Colette | April has spoken and Colette is dreaming

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by (Paul) Jules Barbier (1825 - 1901)

Translation © by Faith J. Cormier

Colette

Language: French (Français)

Our translations: ENG

Avril a parlé, Colette est rêveuse!
Elle a délaissé les jeux d'autrefois!
Mais quand des oiseaux la troupe amoureuse
Chante du printemps les divins exploits,
Elle écoute, heureuse,
Au fond des grands bois!

Tout parle à son coeur, rumeurs bocagères,
Parfums caressants ou rayons joyeux!
Vénus ou Phoebé, d'amour messagère,
Lui semblent des yeux fixés sur ses yeux,
Les brises légères
Un soupir des cieux!

Le gentil Colin, depuis sa naissance,
Avait ses baisers d'enfant chaque jour;
Tous deux ignoraient l'étrange puissance
D'un baiser qu'on donne et prend tour à tour!
Mais leur innocence 
Leur apprit l'amour!

Colin, un matin, la voyant paraître,
Lui voulut au front ses lèvres poser,
Elle eut un caprice où l'amour put naître
Et se fit un jeu de s'y refuser,
Lors il put connaître 
Le prix d'un baiser.

Text Authorship:

by (Paul) Jules Barbier (1825 - 1901) [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 Cécile Chaminade (1857 - 1944), "Colette", published 1885? [ medium voice and piano ], Paris : Enoch Frères & Costallat [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (Faith J. Cormier) , "Colette", copyright © 2000, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 24
Word count: 134

Colette

Language: English after the French (Français)

April has spoken and Colette is dreaming.
She has left her games of old.
When the flock of lovesick birds
sings the divine exploits of spring,
she listens, happy,
deep in the woods.

Everything speaks to her heart: rumors of woodland,
caressing scents, joyful rays.
Venus or Phoebe, messengers of love,
seem to be eyes fixed on hers,
tender breezes,
Heaven's sigh.

Sweet Colin, from birth,
has had her childish kisses each day.
Neither knew the strange power of kisses
given and taken, turn and turn about.
But their innocence
taught them of love.

Colin, seeing her appear one morning,
wanted to press his lips to her brow.
On a whim, where love can grow,
she made a game of refusing.
Then he learned
the price of a kiss.

Text 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: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in French (Français) by (Paul) Jules Barbier (1825 - 1901)
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 24
Word count: 129