J'appréhendais ce premier Merle, tant

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by Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886)

Translation © by Guy Laffaille

I dreaded that first robin so

Language: English

Our translations: FRE

I dreaded that first robin so,
But he is mastered now,
And I'm accustomed to him grown, -
He hurts a little, though.

I thought if I could only live
Till that first shout got by,
Not all pianos in the woods
Had power to mangle me.

I dared not meet the daffodils,
For fear their yellow gown
Would pierce me with a fashion
So foreign to my own.

I wished the grass would hurry,
So when 't was time to see,
He'd be too tall, the tallest one
Could stretch to look at me.

I could not bear the bees should come,
I wished they'd stay away
In those dim countries where they go:
What word had they for me?

They're here, though; not a creature failed,
No blossom stayed away
In gentle deference to me,
The Queen of Calvary.

Each one salutes me as he goes,
And I my childish plumes
Lift, in bereaved acknowledgment
Of their unthinking drums.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

by Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886), no title, appears in Poems by Emily Dickinson, first published 1891 [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 Ezra Laderman (1924 - 2015), no title, published 1970 [ 2 narrators, piano and orchestra ], from Magic Prison, melodrama [sung text not yet checked]

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

FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 28
Word count: 160

J'appréhendais ce premier Merle, tant

Language: French (Français) after the English

J'appréhendais ce premier Merle, tant,
Mais Il est dompté, maintenant,
Je me suis habituée un peu à Lui devenu grand
Il fait un peu mal, cependant --

Je pensais que si je pouvais seulement vivre
Jusqu'à ce que ce premier Cri sorte --
Tous les Pianos dans les Bois
Ne pourraient plus me déchirer --

Je n'osais pas rencontrer les Jonquilles --
Par crainte que leur Robe Jaune
Ne me perce d'une mode
Si étrangère à la mienne --

Je souhaitais que l'Herbe se dépêche --
Pour que quand ce serait l'heure de voir --
Il serait trop grand, le plus grand
Pourrait s'étirer pour me regarder --

Je ne pouvais pas supporter que les Abeilles arrivent,
Je souhaitais qu'elles restent loin
Dans ces pays incertains où elles vont,
Quelle parole avaient-elles à me dire ?

Elles sont ici, cependant ; pas une créature n'a manqué --
Aucune Fleur n'est restée loin
Par égards aimables pour moi --
La Reine du Calvaire --

Chacune me salue, en passant,
Et Moi, mon plumet enfantin,
Je le lève, en reconnaissance affligée
De leurs Tambours étourdis --

About the headline (FAQ)

Text 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:

a text in English by Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886), no title, appears in Poems by Emily Dickinson, first published 1891
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2009-12-18
Line count: 28
Word count: 170