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Pâle espionne de l'Amour
Ma mémoire à peine fidèle
N'eut pour observer cette belle
Forteresse qu'une heure un jour
Tu te déguises
À ta guise
Mémoire espionne du cœur
Tu ne retrouves plus l'exquise
Ruse et le coeur seul est vainqueur
Mais la vois-tu cette mémoire
Les yeux bandés prête à mourir
Elle affirme qu'on peut l'en croire
Mon coeur vaincra sans coup férir
Text Authorship:
- by Wilhelm Albert Włodzimierz Apolinary Kostrowicki (1880 - 1918), as Guillaume Apollinaire, "L'espionne", appears in Calligrammes - Poèmes de la paix et de la guerre, in 5. Obus couleur de lune, first published 1918 [author's text not yet checked 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 Robert Caby (1905 - 1992), "L'espionne", 1939, published 1991 [ voice and piano ], Éd. de l'AARC (Association des Amis de Robert Caby) [sung text not yet checked]
- by Émile Naoumoff (b. 1962), "L'espionne", <<2011 [ high voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Francis Poulenc (1899 - 1963), "L'Espionne", FP 140 no. 1 (1948), published 1948 [ baritone and piano ], from Calligrammes, no. 1, Éd. Heugel [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "L'espia", copyright © 2026, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Korin Kormick) , "The spy", copyright © 2002, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Julia Henning) , "Die Spionin", copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2003-10-12
Line count: 13
Word count: 64
Pale spy of Love My memory scarcely faithful Had to observe this beautiful Fortress only one hour one day You disguise yourself In your guise Spying memory of the heart You will no longer find again the exquisite Trick and the heart alone is victorious But do you see this memory Eyes blindfolded, ready to die It affirms that one can believe in it My heart will conquer without bloodshed
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2002 by Korin Kormick, (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.
Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Wilhelm Albert Włodzimierz Apolinary Kostrowicki (1880 - 1918), as Guillaume Apollinaire, "L'espionne", appears in Calligrammes - Poèmes de la paix et de la guerre, in 5. Obus couleur de lune, first published 1918
This text was added to the website: 2003-10-12
Line count: 13
Word count: 71