El noi de Lieja | Un noi com tret d'un conte de fades

Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.

It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.

To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at licenses@email.lieder.example.net

If you wish to reprint translations, please make sure you include the names of the translators in your email. They are below each translation.

Note: You must use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.

by Louise de Vilmorin (1902 - 1969)

Translation © by Salvador Pila

Le Garçon de Liège

Language: French (Français)

Our translations: CAT ENG

Un garçon de conte de fée
M'a fait un grand salut bourgeois
En plein vent, au bord d'une allée,
Debout sous l'arbre de la Loi.

Les oiseaux d'arrière saison
Faisaient des leurs malgré la pluie
Et prise par ma déraison
J'osai lui [dir]¹: "Je m'ennuie."

Sans dire un doux mot de menteur
Le soir dans ma chambre à tristesse
Il vint consoler ma pâleur.
Son ombre me fit des promesses.

Mais c'était un garçon de Liège,
Léger, léger comme le vent
Qui ne se prend à aucun piège
Et court les plaines du beau temps.

Et dans ma chemise de nuit,
Depuis lors quand je voudrais rire
Ah! beau jeune homme je m'ennuie,
Ah! dans ma chemise à mourir.

Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada, but it may still be copyright in other legal jurisdictions. The LiederNet Archive makes no guarantee that the above text is public domain in your country. Please consult your country's copyright statutes or a qualified IP attorney to verify whether a certain text is in the public domain in your country or if downloading or distributing a copy constitutes fair use. The LiederNet Archive assumes no legal responsibility or liability for the copyright compliance of third parties.

View text without footnotes
¹ Vilmorin: "crier"

Text Authorship:

by Louise de Vilmorin (1902 - 1969), "Le Garçon de Liège", written 1937, appears in Fiançailles pour rire, no. 13, Paris, Éd. NRF Gallimard, first published 1939 [author's text checked 1 time 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 Francis Poulenc (1899 - 1963), "Le Garçon de Liège", FP 91 no. 1 (1937), published 1938 [ soprano and piano ], from Trois Poèmes de Louise de Vilmorin, no. 1, Éditions Durand [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (Laura Prichard) , "The boy from Liège", copyright © 2019, (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: 20
Word count: 120

El noi de Lieja

Language: Catalan (Català) after the French (Français)

Un noi com tret d'un conte de fades
Em va fer una gran reverència
A ple aire al costat d'un camí,
Dret sota l'Arbre de la Llei.

Els ocells tardans
Feien de les seves malgrat la pluja
I presa per la meva follia
Vaig gosar dir-li: «M'avorreixo».

Sense dir ni una sola paraula dolça i enganyosa
Aquell vespre a la meva cambra de tristor
Va venir a consolar la meva pal·lidesa.
La seva ombra em va fer promeses.

Però ell era un noi de Lieja,
Lleuger, lleuger com el vent
Que no cau en cap trampa
I corre per les planes del bon temps.

I en la meva camisa de dormir,
Des de llavors quan tinc ganes de riure
Ah! Bell jove m'avorreixo,
Ah!De mort en la meva camisa.

Text Authorship:

Translation from French (Français) to Catalan (Català) copyright © 2026 by Salvador Pila, (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 Louise de Vilmorin (1902 - 1969), "Le Garçon de Liège", written 1937, appears in Fiançailles pour rire, no. 13, Paris, Éd. NRF Gallimard, first published 1939
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2026-05-30
Line count: 20
Word count: 129