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

Le pavillon de porcelaine
Language: French (Français)  after the Chinese (中文) 
Our translations:  ENG
Au milieu du lac,
s'élève un pavillon de porcelaine blanche.
Pour y arriver, il faut franchir un petit pont de jade
qui a la courbe d'un tigre à l'affût.
Dans ce minuscule palais, des amis se réunissent.
Ils causent, ils boivent.
Sur l'eau verte, ils regardent onduler
les reflets des pivoines
qui ornent la balustrade de la terrasse.
Certains, les manches retroussées,
la calotte enfoncée jusqu'aux yeux,
écrivent des vers.
L'arc du pont ressemble au croissant de la lune.
Les reflets des pivoines
ressemblent à des jeunes filles qui dansent.

Confirmed with Franz Toussaint, La flûte de jade, poésies chinoises, Paris, L'édition d'art H. Piazza, 1922, pages 147-148.


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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) , "The Porcelain Pavilion", 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: 2024-11-06
Line count: 15
Word count: 90

The Porcelain Pavilion
Language: English  after the French (Français) 
In the middle of the lake,
there rises a pavilion of white porcelain.
To get there, one must cross a little bridge of jade
that is arched like a crouching tiger.
In this tiny palace, friends gather.
They converse, they drink,
They watch the undulations on the green water
of the reflections of the peonies
that adorn the balustrades of the terrace.
Some roll up their sleeves,
pull their caps down to their eyes,
and write verses.
The arch of the bridge looks like the crescent moon.
The reflections of the peonies 
look like maidens dancing.

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: 2026-04-14
Line count: 15
Word count: 96