I've someone in my heart," you had to say one day

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by Francis Jammes (1868 - 1938)

Translation © by Grant Hicks

« J'ai quelqu'un dans le cœur »,...

Language: French (Français)

Our translations: ENG

« J'ai quelqu'un dans le cœur », deviez-vous dire un jour
à ceux qui vous proposeraient un autre amour.
« J'ai quelqu'un dans le cœur. » Et ce quelqu'un, c'est moi.
« J'ai quelqu'un dans le cœur. » Je pensais à cela,
à ces mots infinis par lesquels vous donniez
votre cœur à mon cœur, ô lierre qui mouriez...
Et je ne sais pourquoi, songeant à votre cœur,
je le voyais pareil au cœur frais d'une fleur,
à la fleur du cœur frais d'une rose de haie.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

by Francis Jammes (1868 - 1938), no title, appears in Clairières dans le ciel, in Tristesses, no. 16, first published 1906 [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 Michel Bosc (b. 1963), "J'ai quelqu'un...", 1999 [ high voice, flute, and piano ], from Tristesses, no. 16 [sung text not yet checked]
by Albert Dupuis (1877 - 1967), "J'ai quelqu'un dans le cœur", published 1921 [ high voice and piano ], from Douze mélodies, no. 3, Bruxelles (Brussels), Éd. J.B. Katto, Antoine Ysaye & Co. [sung text not yet checked]
by Darius Milhaud (1892 - 1974), ""J'ai quelqu'un dans le cœur" deviez-vous dire un jour", op. 355 no. 16 (1956), published 1957 [ baritone and piano ], from Tristesses, no. 16, Paris, Éd. Heugel [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: 2014-07-12
Line count: 9
Word count: 87

I've someone in my heart," you had to...

Language: English after the French (Français)

"I've someone in my heart," you had to say one day
to those who would suggest to you another love.
"I've someone in my heart." And that someone is me.
"I've someone in my heart." I thought about that,
about those boundless words by which you gave
your heart to my heart, you who were dying ivy...
And I don't know why, contemplating your heart,
I likened it to the fresh heart of a flower,
to the fresh-hearted flower of a briar rose.

About the headline (FAQ)

Translations of titles:
"J'ai quelqu'un..." = "I've someone..."
"J'ai quelqu'un dans le cœur" = "I've someone in my heart"

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, appears in Clairières dans le ciel, in Tristesses, no. 16, first published 1906
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2025-09-24
Line count: 9
Word count: 83