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by Paul Verlaine (1844 - 1896)
Translation by Stefan George (1868 - 1933)

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

Teure hände · ehmals die meinen ·
Language: German (Deutsch)  after the French (Français) 
Teure hände · ehmals die meinen ·
Nach diesem tödlichen irren
Nach diesen heidnischen wirren
Ihr die ganz schönen ganz reinen --

Nach den rheden und uferräumen
Nach den ländern und provinzen --
Hehrer als hände der prinzen
Geleitet ihr mich zu den träumen.

Traum-hände · auf meiner seele ·
Was ihr zu sagen geruhtet
Mitten in sünd und fehle
Zu dieser seele die flutet!

Trügt es mein keusches sinnen
Von geistiger begleitschaft
Von mütterlicher bereitschaft
Von liebe weit und tief innen?

Strafe · gute begehrte ·
Heils-träume -- hände der weihen
O hände · deine · verehrte ·
Hebet euch zum verzeihen!

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • by Stefan George (1868 - 1933), no title, appears in Zeitgenössische Dichter, in Frankreich, in Paul Verlaine, in Aus: Weisheit, no. 17 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Based on:

  • a text in French (Français) by Paul Verlaine (1844 - 1896), no title, appears in Sagesse, in Sagesse I, no. 17
    • Go to the text page.

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

  • by Winfried (Petrus Ignatius) Zillig (1905 - 1963), "Sagesse: Teure Hände", published 1958 [ voice and piano ], from Vergessene Weisen, no. 6, Kassel, Bärenreiter [sung text not yet checked]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2012-02-05
Line count: 20
Word count: 100

Gentle Reminder

This website began in 1995 as a personal project by Emily Ezust, who has been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your help is greatly appreciated!
–Emily Ezust, Founder

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