Le torrent bondit et gronde, le vent hurle dans les pins, les rats fuient à mon approche et vont se cacher sous les vieilles tuilles. Quel monarque, jadis, fit bâtir ce palais dont ne subsistent que des ruines au flanc d'une montagne abrupte? Des flammes bleuâtres courent au ras du sol. On perçoit des gémissements, des râles. Ces Dix Mille voix de la nature forment un sauvage concert qui ajoute au tragique de l'automne. Le maître de ce palais avait de belles danseuses, qui sont aujourd'hui de la poussière froide. Il avait des chars, des guerriers. De tout ce faste, de toute cette gloire, que reste-t-il? Un cheval de marbre, qui gît dans l'herbe. Mon immense tristesse, je voudrais l'épancher dans un poème durable, mais je pleure, et mon pinceau tremble.
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Text Authorship:
- by Franz Toussaint (1879 - 1955) [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Chinese (中文) by Tu Fu (712 - 770) [text unavailable]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Armande de Polignac (1876 - 1962), "Le palais ruiné", published 1922 [ medium voice and piano ], from La flûte de jade, no. 8, Genève, Éd. A. Henn, also set in English [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in English, a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Armande de Polignac.
Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2008-02-19
Line count: 18
Word count: 131