by
Franz Toussaint (1879 - 1955)
La chanson des nénuphars
Language: French (Français) after the Chinese (中文)
Leurs robes vertes sont tellement pareilles
aux feuilles des nénuphars,
leurs visages roses sont tellement pareils
aux fleurs des nénuphars,
que l'on prend leurs robes pour des feuilles
et leurs visages pour des fleurs.
Un chant jaillit...
Alors, seulement, on s'aperçoit
que des jeunes filles se baignent parmi les nénuphars.
Les favorites du roi de Tsou
et les danseuses de Hou
et les beautés de You,
venaient s'ébattre aussi dans le lac.
Elles cueillaient des nénuphars,
elles riaient de voir flotter leurs robes...
Comme autrefois, lorsque les jeunes filles arrivent,
les nénuphars se soulèvent pour admirer leurs sœurs.
Lorsqu'elles s'en vont,
la blanche lune les accompagne.
Confirmed with Franz Toussaint, La flûte de jade : poésies chinoises, Paris: H. Piazza, 1922, pages 49-50.
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):
- ENG English (Grant Hicks) , "The Song of the Water Lilies", copyright © 2026, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Grant Hicks
[Guest Editor] , Joost van der Linden
[Guest Editor] This text was added to the website: 2026-04-15
Line count: 19
Word count: 106
The Song of the Water Lilies
Language: English after the French (Français)
Their green robes are so like
the leaves of water lilies,
their pink faces are so like
the flowers of water lilies,
that one takes their robes for leaves
and their faces for flowers.
A song bursts forth...
Only then does one notice
that there are maidens bathing among the lilies.
The mistresses of the King of Tsou
and the dancing girls of Hou
and the beauties of You
came also to frolic in the lake.
They gathered water lilies,
they laughed to see their robes floating...
As before, when the maidens arrive,
the water lilies rise up to admire their sisters.
When they depart,
the pale moon goes with them.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2026 by Grant Hicks, (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.
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Based on:
Based on:
This text was added to the website: 2026-04-15
Line count: 19
Word count: 111
