Les Angélus
French source:
Grégoire Le Roy
Sonnant au cœur d’espérer encore!
Angélus angélisés d’aurore!
Las! Où sont vos prières câlines?
Vous étiez de si douces folies!
Et chanterelles d’amours prochaines!
Aujourd’hui souveraine est ma peine,
Et toutes matines abolies.
Je ne vis plus que d’ombre et de soir;
Les las angélus pleurent la mort,
Et là, dans mon cœur résigné, dort
La seule veuve de tout espoir.
The Angelus
English translation ©
Richard Stokes
Telling the heart to continue to hope!
Angelus bells made angelic with dawn!
Alas, where are your soothing prayers?
You were such a sweet madness!
Harbingers of future loves!
Today, my sorrow reigns supreme
And all matin bells have been abolished.
My whole life is but shadow and evening;
The weary angelus bewails death,
And there, in my resigned heart, sleeps
The only widow of any hope.
Translation © Richard Stokes, author of A French Song Companion (Oxford, 2000)
Les Angélus
French source:
Grégoire Le Roy
The Angelus
English source:
Richard Stokes
Cloches chrétiennes pour les matines,
Christian matin bells ring out,
Sonnant au cœur d’espérer encore!
Telling the heart to continue to hope!
Angélus angélisés d’aurore!
Angelus bells made angelic with dawn!
Las! Où sont vos prières câlines?
Alas, where are your soothing prayers?
Vous étiez de si douces folies!
You were such a sweet madness!
Et chanterelles d’amours prochaines!
Harbingers of future loves!
Aujourd’hui souveraine est ma peine,
Today, my sorrow reigns supreme
Et toutes matines abolies.
And all matin bells have been abolished.
Je ne vis plus que d’ombre et de soir;
My whole life is but shadow and evening;
Les las angélus pleurent la mort,
The weary angelus bewails death,
Et là, dans mon cœur résigné, dort
And there, in my resigned heart, sleeps
La seule veuve de tout espoir.
The only widow of any hope.
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…
