Songs

Joan Miró

by Francis Poulenc From Le travail du peintre

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Text & Translation

Joan Miró
French source: Paul Éluard

Soleil de proie prisonnier de ma tête,
Enlève la colline, enlève la forêt.
Le ciel est plus beau que jamais.
Les libellules des raisins
Lui donnent des formes précises
Que je dissipe d’un geste.

Nuages du premier jour,
Nuages insensibles et que rien n’autorise,
Leurs graines brûlent
Dans les feux de paille de mes regards.

A la fin, pour se couvrir d’une aube
Il faudra que le ciel soit aussi pur que la nuit.

Sun of prey prisoner of my head
English translation © Richard Stokes

Sun of prey prisoner of my head
Remove the hill, remove the forest.
The sky is more lovely than ever.
The grapes’ dragonflies
Give it precise forms
That I with one gesture dispel.

Clouds of primeval day,
Indifferent clouds sanctioned by nothing,
Their seeds burn
In the straw fires of my glances.

At the last, to cloak itself with dawn
The sky must be as pure as night.

Joan Miró
French source: Paul Éluard

Sun of prey prisoner of my head
English source: Richard Stokes

Soleil de proie prisonnier de ma tête,
Sun of prey prisoner of my head
Enlève la colline, enlève la forêt.
Remove the hill, remove the forest.
Le ciel est plus beau que jamais.
The sky is more lovely than ever.
Les libellules des raisins
The grapes’ dragonflies
Lui donnent des formes précises
Give it precise forms
Que je dissipe d’un geste.
That I with one gesture dispel.

Nuages du premier jour,
Clouds of primeval day,
Nuages insensibles et que rien n’autorise,
Indifferent clouds sanctioned by nothing,
Leurs graines brûlent
Their seeds burn
Dans les feux de paille de mes regards.
In the straw fires of my glances.

A la fin, pour se couvrir d’une aube
At the last, to cloak itself with dawn
Il faudra que le ciel soit aussi pur que la nuit.
The sky must be as pure as night.

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

Paul Éluard

Paul Éluard was a French poet and one of the founders of the surrealist movement.

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