by Maurice Bouchor (1855 - 1929)
Translation © by Emily Ezust

Chanson de Clown (Le Soir des Rois)
Language: French (Français)  after the English 
Our translations:  CAT ENG
Fuis, mon âme, fuis! Je meurs sous les traits
De la plus cruelle des vierges.
Viens, ô mort! Qu'on m'étende à la lueur des cierges
Dans un cercueil de noir cyprès.
Qu'on m'ensevelisse loin d'elle
Dans le blême linceul couvert de branches d'if,
Qui, partageant mon sort, ami sûr mais tardif,
Du moins me restera fidèle.

Que pas une fleur, une pauvre fleur
Sur ma tombe ne soit semée;
Pour moi, que nul ami, que nulle voix aimée
N'ait des paroles de douleur.
Que je sois seul avec mes peines,
Et laissez au désert blanchir mes ossements,
De peur que sur ma tombe, hélas! les vrais amants
Ne versent trop de larmes vaines.

Text Authorship:

Based on:

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

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

  • CAT Catalan (Català) (Manuel Capdevila i Font) , "Cançó de bufó", copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "Song of the Clown (Twelfth Night)", copyright © 2016


Researcher for this page: Robert Grady

This text was added to the website: 2003-11-19
Line count: 16
Word count: 113

Song of the Clown (Twelfth Night)
Language: English  after the French (Français) 
Flee, my soul, flee! I die from the arrows
Of the cruelest of maidens.
Come, o death! Let them lay me out to the light of candles
In a coffin of black cypress.
Let them bury me far from her
In a white shroud covered with yew branches,
So that, sharing my fate, my sure friend - though late -
Will at least remain faithful to me.

Not one flower, one poor flower
Upon my grave should be strewn;
For me, no friend, no beloved voice
Should speak words of sorrow.
If only I could be alone with my grief,
And let my bones be bleached in the desert,
Lest upon my grave, alas, true lovers
Will shed too many vain tears.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2016 by Emily Ezust

    Emily Ezust permits her translations to be reproduced without prior permission for printed (not online) programs to free-admission concerts only, provided the following credit is given:

    Translation copyright © by Emily Ezust,
    from the LiederNet Archive

    For any other purpose, please write to the e-mail address below to request permission and discuss possible fees.


Based on:

Based on:

 

This text was added to the website: 2016-07-09
Line count: 16
Word count: 120