La lune plaquait ses teintes de zinc Par angles obtus. Des bouts de fumée en forme de cinq Sortaient drus et noirs des hauts toits pointus. Le ciel était gris. La bise pleurait Ainsi qu'un basson. Au loin, un matou frileux et discret Miaulait d'étrange et grêle façon. Moi, j'allais, rêvant du divin Platon Et de Phidias, Et de Salamine et de Marathon, Sous l'œil clignotant des bleus becs de gaz.
Confirmed with Paul Verlaine, Poëmes saturniens, Paris: Alphonse Lemerre, 1866, pages 31-32.
Authorship:
- by Paul Verlaine (1844 - 1896), "Croquis parisien", appears in Poèmes saturniens, in 2. Eaux-fortes, no. 1, Paris, Alphonse Lemerre, first published 1866 [author's text checked 2 times 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):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Bergen Weeks Applegate) , "Parisian Sketch", appears in Poems Saturnine, in 2. Etchings, no. 1
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Poom Andrew Pipatjarasgit [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2009-01-05
Line count: 12
Word count: 71
The moon was spreading pale tints of zinc Obliquely let fall; And the rising smoke-shapes made one think Of a figure five o'er the house tops tall. The sky was gray, with a wind that sighed Like a sad bassoon; And afar a shivering tomcat cried With the strange frail notes of a ghostly tune. And I dreamed of Plato as I strolled on, And of Phidias, And of Salamis, and of Marathon, 'Neath the blinking eyes of blue jets of gas.
Confirmed with Bergen Applegate, Paul Verlaine: His Absinthe-Tinted Song, Chicago, Ralph Fletcher Seymour, The Alderbrink Press, 1916, page 49.
Authorship:
- by Bergen Weeks Applegate (b. 1865), "Parisian Sketch", appears in Poems Saturnine, in 2. Etchings, no. 1 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Paul Verlaine (1844 - 1896), "Croquis parisien", appears in Poèmes saturniens, in 2. Eaux-fortes, no. 1, Paris, Alphonse Lemerre, first published 1866
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Researcher for this page: Poom Andrew Pipatjarasgit [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2022-03-10
Line count: 12
Word count: 82