Songs

Irène

by Arthur Honegger From Petit cours de morale (1941) H.148

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Text & Translation

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Irène
French source: Jean Giraudoux

Le lord prévôt d'Edimbourg
Dit que l'amour est chimère.
Mais un jour il perd sa mère...
Ses larmes coulent toujours.
Irène petite Irène.
L'Amour c'est la grande peine.

Irène
English translation © Richard Stokes

The Lord Provost of Edinburgh
Says that love's a chimera.
But one day he loses his mother...
And still his tears are flowing.
Irène, little Irène,
Love is the great sorrow.

Translation © Richard Stokes, from A French Song Companion (Oxford, 2000)

Irène
French source: Jean Giraudoux

Irène
English source: Richard Stokes

Le lord prévôt d'Edimbourg
The Lord Provost of Edinburgh
Dit que l'amour est chimère.
Says that love's a chimera.
Mais un jour il perd sa mère...
But one day he loses his mother...
Ses larmes coulent toujours.
And still his tears are flowing.
Irène petite Irène.
Irène, little Irène,
L'Amour c'est la grande peine.
Love is the great sorrow.

Composer

Arthur Honegger

Arthur Honegger was a Swiss composer, who was born in France and lived a large part of his life in Paris.  Read more here.

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