by
Sara Teasdale (1884 - 1933)
A white star born in the evening glow
Language: English
Available translation(s): FRE
A white star born in the evening glow
Looked to the round green world below,
And saw a pool in a wooded place
That held like a jewel her mirrored face.
She said to the pool: "Oh, wondrous deep,
I love you, I give you my light to keep.
Oh, more profound than the moving sea
That never has shown myself to me!
Oh, fathomless as the sky is far,
Hold forever your tremulous star!"
But out of the woods as night grew cool
A brown pig came to the little pool;
It grunted and splashed and waded in
And the deepest place but reached its chin.
The water gurgled with tender glee
And the mud churned up in it turbidly.
The star grew pale and hid her face
In a bit of floating cloud like lace.
About the headline (FAQ)
Authorship:
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):
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "L'étoile", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [
Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2007-05-02
Line count: 18
Word count: 137
L'étoile
Language: French (Français)  after the English
Une étoile blanche née dans la lueur du soir
Regardait le monde rond et vert en bas,
Et vit une mare dans un endroit boisé
Qui tenait comme un joyau son visage réfléchi.
Elle dit à la mare : "Oh, merveilleuse profondeur,
Je t'aime, je te donne ma lumière à garder,
Oh, plus profonde que la mer agitée,
Qui jamais ne m'a montrée moi-même !
Oh, insondable comme le ciel est loin,
Garde pour toujours ton étoile tremblante !"
Mais hors des bois, comme la nuit devenait fraîche,
Un cochon brun vint à la petite mare ;
Il grogna et éclaboussa et pataugea dedans
Et son menton atteignit presque l'endroit le plus profond.
L'eau gargouilla avec une tendre jubilation
Et la boue bouillonna en s'agitant.
L'étoile devint pâle et cacha son visage
Dans un morceau de nuage flottant comme de la dentelle.
Authorship:
- Translation from English to French (Français) copyright © 2009 by Guy Laffaille, (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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Based on:
This text was added to the website: 2009-10-13
Line count: 18
Word count: 142