On respire du sel dans l’air
Language: French (Français)
Available translation(s): ENG
On respire du sel dans l’air,
Et la plantureuse campagne
Trempe sa robe dans la mer,
À Douarnenez en Bretagne.
À Douarnenez en Bretagne,
Les enfants rôdent par troupeaux ;
Ils ont les pieds fins, les yeux beaux,
Et sainte Anne les accompagne.
Les vareuses sont en haillons,
Mais le flux roule sa montagne
En y berçant des papillons,
À Douarnenez en Bretagne.
À Douarnenez en Bretagne,
Quand les pêcheurs vont de l’avant,
Les voiles brunes fuient au vent
Comme hirondelles en campagne.
Les aïeux n’y sont point trahis ;
Le cœur des filles ne se gagne
Que dans la langue du pays,
À Douarnenez en Bretagne.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Hélène Covatti-Dussaut (1910 - 2005), "Marine", published 2017 [ high voice and piano ], from Daphné, pour chant et piano, no. 2, Clichy, Éd. Musicales Artchipel [sung text checked 1 time]
- by (François-Clément) Théodore Dubois (1837 - 1924), "À Douarnenez en Bretagne" [ medium voice and piano ], from Vingt mélodies, recueil 1, no. 2, Paris, Éd. Heugel [sung text not yet checked]
- by Henri Marteau (1874 - 1934), "À Douarnenez en Bretagne", op. 19b no. 2 (c1917) [ voice and piano ], from Huit Mélodies pour chant avec accompagnement de piano, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Michael Berridge) , "At Douarnenez in Brittany", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [
Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2015-06-27
Line count: 20
Word count: 105
At Douarnenez in Brittany
Language: English after the French (Français)
You breathe the salt in the air,
and the lush countryside
runs down to the sea,
at Douarnenez in Brittany.
At Douarnenez in Brittany,
the children roam about in bunches;
they have graceful feet, lovely eyes,
and St Anne goes with them.
Their jackets are ragged,
but the tide rolls in
as the butterflies dance
at Douarnenez in Brittany.
At Douarnenez in Brittany,
when the fishermen put out to sea
the brown sails fly with the wind
like swallows in summer.
The elders are truly honoured;
a girl’s heart is won
only in the language of the place,
at Douarnenez in Brittany.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © by Michael Berridge, (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:
This text was added to the website: 2020-01-11
Line count: 20
Word count: 103