I had put some scented air

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by Francis Jammes (1868 - 1938)

Translation © by Grant Hicks

J'avais mis de l'air parfumé

Language: French (Français)

Our translations: ENG

J'avais mis de l'air parfumé 
Dans mon pipeau, l'air qu'on respire
Lorsque l'acacia se mire
À la source du mois de mai.

Quand la jeune fille ramait,
Je jouais et l'entendais rire 
De ce que je n'eusse une lyre 
Comme un poète renommé.

Tout à coup elle fit silence 
Dans le bateau qui se balance ; 
Les bois commençaient de mourir,

Elle écoutait ma flûte fruste 
Pousser encore le soupir
Du printemps parmi les arbustes.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

by Francis Jammes (1868 - 1938), no title, written 1919, appears in La Vierge et les Sonnets, in 4. Sonnets pour finir, no. 1 [author's text checked 1 time 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 Robert Bernard (1900 - 1971), "J'avais mis de l'air parfumé", 1929, published 1930 [ medium voice and piano ], from Trois Poèmes de Francis Jammes, no. 2, Paris, Édition Durand & Cie [sung text not yet checked]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

ENG English (Grant Hicks) , copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2014-06-11
Line count: 14
Word count: 74

I had put some scented air

Language: English after the French (Français)

I had put some scented air
In my pipe, the air one breathes 
When the acacia is reflected 
At the spring of the month of May.

When the young girl paddled by,
I was playing and heard her laugh
At my not having a lyre
Like a famous poet.

Suddenly she fell silent 
In the swaying boat;
The woods were starting to die,

She listened to my rude flute 
Still breathing out the sigh
Of Spring among the bushes.

About the headline (FAQ)

Translations of titles:
"J'avais mis de l'air parfumé" = "I had put some scented air"

Text Authorship:

Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2025 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:

a text in French (Français) by Francis Jammes (1868 - 1938), no title, written 1919, appears in La Vierge et les Sonnets, in 4. Sonnets pour finir, no. 1
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2025-11-21
Line count: 14
Word count: 79