Les cloches
French source:
Paul Bourget
Délicatement.
Les cloches tintaient, légères et franches,
Dans le ciel clément.
Rythmique et fervent comme une antienne,
Ce lointain appel
Me remémorait la blancheur chrétienne
Des fleurs de l’autel.
Ces cloches parlaient d’heureuses années,
Et, dans le grand bois,
Semblaient reverdir les feuilles fanées
Des jours d’autrefois.
The Bells
English translation ©
Richard Stokes
Delicately.
The bells rang, light and free,
In the clear sky.
Rhythmically and fervently, like an antiphon,
This distant call
Reminded me of the Christian whiteness
Of altar flowers.
These bells told of happy years,
And, in the great forest,
Seemed to revive the withered leaves
Of days gone by.
Translation © Richard Stokes, author of A French Song Companion (Oxford, 2000)
Les cloches
French source:
Paul Bourget
The Bells
English source:
Richard Stokes
Les feuilles s’ouvraient sur le bord des branches,
The leaves opened upon the edge of the branches,
Délicatement.
Delicately.
Les cloches tintaient, légères et franches,
The bells rang, light and free,
Dans le ciel clément.
In the clear sky.
Rythmique et fervent comme une antienne,
Rhythmically and fervently, like an antiphon,
Ce lointain appel
This distant call
Me remémorait la blancheur chrétienne
Reminded me of the Christian whiteness
Des fleurs de l’autel.
Of altar flowers.
Ces cloches parlaient d’heureuses années,
These bells told of happy years,
Et, dans le grand bois,
And, in the great forest,
Semblaient reverdir les feuilles fanées
Seemed to revive the withered leaves
Des jours d’autrefois.
Of days gone by.
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…
Poet
Paul Bourget
Paul Charles Joseph Bourget was a French novelist and critic.