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Comme nous l'aimions toutes les deux, nous l'avons joué aux osselets. Et ce fut une partie célèbre. Beaucoup de jeunes filles y assistaient. Elle amena d'abord le coup des Kyklôpes, et moi, le coup de Sôlon. Mais elle, le Kallibolos, et moi, me sentant perdue, je priais la déesse ! Je jouai, j'eus l'Epiphénôn, elle le terrible coup de Khios, moi l'Antiteukhos, elle le Trikhias, et moi le coup d'Aphroditê qui gagna l'amant disputé. Mais la voyant pâlir, je la pris par le cou et je lui dis tout près de l'oreille (pour qu'elle seule m'entendît) : « Ne pleure pas, petite amie, nous le laisserons choisir entre nous. »
Authorship
- by Pierre-Félix Louis (1870 - 1925), as Pierre Louÿs, "La partie d'osselets", appears in Les Chansons de Bilitis, in Bucoliques en Pamphylie, no. 28 [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 Claude Achille Debussy (1862 - 1918), "La partie d'osselets", L. 102/(96) no. 5, from Chansons de Bilitis, no. 5, note: incidental music to accompany the recitation of twelve prose poems. [ sung text checked 1 time]
- by Aimée Strohl, dit Rita Strohl (1865 - 1941), "La partie d'osselets", published 1900 [high voice and piano], from Bilitis, Poème en 12 chants, no. 2, Paris, Éd. Toledo & Cie. [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Marvin J. Ward) , "The Game of Jacks", copyright © 2003, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , "Das Astragalspiel", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Marvin J. Ward
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 17
Word count: 110
Da wir ihn beide liebten, spielten wir ein Würfelspiel um ihn. Es war in aller Munde. So schauten viele Mädchen zu. Zuerst warf sie den Kyklôpes, und ich, ich warf den Sôlon. Sie indes den Kallibolos, und ich empfand, dass ich verlor und betete zur Göttin! Ich spielte, warf den Epiphénôn, sie den furchterregenden Khios, ich den Antitheukhos, sie den Trikhias; und dann hatt' ich den höchsten Wurf, die Aphroditê, mit der ich den umkämpften Mann gewann. Als ich sie jedoch erbleichen sah, umfasst' ich ihren Nacken und sagte ihr ins Ohr (damit nur sie mich hörte): "Kleine Freundin, weine nicht, ihn werden wir wählen lassen."
Authorship
- Translation from French (Français) to German (Deutsch) copyright © 2013 by Bertram Kottmann, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you must ask the copyright-holder(s) directly for permission. If you receive no response, you must consider it a refusal.
Bertram Kottmann. Contact: BKottmann (AT) t-online.de
If you wish to commission a new translation, please contact:
- a text in French (Français) by Pierre-Félix Louis (1870 - 1925), as Pierre Louÿs, "La partie d'osselets", appears in Les Chansons de Bilitis, in Bucoliques en Pamphylie, no. 28
This text was added to the website: 2013-03-06
Line count: 17
Word count: 106