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by Paul Verlaine (1844 - 1896)

Les chères mains qui furent miennes
Language: French (Français) 
Les chères mains qui furent miennes,
Toutes petites, toutes belles,
Après ces méprises mortelles
Et toutes ces choses païennes,

Après les rades et les grèves,
Et les pays et les provinces,
Royales mieux qu'au temps des princes,
Les chères mains m'ouvrent les rêves.

Mains en songe, mains sur mon âme,
Sais-je, moi, ce que vous daignâtes,
Parmi ces rumeurs scélérates,
Dire à cette âme qui se pâme ?

Ment-elle, ma vision chaste
D'affinité spirituelle,
De complicité maternelle,
D'affection étroite et vaste ?

Remords si cher, peine très bonne,
Rêves bénis, mains consacrées,
Ô ces mains, ces mains vénérées,
Faites le geste qui pardonne !

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • by Paul Verlaine (1844 - 1896), no title, appears in Sagesse, in Sagesse I, no. 17 [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 Gabriel Grovlez (1879 - 1944), "Les chères mains qui furent miennes", 1909, published 1910 [ voice and piano ], from Sagesse, no. 5, Paris, Schott [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Pierre Hermant (1869 - 1928), "Les chères mains qui furent miennes", published 1907 [ voice and piano ], from Sagesse, no. 5, Paris, Énoch [sung text not yet checked]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

  • Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Stefan George (1868 - 1933) , no title, appears in Zeitgenössische Dichter, in Frankreich, in Paul Verlaine, in Aus: Weisheit, no. 17 ; composed by Winfried Zillig.
      • Go to the text.

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2012-02-05
Line count: 20
Word count: 101

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