Some of the following material is not in the public domain.
It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. Printing copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator is also illegal.
You must use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.
For more information, contact us at:
Before writing, please read the instructions below the translations (under Authorship). Always include the names of the translators in your email if you wish to reprint something!
Tes grands yeux doux semblent des îles Qui nagent dans un lac d'azur : [Sous la paix]1 de tes yeux tranquilles, Fais-moi tranquille et fais-moi pur. Ton corps a l'adorable enfance Des clairs paradis de jadis : Enveloppe-moi de silence, [De ton corps blanc comme les lys]2. [Je souffre, j'étouffe, je pleure : Ô mon amour, fais de tes bras, Pour que je m'y perde et j'y meure, Un tombeau que tu m'ouvriras !]3
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Confirmed with L'Illusion, Troisième édition, Paris, Alphonse Lemerre, 1893, p. 14.
1 Chausson: "Aux fraîcheurs"
2 Chausson: "Du silence argenté des lys"
3 Chausson:
Alangui par les yeux tranquilles Des étoiles caressant l'air, J'ai tant rêvé la paix des îles, Sous un soir frissonant et clair !Baton:
Je souffre, j'étouffe, je pleure; Fais de ton corps, fais de tes bras Afin que je m'y perde et meure Un tombeau que tu m'ouvriras.
Authorship
- by Henri Cazalis (1840 - 1909), as Jean Lahor, "Sérénade mélancolique", appears in L'Illusion, in 1. Chants de l'Amour et de la Mort [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 René-Emmanuel Baton (1879 - 1940), as Rhené-Baton, "Sérénade mélancolique", op. 16 no. 4 (1911), published 1912 [high voice and piano], from Cinq mélodies sur des poèmes de Jean Lahor, no. 4, Paris, Éd. Durand [ sung text checked 1 time]
- by Charles Bordes (1863 - 1909), "Sérénade mélancolique", op. 8 no. 2, first performed 1890 [high voice and piano], from Trois mélodies sur des poèmes de Jean Lahor, no. 2, Éd. Le Bailly, O. Bornemann [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
- by Ernest Amédée Chausson (1855 - 1899), "Sérénade", op. 13 (Quatre mélodies) no. 2 (1887). [high voice and piano] [ sung text checked 1 time]
- by Alfred André Simon Kullmann (1875 - 1963), "Sérénade mélancolique", <<1917 [high voice and piano], from Sept mélodies - 1ère série, no. 5, Paris, Éd. L. Grus & Cie [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Paul Hindemith) , copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
Text added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Last modified: 2017-07-30 11:35:24
Line count: 12
Word count: 74
Your big, sweet eyes resemble the islands That swim in a lake of azure. Within the peace of your tranquil eyes I am made tranquil and made pure. Your body has the adorable infancy Of lights of paradise long ago: Envelop me in silence Of your body white like the lily. [...]1
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)1 Baton version:
I suffer, I choke, I cry; With your body, With your arms So that I me may get lost and die, Make a tomb that you open to me.
Authorship
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2009 by Paul Hindemith, (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:
- a text in French (Français) by Henri Cazalis (1840 - 1909), as Jean Lahor, "Sérénade mélancolique", appears in L'Illusion, in 1. Chants de l'Amour et de la Mort
Text added to the website: 2009-09-17 00:00:00
Last modified: 2014-06-16 10:03:22
Line count: 9
Word count: 52