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by Paul Verlaine (1844 - 1896)
Translation © by Garrett Medlock
J'ai peur d'un baiser
Language: French (Français)
Our translations: ENG
J'ai peur d'un baiser Comme d'une abeille. Je souffre et je veille Sans me reposer : J'ai peur d'un baiser ! Pourtant j'aime Kate Et ses yeux jolis. Elle est délicate, Aux longs traits pâlis. Oh ! que j'aime Kate ! C'est Saint-Valentin ! Je dois et je n'ose Lui dire au matin ... La terrible chose Que Saint-Valentin ! Elle m'est promise, Fort heureusement ! Mais quelle entreprise Que d'être un amant Près d'une promise ! J'ai peur d'un baiser Comme d'une abeille. Je souffre et je veille Sans me reposer : J'ai peur d'un baiser !
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Paul Verlaine (1844 - 1896), "A poor young shepherd", appears in Romances sans paroles, in Aquarelles, no. 5, first published 1874 [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 Jacques Beers (1902 - 1947), "A poor young shepherd", published 1943 [ voice and piano ], from Six chants de Paul Verlaine, no. 1, Amsterdam, Donemus [sung text not yet checked]
- by Maxime Belliard (1888 - 1986), "Le petit berger", [1923] [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Paul Bonneau (1918 - 1995), "J'ai peur d'un baiser", published 1955 [ voice and piano ], from Six poésies de Paul Verlaine, no. 2, Paris, S.E.M.I. [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jacques Bousquet (1883 - 1939), "A poor young shepherd", <<1911 [ voice and piano ], Éditions F. Durdilly [sung text not yet checked]
- by Colin Brumby (b. 1933), "A poor young shepherd", copyright © 1947 [ medium voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Henri-Paul Büsser (1872 - 1973), "J'ai peur d'un baiser", op. 111 no. 2 (1924), published 1943 [ medium voice and piano ], Paris, Éd. Durand [sung text not yet checked]
- by René Chansarel (1864 - 1945), "Aquarelle anglaise", published 1902 [ voice and piano ], Paris, Énoch [sung text not yet checked]
- by Edgar Cosma (1925 - 2006), "A poor young shepherd", copyright © 1985 [ SATB chorus a cappella ], from Chansons en zigzag, no. 2, Lyon, À cœur joie [sung text not yet checked]
- by Bernard-Louis Crocé-Spinelli (1871 - 1932), "J'ai peur d'un baiser", published 1898 [ voice and piano ], Paris, Heugel [sung text not yet checked]
- by Hector Michel Fraggi (1882 - 1944), "J'ai peur d'un baiser", published 1931 [ voice and piano ], Paris, Salabert [sung text not yet checked]
- by Eduardo García Mansilla (1871 - 1930), "J'ai peur d'un baiser" [ voice and piano ], from Cinq poèmes, no. 3, Paris, Grus [sung text not yet checked]
- by Béatrix Helque , "A poor young shepherd", published 1935 [ voice and piano ], from Mélodies, no. 7 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Paul Ladmirault (1877 - 1944), "A poor young shepherd", <<1900 [ high voice and piano ], from Mélodies pour voix et piano, no. 1, Paris, E. Gallet [sung text not yet checked]
- by Robert Louis Iwan Le Grand (1894 - 1964), "J'ai peur d'un baiser", [1945] [ voice and piano ], from Aquarelles, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jean Louël (b. 1914), "A poor little shepherd", 1939 [ voice and piano ], unpublished [sung text not yet checked]
- by Arthur Vincent Lourié (1891 - 1966), "A poor shepherd", 1919 [ voice and piano ], from Verlaine, no. 6, Petrograd / Moscow, Государственное музыкальное издательство (Gosudarstvennoe muzykal’noe izdatel’stvo ) [sung text not yet checked]
- by Henry de Marliave , "A poor young shepherd" [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Lucien Mawet (1875 - 1947), "J'ai peur d'un baiser", published 1921 [ voice and piano ], Bruxelles, L. Mawet [sung text not yet checked]
- by René Mottart , "J'ai peur d'un baiser", [1900] [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Georges (Jerzy) Nawrocki , "A poor young shepherd", <<1971 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Émile-Barthélemy Passani , "A poor young shepherd", [1950] [ voice and piano ], from Trois poèmes de Verlaine, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Irena Regina Poldowski (1880 - 1932), "A poor young shepherd", published 1912 [ voice and piano ], Paris, Rœder [sung text not yet checked]
- by Pierre-Jacob Robert-Cantabre , "A poor young shepherd", published [1921] [ high voice and piano ], from Mélodies, I, no. 3, Pau, Éd. Pierre Jacob Cantabre [sung text not yet checked]
- by Augustin Smet (1878 - 1952), "A poor young shepherd", published 1930 [ voice and piano ], from Six mélodies, no. 6, Paris, Lorette [sung text not yet checked]
- by Rudi Spring (b. 1962), "A poor young Shepherd", op. 96 no. 4 (2018), from Livre de Mélodies Françaises, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jósef-Zygmunt Szulc (1875 - 1956), "J'ai peur d'un baiser", op. 83 (Dix mélodies sur des poésies de Verlaine) no. 4, published 1907 [ voice and piano ], Paris, Rouart Lerolle [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jeanne Emilie Virginie Vignery (1913 - 1974), "J'ai peur d'un baiser", 1952 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Georg von der Vring (1889 - 1968) ; composed by Karlheinz Stockhausen.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Arthur Grüber.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Also set in Russian (Русский), a translation by B. Lifshits ; composed by Aleksandr Borisovich Matyukhin.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Garrett Medlock) , copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-09-12
Line count: 25
Word count: 87
I am afraid of a kiss
Language: English after the French (Français)
I am afraid of a kiss As of a bee. I suffer and I stay awake Without resting: I am afraid of a kiss! Yet I love Kate And her lovely eyes. She is delicate In [her] long, faded features. Oh! how I love Kate! It is Valentine's Day! I must and I do not dare Tell [her] in the morning… What [a] terrible thing, Valentine's Day! She is promised to me, Very happily! But what enterprise To be a lover Near one [who is] betrothed! I am afraid of a kiss As of a bee. I suffer and I stay awake Without resting: I am afraid of a kiss!
About the headline (FAQ)
Translations of title(s):
"A poor little shepherd" = "A poor little shepherd"
"A poor shepherd" = "A poor shepherd"
"A poor young shepherd" = "A poor young shepherd"
"Aquarelle anglaise" = "English watercolor"
"J'ai peur d'un baiser" = "I am afraid of a kiss"
"Le petit berger" = "The little shepherd"
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2020 by Garrett Medlock, (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: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Paul Verlaine (1844 - 1896), "A poor young shepherd", appears in Romances sans paroles, in Aquarelles, no. 5, first published 1874
This text was added to the website: 2020-04-29
Line count: 25
Word count: 110