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J'ai presque peur, en vérité Tant je sens ma vie enlacée A la radieuse pensée Qui m'a pris l'âme l'autre été, Tant votre image, à jamais chère, Habite en ce coeur tout à vous, [Mon]1 coeur uniquement jaloux De vous aimer et de vous plaire ; Et je tremble, pardonnez-moi D'aussi franchement vous le dire, À penser qu'un mot, [un]2 sourire De vous est désormais ma loi, Et qu'il vous suffirait d'un geste, D'une parole ou d'un clin d'oeil, Pour mettre tout mon être en deuil De son illusion céleste. Mais plutôt je ne veux vous voir, L'avenir dût-il m'être sombre Et fécond en peines sans nombre, Qu'à travers un immense espoir, Plongé dans ce bonheur suprême De me dire encore et toujours, En dépit des mornes retours, Que je vous aime, que je t'aime !
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)1 Fauré: "Ce"
2 Fauré: "qu'un"
Authorship
- by Paul Verlaine (1844 - 1896), no title, appears in La bonne chanson, no. 15, first published 1870 [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 Édouard Desmangles , "J'ai presque peur", 1939-41 [medium-high voice and piano], from Pièces pour chant et piano, no. 5. [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
- by Gabriel Fauré (1845 - 1924), "J'ai presque peur, en vérité", op. 61 no. 5, published 1892-3 [voice and piano], from La bonne chanson, no. 5, Paris, Hamelle [ sung text checked 1 time]
- by Charles Vitali , "J'ai presque peur", 1944. [voice and piano] [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Faith J. Cormier) , "I'm almost afraid, it's true", copyright © 2000, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Didier Pelat
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 24
Word count: 136
I'm almost afraid, it's true, when I see how my life is entwined with the radiant thought that stole my soul last summer; when I see how your ever-dear image lives in this heart that is all yours, my heart that only wants to love you and to please you; and I tremble - forgive me for speaking so freely - at the thought that a word or a smile from you so rules me and that a gesture, a word or a wink from you is enough to set my soul in mourning for its heavenly illusion. I really only want to see you, no matter how dark and full of pain my future, through an immense hope, plunged into this supreme job of saying over and always to myself, despite all dismal returns, that I love you, that I love thee!
Authorship
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2000 by Faith J. Cormier, (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:
- a text in French (Français) by Paul Verlaine (1844 - 1896), no title, appears in La bonne chanson, no. 15, first published 1870
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 24
Word count: 144