Songs
Je tremble en voyant ton visage
by Claude Debussy From Le promenoir des deux amants (1904) 1904-1910
Je tremble en voyant ton visage
French source:
François Tristan L'Hermite
Flotter avecque mes désirs,
Tant j’ai de peur que mes soupirs
Ne lui fassent faire naufrage.
De crainte de cette aventure
Ne commets pas si librement
À cet infidèle élément
Tous les trésors de la Nature.
Veux-tu, par un doux privilège,
Me mettre au-dessus des humains?
Fais-moi boire au creux de tes mains,
Si l’eau n’en dissout point la neige.
I tremble when I see your face
English translation ©
Richard Stokes
Floating with my desires,
So frightened am I that my sighs
Might cause your face to drown.
For fear of this misfortune,
Do not endow too freely
That untrustworthy element
With all of Nature’s treasures.
Will you, as a sweet privilege,
Raise me above human kind?
Let me drink from your cupped hands,
If the water melt not their snow.
Translation © Richard Stokes, author of A French Song Companion (Oxford, 2000)
Je tremble en voyant ton visage
French source:
François Tristan L'Hermite
I tremble when I see your face
English source:
Richard Stokes
Je tremble en voyant ton visage
I tremble when I see your face
Flotter avecque mes désirs,
Floating with my desires,
Tant j’ai de peur que mes soupirs
So frightened am I that my sighs
Ne lui fassent faire naufrage.
Might cause your face to drown.
De crainte de cette aventure
For fear of this misfortune,
Ne commets pas si librement
Do not endow too freely
À cet infidèle élément
That untrustworthy element
Tous les trésors de la Nature.
With all of Nature’s treasures.
Veux-tu, par un doux privilège,
Will you, as a sweet privilege,
Me mettre au-dessus des humains?
Raise me above human kind?
Fais-moi boire au creux de tes mains,
Let me drink from your cupped hands,
Si l’eau n’en dissout point la neige.
If the water melt not their snow.
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…
