Songs

Aimons-nous et dormons

by Claude Debussy

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Text & Translation

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Aimons-nous et dormons
French source: Théodore de Banville

Aimons-nous et dormons
Sans songer au reste du monde;
Ni le flot de la mer, ni l’ouragan des monts,
Tant que nous nous aimons
Ne courbera ta tête blonde,
Car l’amour est plus fort
Que les Dieux et la mort!

Le soleil s’éteindrait
Pour laisser ta blancheur plus pure;
Le vent qui jusqu’à terre incline la forêt,
En passant n’oserait
Jouer avec ta chevelure,
Tant que tu cacheras
Ta tête entre mes bras.

Et lorsque nos deux cœurs
S’en iront aux sphères heureuses
Où les célestes lys écloront sous nos pleurs,
Alors, comme deux fleurs,
Joignons nos lèvres amoureuses,
Et tâchons d’épuiser
La mort dans un baiser!

Let us love and sleep
English translation © Richard Stokes

Let us love and sleep
Without a thought for anyone else;
Neither ocean wave, nor mountain storm,
So long as we love each other,
Shall touch your fair head,
Since love is stronger
Than the Gods or death!

The sun would extinguish its rays
To render your pallor more pure;
The wind, which forces the forests to bend,
Would not dare, as it passes,
To play with your hair,
So long as you hide
Your head in my arms.

And when our two hearts
Depart for the blessed spheres,
Where celestial lilies will bloom beneath our tears,
Then, like two flowers,
Let us press our loving lips together,
And try to exhaust
Death with a kiss!

Translation © Richard Stokes, author of A French Song Companion (Oxford, 2000)

Aimons-nous et dormons
French source: Théodore de Banville

Let us love and sleep
English source: Richard Stokes

Aimons-nous et dormons
Let us love and sleep
Sans songer au reste du monde;
Without a thought for anyone else;
Ni le flot de la mer, ni l’ouragan des monts,
Neither ocean wave, nor mountain storm,
Tant que nous nous aimons
So long as we love each other,
Ne courbera ta tête blonde,
Shall touch your fair head,
Car l’amour est plus fort
Since love is stronger
Que les Dieux et la mort!
Than the Gods or death!

Le soleil s’éteindrait
The sun would extinguish its rays
Pour laisser ta blancheur plus pure;
To render your pallor more pure;
Le vent qui jusqu’à terre incline la forêt,
The wind, which forces the forests to bend,
En passant n’oserait
Would not dare, as it passes,
Jouer avec ta chevelure,
To play with your hair,
Tant que tu cacheras
So long as you hide
Ta tête entre mes bras.
Your head in my arms.

Et lorsque nos deux cœurs
And when our two hearts
S’en iront aux sphères heureuses
Depart for the blessed spheres,
Où les célestes lys écloront sous nos pleurs,
Where celestial lilies will bloom beneath our tears,
Alors, comme deux fleurs,
Then, like two flowers,
Joignons nos lèvres amoureuses,
Let us press our loving lips together,
Et tâchons d’épuiser
And try to exhaust
La mort dans un baiser!
Death with a kiss!

Composer

Claude Debussy

(Achille) Claude Debussy was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influential composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Please click…

Poet

Théodore de Banville

Théodore Faullain de Banville was a French poet and writer.

Performances

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