by
Franz Toussaint (1879 - 1955)
Les Musiciens
Language: French (Français)
Assis dans un coin obscur du souk,
j'écoutais les musiciens de Debila.
Autrefois, ma bien-aimée a parcouru ce pays.
Autrefois, ma bien-aimée a entendu chanter les flûtes
et résonner les touboûls de Debila.
Maintenant, je l'ai dit, ma bien-aimée est retournée à Dieu,
et je la cherche dans la musique qu'elle préférait.
Si j'interrogeais les musiciens de Debila,
se souviendraient-ils d'avoir vu passer Messaouda
dans les jardins de leur pays ?
Me diraient-ils que leur musique n'est déchirante
que parce que Messaouda ne se promènera plus
dans les jardins de Debila ?
Ils jouaient, les paupières closes, la tête renversée,
comme ployés sous un baiser profond, douloureux, acharné...
Je ne leur demanderai pas s'ils ont connu ma bien-aimée,
car on ne demande pas aux rossignols du mois de Rebi-el-Aouel
s'ils chantent pour la nuit embaumée
ou pour les étoiles qui se sont éteintes.
Confirmed with Franz Toussaint, Le Jardin des caresses, Paris: H. Piazza, 1921, page 20.
Text 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):
- ENG English (Grant Hicks) , "The Musicians", copyright © 2026, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Grant Hicks
[Guest Editor] , Joost van der Linden
[Guest Editor] This text was added to the website: 2024-12-21
Line count: 19
Word count: 141
The Musicians
Language: English after the French (Français)
Seated in a dark corner of the souk,
I listened to the musicians of Debila.
Once, my beloved traveled this land,
Once, my beloved heard the flutes of Debila singing
and its drums resounding.
Now, as I've said, my beloved has returned to God,
and I seek her in the music that she preferred.
If I were to question the musicians of Debila,
would they remember seeing Messaouda passing by
in the gardens of their land?
Would they tell me that their music is heart-rending
only because Messaouda will no longer stroll
in the gardens of Debila?
They played on, eyes closed, heads thrown back,
as if bent under a kiss that is deep, painful, relentless...
I will not ask them if they knew my beloved,
for one does not ask the nightingales of the month of Rabi' al-Awwal
if they are singing for the sweet-scented night
or for the stars that have gone out.
Note: Debila is the name of a district in northern Algeria, and also of the capital city of this district. Rabi' al-Awwal (Rebi-el-Aouel in French transliteration) is the third month of the Islamic calendar.
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.
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Based on:
This text was added to the website: 2026-04-17
Line count: 19
Word count: 155
