L’Allée est sans fin
French source:
Paul Verlaine
Sous le ciel, divin
D'être pâle ainsi:
Sais-tu qu'on serait
Bien sous le secret
De ces arbres-ci?
Le château, tout blanc
Avec, à son flanc,
Le soleil couché,
Les champs à l'entour:
Oh! que notre amour
N'est-il là niché!
The path is endless
English translation ©
Richard Stokes
Beneath the sky, divine
In being so pale:
Do you know how at ease
We could be
Beneath the secret of these trees?
The castle, all white,
Flanked by
The sun now set,
Encircled by fields:
Oh! that our love
Were hidden there!
Translation © Richard Stokes, from A French Song Companion (Oxford, 2000)
L’Allée est sans fin
French source:
Paul Verlaine
The path is endless
English source:
Richard Stokes
L'allée est sans fin
The path is endless
Sous le ciel, divin
Beneath the sky, divine
D'être pâle ainsi:
In being so pale:
Sais-tu qu'on serait
Do you know how at ease
Bien sous le secret
We could be
De ces arbres-ci?
Beneath the secret of these trees?
Le château, tout blanc
The castle, all white,
Avec, à son flanc,
Flanked by
Le soleil couché,
The sun now set,
Les champs à l'entour:
Encircled by fields:
Oh! que notre amour
Oh! that our love
N'est-il là niché!
Were hidden there!
Composer
Reynaldo Hahn
Reynaldo Hahn was a French composer, conductor and music critic. He moved to France at the age of three from Venezuela. Read more here.
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…