Fête galante
Language: French (Français)
Voilà Sylvandre et Lycas et Myrtil
[C'est aujourd'hui]1 fête chez Cydalise.
[Enchantant l'air de son]2 parfum subtil,
[Au clair de lune]3 où tout s'idéalise
Avec la rose Aminthe rivalise.
Philis, Eglé, qui suivent leurs amants,
Cherchent l'ombrage [et les abris]4 charmants.
Dans le soleil qui s'irrite et qui joue,
Luttant d'orgueil avec les diamants,
Sur le chemin, le Paon blanc fait la roue.
Available sung texts: (what is this?)
• C. Debussy View text without footnotes
1 Debussy: "Car c'est ce soir"
2 Debussy: "Partout dans l'air court un"
3 Debussy: "Dans le grand parc"
4 Debussy: "en mille endroits"
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):
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Peter Low) , "Fête galante", copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Auditorium du Louvre
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 10
Word count: 67
Fête galante
Language: English after the French (Français)
Sylvandre, Lycas and Myrtil are [there.
Cydalise hosts a party today.
With her subtle perfume enchanting the air,
Aminthe competes with the roses
in the moonlight where all is perfection.]1
Philis and Eglé, following their lovers,
seek shade [and the charming summerhouses]2.
And in the sun, which is both annoyed and playful,
proudly vying with the diamonds,
there on the path, the white Peacock spreads his tail.
Available sung text translations: ← What is this?
• C. Debussy View text without footnotes
Translator's note: the title refers to a flirtatious outdoor party as seen in the 18th-century paintings of Watteau.
1 Debussy: "there,/ for Cydalise hosts a party this evening./ A subtle perfume fills the air/ in the great park where all is perfection./ Aminthe competes with the rose."
2 Debussy: "in a thousand charming spots"
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2025 by Peter Low, (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: 2025-04-21
Line count: 10
Word count: 70
