Fagnes de Wallonie
French source:
Guillaume Apollinaire
plénières Prirent mon coeur aux fagnes désolées
Quand las j’ai reposé dans les sapinières
Le poids des kilomètres pendant que râlait
le vent d’ouest
J’avais quitté le joli bois
Les écureuils y sont restés
Ma pipe essayait de faire des nuages
Au ciel
Qui restait pur obstinément
Je n’ai confié aucun secret sinon une chanson énigmatique
Aux tourbières humides
Les bruyères fleurant le miel
Attiraient les abeilles
Et mes pieds endoloris
Foulaient les myrtilles et les airelles
Tendrement mariée
Nord
Nord
La vie s’y tord
En arbres forts
Et tors
La vie y mord
La mort
À belles dents
Quand bruit le vent
Walloon moss-hags
English translation ©
Richard Stokes
Seized my heart in the desolate upland moss-hags
When weary I set down in the fir plantation
The weight of kilometres to the roar
Of the west wind
I had left the pretty wood
The squirrels stayed there
My pipe tried to make clouds
In the sky
Which stubbornly stayed clear
I confided no secret but an enigmatic song
To the dank peat-bogs
The honey-fragrant heather
Attracted the bees
And my sore feet
Crushed bilberries and whortleberries
Tenderly united
North
North
Life is gnarled there
In strong trees
And twisted
Life there bites
Death
Voraciously
When the wind howls
Translation © Richard Stokes, from A French Song Companion (Oxford, 2000)
Fagnes de Wallonie
French source:
Guillaume Apollinaire
Walloon moss-hags
English source:
Richard Stokes
Tant de tristesses
So much utter sadness
plénières Prirent mon coeur aux fagnes désolées
Seized my heart in the desolate upland moss-hags
Quand las j’ai reposé dans les sapinières
When weary I set down in the fir plantation
Le poids des kilomètres pendant que râlait
The weight of kilometres to the roar
le vent d’ouest
Of the west wind
J’avais quitté le joli bois
I had left the pretty wood
Les écureuils y sont restés
The squirrels stayed there
Ma pipe essayait de faire des nuages
My pipe tried to make clouds
Au ciel
In the sky
Qui restait pur obstinément
Which stubbornly stayed clear
Je n’ai confié aucun secret sinon une chanson énigmatique
I confided no secret but an enigmatic song
Aux tourbières humides
To the dank peat-bogs
Les bruyères fleurant le miel
The honey-fragrant heather
Attiraient les abeilles
Attracted the bees
Et mes pieds endoloris
And my sore feet
Foulaient les myrtilles et les airelles
Crushed bilberries and whortleberries
Tendrement mariée
Tenderly united
Nord
North
Nord
North
La vie s’y tord
Life is gnarled there
En arbres forts
In strong trees
Et tors
And twisted
La vie y mord
Life there bites
La mort
Death
À belles dents
Voraciously
Quand bruit le vent
When the wind howls
Composer
Francis Poulenc
Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc (F7 January 1899 – 30 January 1963) was a French composer and pianist. His compositions include mélodies, solo piano works, chamber music, choral pieces, operas, ballets, and orchestral concert music. Read the full…
Poet
Guillaume Apollinaire
Guillaume Apollinaire (26 August 1880 – 9 November 1918) was a French poet, playwright, short story writer, novelist, and art critic of Polish-Belarusian descent. Apollinaire is considered one of the foremost poets of the early 20th century, as…