Text & Translation
Crépuscule du soir mystique
French source:
Paul Verlaine
Rougeoie et tremble à l'ardent horizon
De l'Espérance en flamme qui recule
Et s'agrandit ainsi qu'une cloison
Mystérieuse où mainte floraison
— Dahlia, lys, tulipe et renoncule —
S'élance autour d'un treillis, et circule
Parmi la maladive exhalaison
De parfums lourds et chauds, dont le poison —
Dahlia, lys, tulipe et renoncule —
Noyant mes sens, mon âme et ma raison,
Mêle dans une immense pâmoison
Le Souvenir avec le Crépuscule.
Mystical evening twilight
English translation ©
Richard Stokes
And trembles at the fiery horizon
Of Hope in flames - flames that subside
And then rise up like a mysterious wall,
Where many a blossom -
Dahlia, lily, tulip and buttercup -
Winds itself around a trellis, and moves
Amid the sickly exhalation
Of hot and heavy scents, whose poison -
Dahlia, lily, tulip and buttercup -
Drowning my senses, my soul and my reason,
Blends together in one immense swoon
Memory with Twilight.
Crépuscule du soir mystique
French source:
Paul Verlaine
Mystical evening twilight
English source:
Richard Stokes
Le Souvenir avec le Crépuscule
Memory glows with Twilight
Rougeoie et tremble à l'ardent horizon
And trembles at the fiery horizon
De l'Espérance en flamme qui recule
Of Hope in flames - flames that subside
Et s'agrandit ainsi qu'une cloison
And then rise up like a mysterious wall,
Mystérieuse où mainte floraison
Where many a blossom -
— Dahlia, lys, tulipe et renoncule —
Dahlia, lily, tulip and buttercup -
S'élance autour d'un treillis, et circule
Winds itself around a trellis, and moves
Parmi la maladive exhalaison
Amid the sickly exhalation
De parfums lourds et chauds, dont le poison —
Of hot and heavy scents, whose poison -
Dahlia, lys, tulipe et renoncule —
Dahlia, lily, tulip and buttercup -
Noyant mes sens, mon âme et ma raison,
Drowning my senses, my soul and my reason,
Mêle dans une immense pâmoison
Blends together in one immense swoon
Le Souvenir avec le Crépuscule.
Memory with Twilight.
Composer
Régine Poldowski
Poldowski was born Régine Wieniawski, daughter of the Polish violinist and composer Henryk Wieniawski. Her famous father died when she was ten months old. Poldowski moved among the musical aristocracy from an early age and performed her own music…
Poet
Paul Verlaine
Paul-Marie Verlaine was a French poet associated with the Symbolist movement. He is considered one of the greatest representatives of the fin de siècle in international and French poetry. Born in Metz, Verlaine was educated at the Lycée Impérial…