Chanson perpétuelle
French source:
Charles Cros
Mon bien-aimé s'en est allé
Emportant mon cœur désole.
Vents, que vos plaintives rumeurs,
Que vos chants, rossignols charmeurs,
Aillent lui dire que je meurs.
Le premier soir qu'il vint ici
Mon âme fut à sa merci,
De fierté je n'eus plus souci.
Mes regards étaient pleins d'aveux,
II me prit dans ses bras nerveux
Et me baisa près des cheveux.
J'en eus un grand frémissement.
Et puis je ne sais plus comment
II est devenu mon amant.
Je lui disais: 'Tu m'aimeras
Aussi longtemps que tu pourras!'
Je ne dormais bien qu'en ses bras.
Mais lui, sentant son cœur éteint,
S'en est allé l'autre matin
Sans moi dans un pays lointain.
Puisque je n'ai plus mon ami,
Je mourrai dans l'étang parmi
Les fleurs sous le flat endormi.
Sur le bord arrivée, au vent
Je dirai son nom en rêvant
Que là je I' attendis souvent,
Et comme en un linceul doré,
Dans mes cheveux défaits, au gré
Du vent je m'abandonnerai.
Les bonheurs passés verseront
Leur douce lueur sur mon front
Et les joncs verts m'enlaceront.
Et mon sein croira, frémissant
Sous l'enlacement caressant,
Subir l’étreinte de l’absent.
Perpetual Song
English translation ©
Richard Stokes
My beloved has gone away,
Carrying off my desolate heart!
Winds, let your plaintive sounds,
Bewitching nightingales, let your songs
Tell him I am dying!
The first evening he came here,
My soul was at his mercy.
I cared no more for pride.
My eyes were full of love,
He took me in his strong arms
And kissed me on my brow.
I was seized by a great trembling;
And then, I no longer know how,
He became my lover.
I said to him: "Love me
As long as you can!"
Only in his arms could I sleep soundly.
But he, feeling his heart grown cold.
Went away one morning
Without me, to a distant land.
Since I no longer have my lover,
I shall die in the pond among
The flowers beneath the still water.
Halting on the edge, to the winds
I'll speak his name, dreaming
That there I often awaited him.
And as if in a golden shroud,
With my flowing hair about me. to the will
Of the water I'll abandon myself.
Past joys will shed
Their gentle light on my brow,
And the green rushes will entwine me.
And my breast shall believe, trembling
Beneath its enfolding arms,
It feels the absent one's embrace.
Chanson perpétuelle
French source:
Charles Cros
Perpetual Song
English source:
Richard Stokes
Bois frissonnants, ciel étoile,
Quivering woods, starlit sky,
Mon bien-aimé s'en est allé
My beloved has gone away,
Emportant mon cœur désole.
Carrying off my desolate heart!
Vents, que vos plaintives rumeurs,
Winds, let your plaintive sounds,
Que vos chants, rossignols charmeurs,
Bewitching nightingales, let your songs
Aillent lui dire que je meurs.
Tell him I am dying!
Le premier soir qu'il vint ici
The first evening he came here,
Mon âme fut à sa merci,
My soul was at his mercy.
De fierté je n'eus plus souci.
I cared no more for pride.
Mes regards étaient pleins d'aveux,
My eyes were full of love,
II me prit dans ses bras nerveux
He took me in his strong arms
Et me baisa près des cheveux.
And kissed me on my brow.
J'en eus un grand frémissement.
I was seized by a great trembling;
Et puis je ne sais plus comment
And then, I no longer know how,
II est devenu mon amant.
He became my lover.
Je lui disais: 'Tu m'aimeras
I said to him: "Love me
Aussi longtemps que tu pourras!'
As long as you can!"
Je ne dormais bien qu'en ses bras.
Only in his arms could I sleep soundly.
Mais lui, sentant son cœur éteint,
But he, feeling his heart grown cold.
S'en est allé l'autre matin
Went away one morning
Sans moi dans un pays lointain.
Without me, to a distant land.
Puisque je n'ai plus mon ami,
Since I no longer have my lover,
Je mourrai dans l'étang parmi
I shall die in the pond among
Les fleurs sous le flat endormi.
The flowers beneath the still water.
Sur le bord arrivée, au vent
Halting on the edge, to the winds
Je dirai son nom en rêvant
I'll speak his name, dreaming
Que là je I' attendis souvent,
That there I often awaited him.
Et comme en un linceul doré,
And as if in a golden shroud,
Dans mes cheveux défaits, au gré
With my flowing hair about me. to the will
Du vent je m'abandonnerai.
Of the water I'll abandon myself.
Les bonheurs passés verseront
Past joys will shed
Leur douce lueur sur mon front
Their gentle light on my brow,
Et les joncs verts m'enlaceront.
And the green rushes will entwine me.
Et mon sein croira, frémissant
And my breast shall believe, trembling
Sous l'enlacement caressant,
Beneath its enfolding arms,
Subir l’étreinte de l’absent.
It feels the absent one's embrace.
Composer
Ernest Chausson
Amédée-Ernest Chausson was a French romantic composer. From 1886 until his death in 1899, Chausson was secretary of the Société Nationale de Musique, met with a number of notable figures during his short lifetime, including the composers Henri…
Poet
Charles Cros
Charles Cros was a French poet and inventor. He is perhaps best known for being the first person to conceive a method for reproducing recorded sound, an invention he named the Paleophone.