by
Franz Toussaint (1879 - 1955)
J'ai poli ton corps de tant de caresses
Language: French (Français) after the Arabic (العربية)
J'ai poli ton corps de tant de caresses,
qu’il ressemble maintenant
à la pierre sacrée d’El Djoûf,
que tant de lèvres ont usée.
Le soleil peut s’éteindre
et la lune tomber,
il m’inondera de lumière.
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Franz Toussaint, Le jardin des caresses, L'édition d'Art H. Piazza, p.6
Text Authorship:
Based on:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Jean Déré (1886 - 1970), "Le flambeau", published 1921 [ voice and piano ], from Quatre chants arabes, no. 1, Éd. Maurice Sénart (Salabert) [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jacqueline Despas (1893 - 1968), "Défi", published 1923 [ medium voice and piano ], from Poèmes Arabes, no. 1, Paris, Éd. Jobert [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Grant Hicks) , copyright © 2026, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust
[Administrator] , Joost van der Linden
[Guest Editor] This text was added to the website: 2017-05-05
Line count: 7
Word count: 35
I've polished your body with so many...
Language: English after the French (Français)
I've polished your body with so many caresses,
that now it resembles
the sacred stone of Al-Jouf,
which so many lips have worn.
The sun may go out
and the moon fall;
it will bathe me in light.
About the headline (FAQ)
Translations of titles:
"Défi" = "Defiance"
"Le flambeau" = "The Torch"
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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
Based on:
This text was added to the website: 2026-02-25
Line count: 7
Word count: 38
