by Franz Toussaint (1879 - 1955)
Translation © by Grant Hicks

Le Souvenir
Language: French (Français)  after the Arabic (العربية) 
Our translations:  ENG
En courant, mes amis ont emporté ton corps. 
Messaouda ! Messaouda !
puisque ton visage était découvert,
tu as revu, une dernière fois, 
la fontaine près de laquelle je t'ai connue 
et le jardin qui nous accueillit, ce jour-là.
C'était un matin de la jeune année. 
Des colombes, bien lissées, 
venaient se poser sur les guirlandes de pampres 
qui flottaient entre les arbres.
Tes yeux avaient-ils fait déjà fleurir les jasmins ? 
Des papillons chaviraient dans leur feuillage, 
et une odeur de miel nous environnait. 
Sur le minaret de la mosquée voisine, 
un moûeddin' célébrait les bienfaits de Dieu.
En courant, mes amis ont emporté ton corps.
Chaque matin, j'irai m'asseoir sur ta tombe, parmi les pleureuses.

Confirmed with Franz Toussaint, Le jardin des caresses, 73e édition, Paris: L'édition d'art H. Piazza, 1921, pages 16-17.


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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) , "Memory", 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: 2025-02-17
Line count: 17
Word count: 114

Memory
Language: English  after the French (Français) 
As they ran, my friends carried off your body.
Messaouda! Messaouda!
since your face was uncovered,
you saw again, one last time,
the spring by which I met you 
and the garden that welcomed us that day.
It was a morning early in the year.
Doves, with their sleek plumage,
came to alight on the garlands of vines
that swayed among the trees.
Had your eyes already made the jasmines blossom?
Butterflies fluttered in their foliage,
and a scent of honey enveloped us.
On the minaret of the mosque nearby,
a muezzin was praising the blessings of God.
As they ran, my friends carried off your body.
Every morning, I will go and sit by your grave, among the mourners.

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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This text was added to the website: 2026-03-09
Line count: 17
Word count: 120