by Paul Verlaine (1844 - 1896)
Translation by Bergen Weeks Applegate (b. 1865)
Comme la voix d'un mort qui chanterait
Language: French (Français)
Our translations: ENG
Comme la voix d'un mort qui chanterait Du fond de sa fosse, Maîtresse, entends monter vers ton retrait Ma voix aigre et fausse. Ouvre ton âme et ton oreille au son De la mandoline : Pour toi j'ai fait, pour toi, cette chanson Cruelle et câline. Je chanterai tes yeux d'or et d'onyx Purs de toutes ombres, Puis le Léthé de ton sein, puis le Styx De tes cheveux sombres. Comme la voix d'un mort qui chanterait Du fond de sa fosse, Maîtresse, entends monter vers ton retrait Ma voix aigre et fausse. Puis je louerai beaucoup, comme il convient, Cette chair bénie Dont le parfum opulent me revient Les nuits d'insomnie. Et pour finir, je dirai le baiser De ta lèvre rouge, Et ta douceur à me martyriser, — Mon Ange ! — ma Gouge ! Ouvre ton âme et ton oreille au son De ma mandoline : Pour toi j'ai fait, pour toi, cette chanson Cruelle et câline.
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Paul Verlaine, Poëmes saturniens, Paris: Alphonse Lemerre, 1866, pages 93-95.
Text Authorship:
- by Paul Verlaine (1844 - 1896), "Sérénade", written 1866, appears in Poèmes saturniens, Paris, Éd. Alphonse Lemerre, first published 1866 [author's text checked 2 times 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 Louis Abbiate (1866 - 1933), "Sérénade", published [1899] [ low voice and piano ], from Pièces pour chant et piano, no. 3, Paris, Édition Lucien Grus [sung text not yet checked]
- by Tony Aubin (1907 - 1981), "Sérénade", published 1932 [ voice and piano ], from Six poèmes de Verlaine, no. 1, Paris, Heugel [sung text not yet checked]
- by Fernand Brumagne (1887 - 1939), "Sérénade" [ voice and piano ], Paris, Bosworth [sung text not yet checked]
- by Isidore Chauvin (1899 - ?), "Sérénade", [1948] [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jean-Marc Déhan (1929 - 2009), "Sérénade", 1987? [ medium voice and piano ], from Mélodies, 2ème série, no. 8 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Tonio Doni , "Sérénade", published 1932 [ voice and piano ], from Cinq mélodies, no. 2, Paris, Éd. Alphonse Leduc [sung text not yet checked]
- by Camille Erlanger (1863 - 1919), "Sérénade", published 1903 [ bass and piano ], Société nouvelle d'éditions musicales ; Eschig [sung text not yet checked]
- by Léo Ferré (1916 - 1993), "Bolero pour chant et piano", published 1970 [ voice and piano ], Nouvelles Éditions Méridian [sung text not yet checked]
- by Antonio Lima Fragoso (1897 - 1918), "Sérénade", 1917, published 1972 [ voice and piano ], from Cançoes do sol poente - Poèmes Saturniens, no. 2, Lisbonne, Éd. Valentim de Carvalho [sung text not yet checked]
- by Georges-Victor Lafon , "Sérénade", published 1924 [ voice and piano ], from Trois mélodies, no. 3, Paris, Bigolet et Melon [sung text not yet checked]
- by Edgar Letellier , "Sérénade burlesque", published 1923 [ voice and piano ], from Trois chansons brèves, no. 3, Paris, Eschig [sung text not yet checked]
- by Dinu Lipatti (1917 - 1950), "Sérénade", op. 9 no. 5 (1941), published 1985 [ voice and piano ], from Cinq Mélodies sur des Poèmes de Paul Verlaine, no. 5, note: published in Romania as Cinci Lieduri pe Versuri de Verlaine ; Bucarest, Editura muzicala [sung text not yet checked]
- by Charles Martin Tornov Loeffler (1861 - 1935), "Sérénade", op. 5 (Quatre poèmes pour voix, alto et piano) no. 4 (1893), published 1904 [ voice, piano, and viola ], New York, Schirmer [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Bruno Maderna (1920 - 1973), "Sérénade", 1946-47, published 1997 [ soprano and piano ], from Liriche su Verlaine per voce di soprano e pianoforte, no. 2, Milan, Édition Suvini Zerboni [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jean-Paul Mariage (1881 - 1966), "Sérénade", op. 4, published 1905 [ voice and piano or harp or violoncello (ad libitum) ], Paris, Laurens ; later published 1909, Paris, Jouve [sung text not yet checked]
- by Édouard-F. Michel , "Sérénade", 1903 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Héctor Panizza (1875 - 1967), "Sérénade", op. 24 no. 5, published 1899 [ voice and piano ], from Neuf poésies de Paul Verlaine, no. 5, Milan, Ricordi [sung text not yet checked]
- by Casimir von Pászthory (1886 - 1966), "Sérénade", published 1932 [ voice and piano ], from Tolochenaz [later renamed Sabine], no. 2, Wiesbaden, Cranz [sung text not yet checked]
- by Augustin Smet (1878 - 1952), "Sérénade", published 1930 [ voice and piano ], from Six mélodies, no. 2, Paris, Lorette [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jósef-Zygmunt Szulc (1875 - 1956), "Sérénade", published 1923 [ voice and piano ], from Sept mélodies, recueil 1, no. 7, Paris, Salabert [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jean Vallet , "Pour toi", published 1950 [ voice and piano ], Nevers, J. Vallet [sung text not yet checked]
- by Louis Vierne (1870 - 1937), "Sérénade", op. 38 no. 6 (1916), published 1924 [ voice and piano or orchestra ], from Spleens et Détresses, no. 6, Paris, Salabert [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Cäsar Flaischlen (1864 - 1920) , "Serenade" ; composed by Max Kowalski, Joseph Suder, Richard Trunk.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Corinne Orde) , "Serenade", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Bergen Weeks Applegate) , "Serenade", appears in Poems Saturnine
- GER German (Deutsch) ( Wolf von Kalckreuth, Graf) , "Serenade"
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Poom Andrew Pipatjarasgit [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 28
Word count: 156
Serenade
Language: English after the French (Français)
Like the voice of one dead yet singing From the depth of the grave, Hear thou, O my mistress, the stinging Shrill voice of thy slave. Open thy soul and thy ear to the sound Of my mandolin; For thee have I made, for thee to resound, This song cruel and thin. I sing to thine eyes, they are onyx and golden, No shadows are there; To thy bosom, as Lethe, the olden — To the Styx of thy hair. Like the voice of one dead yet singing From the depth of the grave, Hear thou, O my mistress, the stinging Shrill voice of thy slave. Then I praise over-much, as befitting, Thy flesh ever blest, Whose opulent perfume comes flitting Through my nights of unrest. And I sing of thy red lips, intently — Lips red as a jewel; Of the martyrdom laid on me gently, My Angel — my Ghoul! Open thy soul and thy ear to the sound Of my mandolin; For thee have I made, for thee, to resound This song cruel and thin.
Confirmed with Bergen Applegate, Paul Verlaine: His Absinthe-Tinted Song, Chicago, Ralph Fletcher Seymour, The Alderbrink Press, 1916, pages 63-64.
Text Authorship:
- by Bergen Weeks Applegate (b. 1865), "Serenade", appears in Poems Saturnine [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Paul Verlaine (1844 - 1896), "Sérénade", written 1866, appears in Poèmes saturniens, Paris, Éd. Alphonse Lemerre, first published 1866
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Researcher for this page: Poom Andrew Pipatjarasgit [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2022-03-13
Line count: 28
Word count: 178