by Paul Verlaine (1844 - 1896)
Translation by Arthur Symons (1865 - 1945)
Fantoches
Language: French (Français)
Scaramouche et Pulcinella Qu'un mauvais dessein rassembla Gesticulent, noirs [sur]1 la lune. Cependant l'excellent docteur Bolonais cueille avec lenteur Des simples parmi l'herbe brune. Lors sa fille, piquant minois, Sous la charmille, en tapinois, Se glisse demi-nue, en quête De son beau pirate espagnol Dont un [langoureux]2 rossignol Clame la détresse à tue-tête.
View original text (without footnotes)
2 Debussy: "amoureux"
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Poom Andrew Pipatjarasgit [Guest Editor]
Confirmed with Paul Verlaine, Fêtes galantes, Paris: Alphonse Lemerre, 1869, pages 25-26.
Note: All ampersands (&) as appear in the first publication are changed to "et".
1 Debussy: "sous"2 Debussy: "amoureux"
Text Authorship:
- by Paul Verlaine (1844 - 1896), "Fantoches", appears in Fêtes galantes, no. 11, Paris, Alphonse Lemerre, first published 1869 [author's text checked 2 times 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 Charles Colas , "Fantoches", c1937 [ voice and piano or orchestra ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Gérard Condé (b. 1947), "Fantoches", 1973, published 2001 [ reciter and piano ], from Fêtes galantes, récitation accompagnée au piano, no. 1, Éd. Henry Lemoine [sung text not yet checked]
- by Claude Achille Debussy (1862 - 1918), "Fantoches", L. 26/(21) (1881-2) [ voice and piano ], one of two settings [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Claude Achille Debussy (1862 - 1918), "Fantoches", L. 86/(80) no. 2, published 1891 [ voice and piano ], from Fêtes Galantes I, no. 2, Paris, Hamelle [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Raoul Laparra (1876 - 1943), "Fantoches", published 1927 [ voice and piano ], from Pastels, suite de mélodies sur des Fétes galantes , no. 5, Paris, Gallet [sung text not yet checked]
- by Fernand Ochsé (1879 - 1944), "Fantoches", 1908, published 1913 [ voice and piano ], from Le Parc, no. 8, Berlin, Fürstner [sung text not yet checked]
- by Riccardo Pick-Mangiagalli (1882 - 1949), "Fantoches", op. 40 no. 3, published 1929 [ voice and piano ], from Quattro liriche, no. 3, Milan, Carisch [sung text not yet checked]
- by Irena Regina Poldowski (1880 - 1932), "Fantoches", 1912, published 1913 [ voice and piano ], Paris, Rœder [sung text not yet checked]
- by Adrien Remacle (1849 - 1916), "Fantoches", published [1907] [ voice and piano ], from Les fêtes galantes. Esquisses mélodiques sur les poèmes de Paul Verlaine, no. 5, Paris, Hachette [sung text not yet checked]
- by Marcel Trémois (1891 - 1974), "Fantoches", published 1921 [ voice and piano ], from Mélodies, 1er recueil, no. 5, Paris, Sénart [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in English, a translation by Arthur Symons (1865 - 1945) , "Fantoches" ; composed by William Spencer Johnson.
- Also set in Italian (Italiano), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Valentino Bucchi.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Anna Brull Piñol) , "Titelles", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Laura Claycomb) (Peter Grunberg) , "Puppets", copyright © 2007, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FIN Finnish (Suomi) (Erkki Pullinen) , "Marionetit", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , "Marionetten", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Elaine Marie Ortiz-Arandes) , "Marionetten", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Poom Andrew Pipatjarasgit [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 55
Fantoches
Language: English after the French (Français)
Scaramouche waves a threatening hand To Pulcinella, and they stand, Two shadows, black against the moon. The old doctor of Bologna pries For simples with impassive eyes, And mutters o'er a magic rune. The while his daughter, scarce half-dressed, Glides slyly 'neath the trees, in quest Of her bold pirate lover's sail; Her pirate from the Spanish main, Whose passion thrills her in the pain Of the loud languorous nightingale.
Text Authorship:
- by Arthur Symons (1865 - 1945), "Fantoches" [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Paul Verlaine (1844 - 1896), "Fantoches", appears in Fêtes galantes, no. 11, Paris, Alphonse Lemerre, first published 1869
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 Spencer Johnson (1883 - ?), "Fantoches", published c1912 [voice and piano], from Three Silhouettes for voice and piano, no. 2, Boston, Boston Music Co. [text not verified]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2012-01-20
Line count: 12
Word count: 70