C'est un amant, ouvrez la porte | C'est un Amant, ouvrez la porte

sometimes misattributed to Jean-Baptiste Pocquelin (1622 - 1673), as Molière and sometimes misattributed to Mathieu de Montreuil (1620 - 1691)

C'est un Amant, ouvrez la porte

Language: French (Français)

Our translations: ENG

C'est un Amant, ouvrez la porte.
Il est plein d'amour et de foi.
Que faites-vous, êtes-vous morte,
Ou ne l'êtes-vous que pour moi?
 
Si vous n'êtes pas éveillée,
Je ne veux point quitter ce lieu.
Si vous n'êtes pas habillée,
Que je vous voie, et puis adieu.
 
Voulez-vous qu'ici je demeure
Demi-mort, tremblant et jaloux?
Hélas! s'il vous plaît que je meure,
Que ce soit au moins devant vous.
 
Quelqu'autre Amant rempli de gloire
Me fait-il perdre ici mes pas?
Je ne saurais vivre et le croire,
Et ne puis ne le croire pas.
 
Ah! vous ouvrez : Belle farouche,
J'entends la clef, c'est votre voix.
Ô belle main, ô belle bouche!
Que je vous baise mille fois.

Available sung texts: ← What is this?

• J. Massenet

J. Massenet sets stanzas 1-3, 5
Pessard sets stanzas 1-3, 5
Mathieu-Manhangis sets stanzas 1-2

About the headline (FAQ)

Note: this poem is attributed to Mathieu de Montreuil in many places with the title "Stances" (and sometimes to Molière), but it appeared before either author's birth in an anonymous setting for treble voice and lute in the collection by Gabriel Bataille, Airs de differents avthevrs, mis en tablatvre de lvth..., second livre, Paris: Pierre Ballard, 1609, fol. 11.

With thanks to Professor Gordon J Callon for pointing this out (June 2013).

Text Authorship:

sometimes misattributed to Jean-Baptiste Pocquelin (1622 - 1673), as Molière
sometimes misattributed to Mathieu de Montreuil (1620 - 1691)

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist , "C'est un amant, ouvrez la porte", published 1609 [ treble voice and lute ], in the collection ed. by Gabriel Bataille, Airs de differents avthevrs, mis en tablatvre de lvthâ¦ . Second livre (Paris: Pierre Ballardâ¦, 1609), fol. 11. [sung text not yet checked]
by Hans Hermann (1870 - 1931), "C'est un amant, ouvrez la porte", op. 3 (Fünf Gesänge für eine Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 2, published 1897 [ voice and piano ], Magdeburg, Heinrichshofen Verlag ; note: the author is given erroneously as Mathieu de Montreuil , also set in German (Deutsch) [sung text not yet checked]
by Jules Massenet (1842 - 1912), "Sérénade", 1876?, published 1876, stanzas 1-3,5 [ voice and piano ], G. Hartmann; note: the author of the text is given erroneously as Molière [sung text checked 1 time]
by ? Mathieu-Manhangis (1870 - 1931), "Sérénade de Molière", 1888, published 1888, stanzas 1-2 [ tenor and piano ], in the revue Le Mélomane, no. 39, Dec 29, 1888 [sung text not yet checked]
by Émile Pessard (1843 - 1917), "Ouvrez la porte", published [1892], stanzas 1-3,5 [ medium voice and piano ], from Chansons gaillardes, no. 15, Paris, Éd. Alphonse Leduc [sung text not yet checked]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Hans Hermann.

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

Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2011-07-25
Line count: 20
Word count: 117