by
Pierre-Félix Louis (1870 - 1925), as Pierre Louÿs
Chanson
Language: French (Français)
Our translations: ENG GER
Le premier me donna un collier,
un collier de perles qui vaut une ville,
avec les palais et les temples,
et les trésors et les esclaves.
Le second fit pour moi des vers.
Il disait que mes cheveux sont noirs
comme ceux de la [nuit sur la mer]1
et mes yeux bleus comme ceux du matin.
Le troisième était si beau que sa mère
ne l'embrassait pas sans rougir.
Il mit ses mains sur mes genoux,
et ses lèvres sur mon pied nu.
Toi, tu ne m'as rien dit.
Tu ne m'as rien donné, car tu est pauvre.
Et tu n'est pas beau, mais c'est toi que j'aime.
Available sung texts: (what is this?)
• Uddén View original text (without footnotes)
1 Uddén: "nuit"
Text Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Georges Dandelot (1895 - 1975), "Chanson", 1929, published 1931, first performed 1930 [ medium voice and piano ], from Cinq Chansons de Bilitis, 2ème recueil, no. 4, Paris, Éd. Max Eschig [sung text not yet checked]
- by Åke Uddén (1903 - 1987), "Chanson", 1945 [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Bertram Kottmann) , "Song", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , "Lied", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Richard Fedor Leopold Dehmel) , "Die Umworbene"
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [
Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 15
Word count: 109
Song
Language: English after the French (Français)
The first gave me a necklace,
a pearl necklace worth a city,
with palaces and temples,
and treasures and slaves.
The second wrote verses for me.
He said that my hair is black
like the [night on the sea]1
and my blue eyes like the morning.
The third was so handsome that his mother
did not kiss him without blushing.
He put his hands on my lap,
and his lips on my bare foot.
You, you have not told me anything.
You've given me nothing, because you are poor.
And you are not handsome, but it is you that I love.