L'Éléphant
Language: French (Français)
Comme un éléphant son ivoire,
J'ai en bouche un bien précieux.
Pourpre mort!.. J'achète ma gloire
Au prix des mots mélodieux.
Text Authorship:
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 Ballif (1924 - 2004), "L'Éléphant", op. 1b no. 12 (1945-48), published 1994 [ voice and piano ], from Le Cortège d’Orphée, no. 12, Édition Durand & Fils [sung text not yet checked]
- by Robert Cornman (1924 - 2008), "L'Éléphant", 1972 [ medium voice and piano ], from Le Bestiaire (bêta) ou cortège d'Orphée, no. 9 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Louis Durey (1888 - 1979), "L'Éléphant", 1919, from Le Bestiaire, no. 12 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Rachel Laurin (b. 1961), "L'Éléphant", op. 22 no. 3 (1992), copyright © 1992 [ medium voice and piano ], from Le Bestiaire, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Anyi Sharma) , "The Elephant", copyright © 2023, (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: 4
Word count: 21
The Elephant
Language: English after the French (Français)
Like an elephant its ivory,
I have a precious good in my mouth.
Purple death!.. I buy my glory
At the cost of melodious words.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2023 by Anyi Sharma, (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:
This text was added to the website: 2023-07-21
Line count: 4
Word count: 25