Hymne
(1857)
French source:
Charles Baudelaire
Qui remplit mon cœur de clarté,
À l’ange, à l’idole immortelle,
Salut en immortalité!
Elle se répand dans ma vie
Comme un air imprégné de sel,
Et dans mon âme inassouvie
Verse le goût de l’éternel.
Comment, amour incorruptible,
T’exprimer avec vérité?
Grain de musc qui gis, invisible,
Au fond de mon éternité!
Hymn
(2005)
English translation ©
Richard Stokes
Who fills my heart with light,
To the angel, the immortal idol –
I pledge undying love!
She permeates my life
Like a briny breeze,
And into my unsated soul
Pours the taste of the eternal.
How, incorruptible love,
Can I express you faithfully?
Grain of musk lying unseen
In the depths of my eternity!
Translations by Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005)
Hymne
(1857)
French source:
Charles Baudelaire
Hymn (2005)
English source:
Richard Stokes
À la très-chère, à la très-belle
To the dearest one, the fairest one,
Qui remplit mon cœur de clarté,
Who fills my heart with light,
À l’ange, à l’idole immortelle,
To the angel, the immortal idol –
Salut en immortalité!
I pledge undying love!
Elle se répand dans ma vie
She permeates my life
Comme un air imprégné de sel,
Like a briny breeze,
Et dans mon âme inassouvie
And into my unsated soul
Verse le goût de l’éternel.
Pours the taste of the eternal.
Comment, amour incorruptible,
How, incorruptible love,
T’exprimer avec vérité?
Can I express you faithfully?
Grain de musc qui gis, invisible,
Grain of musk lying unseen
Au fond de mon éternité!
In the depths of my eternity!
Composer
Gabriel Fauré
"Gabriel Urbain Fauré (12 May 1845 – 4 November 1924) was a French composer, organist, pianist and teacher. He was one of the foremost French composers of his generation, and his musical style influenced many 20th-century composers. Among his…
Poet
Charles Baudelaire
Charles Pierre Baudelaire was a French poet who also produced notable work as an essayist, art critic, and pioneering translator of Edgar Allan Poe. His most famous work, Les Fleurs du mal (The Flowers of Evil), expresses the changing nature of…
Performances
Previously performed at:
- 95. Baudelaire in Song 22 Oct 2021
- 63. French Fables: Jess Dandy & Sholto Kynoch 23 Oct 2019