En Sourdine
(1869)
French source:
Paul Verlaine
Que les branches hautes font,
Pénétrons bien notre amour
De ce silence profond.
Fondons nos âmes, nos cœurs
Et nos sens extasiés,
Parmi les vagues langueurs
Des pins et des arbousiers.
Ferme tes yeux à demi,
Croise tes bras sur ton sein,
Et de ton cœur endormi
Chasse à jamais tout dessein.
Laissons-nous persuader
Au souffle berceur et doux
Qui vient, à tes pieds, rider
Les ondes des gazons roux.
Et quand, solennel, le soir
Des chênes noirs tombera
Voix de notre désespoir,
Le rossignol chantera.
Muted
English translation ©
Richard Stokes
Cast by loft boughs,
Let us steep our love
In this deep quiet.
Let us mingle our souls, our hearts
And our enraptured senses
With the hazy languor
Of arbutus and pine.
Half-close your eyes,
Fold your arms across your breast,
And from your heart now lulled to rest
Banish forever all intent.
Let us both succumb
To the gentle and lulling breeze
That comes to ruffle at your feet
The waves of russet grass.
And when, solemnly, evening
Falls from the black oaks,
That voice of our despair,
The nightingale shall sing.
Translation © Richard Stokes, from A French Song Companion (Oxford, 2000)
En Sourdine
(1869)
French source:
Paul Verlaine
Muted
English source:
Richard Stokes
Calmes dans le demi-jour
Calm in the twilight
Que les branches hautes font,
Cast by loft boughs,
Pénétrons bien notre amour
Let us steep our love
De ce silence profond.
In this deep quiet.
Fondons nos âmes, nos cœurs
Let us mingle our souls, our hearts
Et nos sens extasiés,
And our enraptured senses
Parmi les vagues langueurs
With the hazy languor
Des pins et des arbousiers.
Of arbutus and pine.
Ferme tes yeux à demi,
Half-close your eyes,
Croise tes bras sur ton sein,
Fold your arms across your breast,
Et de ton cœur endormi
And from your heart now lulled to rest
Chasse à jamais tout dessein.
Banish forever all intent.
Laissons-nous persuader
Let us both succumb
Au souffle berceur et doux
To the gentle and lulling breeze
Qui vient, à tes pieds, rider
That comes to ruffle at your feet
Les ondes des gazons roux.
The waves of russet grass.
Et quand, solennel, le soir
And when, solemnly, evening
Des chênes noirs tombera
Falls from the black oaks,
Voix de notre désespoir,
That voice of our despair,
Le rossignol chantera.
The nightingale shall sing.
Composer
Reynaldo Hahn
Reynaldo Hahn was a French composer, conductor and music critic. He moved to France at the age of three from Venezuela. Read more here.
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…