bien que mon âme Eussent fui loin de cette femme. Je ne me suis pas consolé, Bien que mon cœur s'en soit allé. Et mon cœur, mon cœur trop sensible Dit à mon âme : Est-il possible, Est-il possible, -- le fût-il, -- Ce fier exil, ce triste exil ? Mon âme dit à mon cœur : Sais-je Moi-même, que nous veut ce piège D'être présents bien qu'exilés, Encore que loin en allés ?
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Paul Verlaine (1844 - 1896), no title, written 1874, appears in Romances sans paroles, in Ariettes oubliées, no. 7, Sens, Typographie de Maurice L'Hermite, first published 1874 [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 Paul Bades (1873 - 1910), "Ô triste, triste était mon âme", [1910] [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Raymond Bonheur (1861 - 1939), "Ô triste, triste était mon âme" [ voice and piano ], three versions; unpublished [sung text not yet checked]
- by Charles Bordes (1863 - 1909), "Ô triste, triste était mon âme", 1886, published 1902, first performed 1889 [ medium voice and piano ], Paris, Mergault [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Joseph Canteloube (1879 - 1957), "Tristesse", published 1902 [ voice and piano ], Paris, Hamelle [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jean Charlas , "Ô triste, triste était mon âme", [1946] [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Mathieu Crickboom (1871 - 1947), "Ô triste était mon âme", op. 12 (Dix Mélodies pour chant et piano) no. 7 (1908) [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by André Dulaurens (1873 - 1932), "Ô triste, triste était mon âme" [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Gabriel Dupont (1878 - 1914), "Ô triste, triste était mon âme", 1909, published 1909 [ voice and piano ], from Deux mélodies, no. 2, Paris, Heugel [sung text not yet checked]
- by Léo Ferré (1916 - 1993), "Ô triste, triste était mon âme", 1965 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Antonio Lima Fragoso (1897 - 1918), "Triste était mon âme", 1917, published 1972 [ medium voice and piano ], from Cançoes do sol poente - Poèmes Saturniens, no. 5, Lisbonne, Éd. Valentim de Carvalho [sung text not yet checked]
- by Paul Gaby , "Ariette oubliée", published [1914] [ medium voice and piano ], Paris, Roudanez [sung text not yet checked]
- by Eduardo García Mansilla (1871 - 1930), "Ô triste, triste était mon âme", published 1904 [ voice and piano ], from Chansons pour chant et piano, no. 5, Paris, Choudens [sung text not yet checked]
- by Albert Heurtaux , "Ô, triste était mon âme", published 1932 [ voice and piano ], Paris, Sénart [sung text not yet checked]
- by Gabriel Laurent , "Ô triste, triste était mon âme" [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Paul Le Flem (1881 - 1984), "Ariette oubliée", 1905 [ high voice and piano ], Édition E. Demets [sung text not yet checked]
- by Henri-Édouard-Joseph Logé (1854 - 1912), "Ô triste, triste était mon âme", published 1884 [ voice and piano ], first published in Figaro, 6 June 1884 ; later published Paris, Ricordi : 1894 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Federico Longás (1893 - 1968), "Ô triste triste était mon âme", published 1919 [ medium voice and piano ], from Once Lieders, no. 8, Barcelona, Joaquin Mora [sung text not yet checked]
- by Émilienne Machabey-Ganeval (b. 1896), "Ô triste, triste était mon âme", published 1933 [ voice and piano ], from Trois mélodies, no. 1, Paris, Lemoine [sung text not yet checked]
- by Philippe Mazé (b. 1954), "Romance sans paroles", 2004, published 2005 [ soprano or tenor and piano ], from Cinq Mélodies sur des textes de Paul Verlaine for Soprano or Tenor and piano, no. 3, United Music Publishers Ltd [sung text not yet checked]
- by Henri Mendel , "Ô triste, triste était mon âme", [1910] [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Julien Naudy , "Ô triste, triste était mon âme", published 1910 [ voice and piano ], from Deux mélodies, no. 1, Paris, H. Mendel ; Vieu et Vieu [sung text not yet checked]
- by Émile Nérini (1882 - 1961), "Triste était mon âme", 1923, published 1929 [ voice and piano ], from Vingt mélodies, no. 12, Paris, Gilles [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jacques Pillois (1877 - 1935), "Ô triste, triste était mon âme", published 1909 [ voice and piano ], Paris, Mathot [sung text not yet checked]
- by Henri Poirier , "Triste était mon âme", [1946] [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Adolfo Salazar (1890 - 1958), "Ariette", 1916, published 1920 [ voice and piano ], from Trois chansons de Paul Verlaine, no. 2, London, J. & W. Chester [sung text not yet checked]
- by Pierre Salet (1875 - 1936), "Deuxième romance sans paroles", published 1904 [ voice and piano ], from Deux Romances sans paroles, no. 2, Paris, Prioré [sung text not yet checked]
- by Florent Schmitt (1870 - 1958), "Ô triste, triste était mon âme", op. 55 no. 2 (1892-5), published 1912 [ voice and piano ], from Deux Chansons, no. 2, Paris, S. Chapelier [sung text not yet checked]
- by Mark Simpson (b. 1988), "Ô triste, triste était mon âme", first performed 2019 [ voice and piano ], confirmed with a concert programme booklet [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Jósef-Zygmunt Szulc (1875 - 1956), "Tristesse", published 1908 [ voice and piano ], Paris, Bourveux [sung text not yet checked]
- by Maurice Touchard (1879 - 1956), "Ô triste", 1909, published [1910] [ medium voice and piano ], from 3 Lieder, no. 2, Paris, Éd. G. Ducrotois [sung text not yet checked]
- by Louis Vierne (1870 - 1937), "Ô triste, triste était mon âme", op. 18 no. 2 (1897?), published 1902 [ medium voice and piano ], from Trois mélodies, no. 2, Paris, Éd. Durand [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Franz Evers (1871 - 1947) , "Zwiespalt" ; composed by Franz Dannehl.
- Also set in Serbian (Српски), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Anton Lajovic.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Laura L. Nagle) , "Oh, sad, sad was my heart", copyright © 2007, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Amy Pfrimmer) , copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Pierre Mathé) , "O traurig, traurig war meine Seele", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 97
O sad, sad was my soul
Language: English after the French (Français)
O sad, sad was my soul Because, because of a woman. I could not console myself Even though my heart has gone away. Even though my heart, even though my soul Had fled far from this woman. I could not console myself Even though my heart went away. And my heart, my heart too sensitive Told my soul, “Is it possible,” “Is it possible, --was it, -- This proud exile, this sad exile. My heart told my soul, “Do I myself know What this snare wants with us?” To be present even though exiled Even though gone so far away.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text 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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Paul Verlaine (1844 - 1896), no title, written 1874, appears in Romances sans paroles, in Ariettes oubliées, no. 7, Sens, Typographie de Maurice L'Hermite, first published 1874
This text was added to the website: 2020-02-29
Line count: 16
Word count: 99