Il pleure dans mon cœur
French source:
Paul Verlaine
Comme il pleut sur la ville;
Quelle est cette langueur
Qui pénètre mon cœur?
Ô bruit doux de la pluie
Par terre et sur les toits!
Pour un cœur qui s’ennuie
Ô le bruit de la pluie!
Il pleure sans raison
Dans ce cœur qui s’écœure.
Quoi! nulle trahison? …
Ce deuil est sans raison.
C’est bien la pire peine
De ne savoir pourquoi
Sans amour et sans haine,
Mon cœur a tant de peine.
Tears fall in my heart
English translation ©
Richard Stokes
As rain falls on the town;
What is this torpor
Pervading my heart?
Ah, the soft sound of rain
On the ground and roofs!
For a listless heart,
Ah, the sound of the rain!
Tears fall without reason
In this disheartened heart.
What! Was there no treason? …
This grief’s without reason.
And the worst pain of all
Must be not to know why
Without love and without hate
My heart feels such pain.
Translation © Richard Stokes, from A French Song Companion (Oxford, 2000)
Il pleure dans mon cœur
French source:
Paul Verlaine
Tears fall in my heart
English source:
Richard Stokes
Il pleure dans mon cœur
Tears fall in my heart
Comme il pleut sur la ville;
As rain falls on the town;
Quelle est cette langueur
What is this torpor
Qui pénètre mon cœur?
Pervading my heart?
Ô bruit doux de la pluie
Ah, the soft sound of rain
Par terre et sur les toits!
On the ground and roofs!
Pour un cœur qui s’ennuie
For a listless heart,
Ô le bruit de la pluie!
Ah, the sound of the rain!
Il pleure sans raison
Tears fall without reason
Dans ce cœur qui s’écœure.
In this disheartened heart.
Quoi! nulle trahison? …
What! Was there no treason? …
Ce deuil est sans raison.
This grief’s without reason.
C’est bien la pire peine
And the worst pain of all
De ne savoir pourquoi
Must be not to know why
Sans amour et sans haine,
Without love and without hate
Mon cœur a tant de peine.
My heart feels such pain.
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…
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…