Songs
Crois mon conseil, chère Climène
by Claude Debussy From Le promenoir des deux amants (1904) 1904-1910
Crois mon conseil, chère Climène
French source:
François Tristan L'Hermite
Pour laisser arriver le soir,
Je te prie, allons-nous asseoir
Sur le bord de cette fontaine.
N’ouïs-tu pas soupirer Zéphire,
De merveille et d’amour atteint,
Voyant des roses sur ton teint,
Qui ne sont pas de son empire?
Sa bouche d’odeur toute pleine
A soufflé sur notre chemin,
Mêlant un esprit de jasmin
À l’ambre de ta douce haleine.
Trust my counsel, dear Climène
English translation ©
Richard Stokes
While waiting for evening to fall,
I beg you, let us sit
At this fountain’s edge.
Can you not hear Zephyrus sigh,
Stricken with wonder and love
At the sight of roses on your cheeks,
Over which he has no power?
His mouth, so full of fragrance,
Has breathed across our path,
Mingling jasmine essence
With the amber of your sweet breath.
Translation © Richard Stokes, author of A French Song Companion (Oxford, 2000)
Crois mon conseil, chère Climène
French source:
François Tristan L'Hermite
Trust my counsel, dear Climène
English source:
Richard Stokes
Crois mon conseil, chère Climène;
Trust my counsel, dear Climène,
Pour laisser arriver le soir,
While waiting for evening to fall,
Je te prie, allons-nous asseoir
I beg you, let us sit
Sur le bord de cette fontaine.
At this fountain’s edge.
N’ouïs-tu pas soupirer Zéphire,
Can you not hear Zephyrus sigh,
De merveille et d’amour atteint,
Stricken with wonder and love
Voyant des roses sur ton teint,
At the sight of roses on your cheeks,
Qui ne sont pas de son empire?
Over which he has no power?
Sa bouche d’odeur toute pleine
His mouth, so full of fragrance,
A soufflé sur notre chemin,
Has breathed across our path,
Mêlant un esprit de jasmin
Mingling jasmine essence
À l’ambre de ta douce haleine.
With the amber of your sweet breath.
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…
