Text & Translation
2. Souvent un air de vérité
French source:
François-Marie Arouet Voltaire
Se mêle au plus grossier mensonge.
Une nuit dans l'erreur d'un songe,
Au rang des rois j'étais monté.
Je vous aimais alors et j'osais vous le dire.
Les dieux à mon réveil ne m'ont pas tout ôté :
Je n'ai perdu que mon empire.
Often an air of truth
English translation ©
Peter Low
can be found in the crudest lie.
Last night in a deluded dream
I had risen to the rank of kings.
At that time I loved you and dared to tell you so.
When I woke, the gods didn't take it all away:
I lost only my kingdom.
Translation © by Peter Low, reprinted with permission from the LiederNet Archive
2. Souvent un air de vérité
French source:
François-Marie Arouet Voltaire
Often an air of truth
English source:
Peter Low
Souvent un air de vérité
Often an air of truth
Se mêle au plus grossier mensonge.
can be found in the crudest lie.
Une nuit dans l'erreur d'un songe,
Last night in a deluded dream
Au rang des rois j'étais monté.
I had risen to the rank of kings.
Je vous aimais alors et j'osais vous le dire.
At that time I loved you and dared to tell you so.
Les dieux à mon réveil ne m'ont pas tout ôté :
When I woke, the gods didn't take it all away:
Je n'ai perdu que mon empire.
I lost only my kingdom.
Composer
Germaine Tailleferre
The composer Germaine Tailleferre (1892-1983) played the piano and organ, taught and also painted. Thanks to her father’s opposition to her musical education, she changed her name early on from ‘Taillefesse’ to ‘Tailleferre’. Her mother gave her…