by François Coppée (1842 - 1908)
Translation by Arthur William Edgar O'Shaughnessy (1844 - 1881)
Les Trois Oiseaux
Language: French (Français)
J'ai dit au ramier : - Pars & va quand même,
Au delà des champs d'avoine & de foin,
Me chercher la fleur qui fera qu'on m'aime.
Le ramier m'a dit : - C'est trop loin !
Et j'ai dit à l'aigle : - Aide-moi, j'y compte,
Et, si c'est le feu du ciel qu'il me faut,
Pour l'aller ravir prends ton vol & monte.
Et l'aigle m'a dit : - C'est trop haut !
Et j'ai dit [enfin]1 au vautour : - Dévore
Ce coeur trop plein d'elle & prends-en ta part.
Laisse ce qui peut être intact encore.
Le vautour m'a dit : - C'est trop tard !
View original text (without footnotes)
1 Diémer : "alors"
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
1 Diémer : "alors"
Text Authorship:
- by François Coppée (1842 - 1908), "Les trois oiseaux", written 1877, appears in Les Récits et les Élégies, in Élégies, in 2. L'Exilée, Paris, Éd. Alphonse Lemerre [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 Léo Delibes (1836 - 1891), "Les Trois Oiseaux", 1877, published 1891 [ vocal duet for 2 sopranos with piano ], Paris, Éd. 'Au Ménestrel' Heugel [sung text not yet checked]
- by Louis Diémer (1843 - 1919), "Les trois oiseaux ", published 1875 [ voice and piano ], from Vingt Mélodies, no. 12, Paris : Henri Heugel [sung text checked 1 time]
- by André Gédalge (1856 - 1926), "Les Trois Oiseaux", 1879 [ medium voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Eduard Lassen (1830 - 1904), "Les trois oiseaux" [ high voice and piano ], from Trois mélodies sur des poésies de F. Coppée, no. 3, Éd. J. Hamelle [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in English, a translation by Arthur William Edgar O'Shaughnessy (1844 - 1881) , "The three birds", appears in Songs of a Worker, first published 1881 ; composed by William Henry Bell.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Emanuel von Geibel (1815 - 1884) , "Drei Vögel", subtitle: "Französisches Liebeslied" ; composed by Franz Wilhelm Abt, A. Friedland, Eduard Lassen, Eberhard von Lüneburg, Carl Alexander Raida, L. Stein.
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2010-04-26
Line count: 12
Word count: 96
The three birds
Language: English after the French (Français)
I said to the dove, Thou canst fly above me, Go where the corn fields are, And find me the flower that will make her love me: The dove said -- 'Tis too far. I said to the eagle, Heaven is before thee, Help me to win her and die; Go fetch me the fire of Jove, I implore thee: The eagle said -- 'Tis too high. I said to the vulture -- Tear out and devour Her love in my heart; to lone fate Leave only what has escaped her power: The vulture said -- 'Tis too late.
Text Authorship:
- by Arthur William Edgar O'Shaughnessy (1844 - 1881), "The three birds", appears in Songs of a Worker, first published 1881 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by François Coppée (1842 - 1908), "Les trois oiseaux", written 1877, appears in Les Récits et les Élégies, in Élégies, in 2. L'Exilée, Paris, Éd. Alphonse Lemerre
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by William Henry Bell (1873 - 1946), "The three birds", 1896. [voice and piano] [text not verified]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2010-04-26
Line count: 12
Word count: 95