Le Sylphe | Ni vu ni connu

by Ambroise-Paul-Touissaint-Jules Valéry (1871 - 1945)

Le Sylphe

Language: French (Français)

Our translations: ENG

Ni vu ni connu
Je suis le parfum
Vivant et défunt
Dans le vent venu !

Ni vu ni connu,
Hasard ou génie ?
À peine venu
La tâche est finie !

Ni lu ni compris ?
Aux meilleurs esprits
Que d'erreurs promises !

Ni vu ni connu,
Le temps d'un sein nu
Entre deux chemises !

First published in Intentions, no. 1, January 1922.

Text Authorship:

by Ambroise-Paul-Touissaint-Jules Valéry (1871 - 1945), "Le Sylphe", appears in Charmes, first published 1922 [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 Suzanne Baron Supervielle (1910 - 2004), "Le Sylphe", 1934 [ voice and piano ], from Mélodies, no. 9 [sung text not yet checked]
by Benjamin C. S. Boyle , "Le Sylphe", op. 15 no. 3, published 2007, first performed 2008 [ baritone or mezzo-soprano and piano ], from Le passage des rêves, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
by Ferenc Farkas (1905 - 2000), "Le Sylphe", 1996, published 1996 [ medium voice and piano ], Édition Énekhangra és Zongorára [sung text not yet checked]
by François de La Rochefoucauld (flourished c1950), "Le Sylphe", published 1950 [ medium voice and piano ], from Trois mélodies de François de La Rochefoucauld, poèmes de Paul Valéry - 1er recueil, no. 2, Paris, Éd. Auber [sung text not yet checked]
by Frederic Mompou i Dencausse (1893 - 1987), "Le Sylphe", 1973 [ high voice and piano or orchestra ], from Cinq Mélodies sur des Textes de Paul Valéry, no. 3, Max Eschig [sung text checked 1 time]

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

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 14
Word count: 52