L'Attente
French source:
Victor Hugo
Sur la branche des cieux prochaine,
Qui plie et tremble comme un jonc.
Cigogne, aux vieilles tours fidèle,
Oh! vole! et monte à tire-d’aile
De l’église à la citadelle,
Du haut clocher au grand donjon.
Vieil aigle, monte de ton aire
À la montagne centenaire
Que blanchit l’hiver éternel;
Et toi qu’en ta couche inquiète
Jamais l’aube ne vit muette,
Monte, monte, vive alouette,
Vive alouette, monte au ciel!
Et maintenant, du haut de l’arbre,
Des flèches de la tour de marbre,
Du grand mont, du ciel enflammé,
À l’horizon, parmi la brume,
Voyez-vous flotter une plume,
Et courir un cheval qui fume,
Et revenir ma bien-aimée?
Anticipation
English translation ©
Richard Stokes
To the branch right next to the sky
Bending and trembling like a reed.
Stork, faithful to the ancient towers,
Swiftly ascend and wing your way
From the church to the citadel,
From lofty steeple to mighty keep.
Old eagle, ascend from your eyrie
To the age-old mountain peak,
Whitened by eternal winter.
And you, whom in your unquiet nest,
Dawn never once saw silent—
Joyous lark, ascend, ascend,
Ascend into the sky!
And now, from the high tree-top,
From the spires of the marble tower,
From the great mountain, from the flaming sky,
On the sky-line, in the mist,
Can you see a bobbing plume,
A hurtling, steaming horse—and then
My beloved once again?
L'Attente
French source:
Victor Hugo
Anticipation
English source:
Richard Stokes
Monte, écureuil, monte au grand chêne,
Squirrel, ascend the towering oak,
Sur la branche des cieux prochaine,
To the branch right next to the sky
Qui plie et tremble comme un jonc.
Bending and trembling like a reed.
Cigogne, aux vieilles tours fidèle,
Stork, faithful to the ancient towers,
Oh! vole! et monte à tire-d’aile
Swiftly ascend and wing your way
De l’église à la citadelle,
From the church to the citadel,
Du haut clocher au grand donjon.
From lofty steeple to mighty keep.
Vieil aigle, monte de ton aire
Old eagle, ascend from your eyrie
À la montagne centenaire
To the age-old mountain peak,
Que blanchit l’hiver éternel;
Whitened by eternal winter.
Et toi qu’en ta couche inquiète
And you, whom in your unquiet nest,
Jamais l’aube ne vit muette,
Dawn never once saw silent—
Monte, monte, vive alouette,
Joyous lark, ascend, ascend,
Vive alouette, monte au ciel!
Ascend into the sky!
Et maintenant, du haut de l’arbre,
And now, from the high tree-top,
Des flèches de la tour de marbre,
From the spires of the marble tower,
Du grand mont, du ciel enflammé,
From the great mountain, from the flaming sky,
À l’horizon, parmi la brume,
On the sky-line, in the mist,
Voyez-vous flotter une plume,
Can you see a bobbing plume,
Et courir un cheval qui fume,
A hurtling, steaming horse—and then
Et revenir ma bien-aimée?
My beloved once again?
Composer
Camille Saint-Saëns
Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns was a French composer, organist, conductor, and pianist of the Romantic era. A musical prodigy, he gave his first concert at only 10 years old, before studying at the Paris Conservatoire. Information from Wikipedia.…
Poet
Victor Hugo
Victor Marie Hugo was a French poet, novelist, and dramatist of the Romantic movement. He is considered one of the greatest and best-known French writers. In France, Hugo's literary fame comes first from his poetry and then from his novels and his…