Songs

L'invitation au voyage

by Henri Duparc

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Text & Translation

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L'invitation au voyage
French source: Charles Baudelaire

Mon enfant, ma sœur,
Songe à la douceur
D’aller là-bas vivre ensemble!
Aimer à loisir,
Aimer et mourir
Au pays qui te ressemble!
Les soleils mouillés
De ces ciels brouillés
Pour mon esprit ont les charmes
Si mystérieux
De tes traîtres yeux,
Brillant à travers leurs larmes.

Là, tout n’est qu’ordre et beauté,
Luxe, calme et volupté!

Vois sur ces canaux
Dormir ces vaisseaux
Dont l’humeur est vagabonde;
C’est pour assouvir
Ton moindre désir
Qu’ils viennent du bout du monde.
-Les soleils couchants
Revêtent les champs,
Les canaux, la ville entière,
D’hyacinthe et d’or;
Le monde s’endort
Dans une chaude lumière.

Là, tout n’est qu’ordre et beauté,
Luxe, calme et volupté!

Invitation to journey
English translation © Richard Stokes

My child, my sister,
Think how sweet
To journey there and live together!
To love as we please,
To love and die
In the land that is like you!
The watery suns
Of those hazy skies
Hold for my spirit
The same mysterious charms
As your treacherous eyes
Shining through their tears.

There - nothing but order and beauty dwell,
Abundance, calm, and sensuous delight.

See on those canals
Those vessels sleeping,
Vessels with a restless soul;
To satisfy
Your slightest desire
They come from the ends of the earth.
The setting suns
Clothe the fields,
Canals and all the town
With hyacinth and gold;
The world falls asleep
In a warm light.

There - nothing but order and beauty dwell,
Abundance, calm, and sensuous delight.

L'invitation au voyage
French source: Charles Baudelaire

Invitation to journey
English source: Richard Stokes

Mon enfant, ma sœur,
My child, my sister,
Songe à la douceur
Think how sweet
D’aller là-bas vivre ensemble!
To journey there and live together!
Aimer à loisir,
To love as we please,
Aimer et mourir
To love and die
Au pays qui te ressemble!
In the land that is like you!
Les soleils mouillés
The watery suns
De ces ciels brouillés
Of those hazy skies
Pour mon esprit ont les charmes
Hold for my spirit
Si mystérieux
The same mysterious charms
De tes traîtres yeux,
As your treacherous eyes
Brillant à travers leurs larmes.
Shining through their tears.

Là, tout n’est qu’ordre et beauté,
There - nothing but order and beauty dwell,
Luxe, calme et volupté!
Abundance, calm, and sensuous delight.

Vois sur ces canaux
See on those canals
Dormir ces vaisseaux
Those vessels sleeping,
Dont l’humeur est vagabonde;
Vessels with a restless soul;
C’est pour assouvir
To satisfy
Ton moindre désir
Your slightest desire
Qu’ils viennent du bout du monde.
They come from the ends of the earth.
-Les soleils couchants
The setting suns
Revêtent les champs,
Clothe the fields,
Les canaux, la ville entière,
Canals and all the town
D’hyacinthe et d’or;
With hyacinth and gold;
Le monde s’endort
The world falls asleep
Dans une chaude lumière.
In a warm light.

Là, tout n’est qu’ordre et beauté,
There - nothing but order and beauty dwell,
Luxe, calme et volupté!
Abundance, calm, and sensuous delight.

Composer

Henri Duparc

Eugène Marie Henri Fouques Duparc (21 January 1848 – 12 February 1933) was a French composer of the late Romantic period. Read more here.

Poet

Charles Baudelaire

Charles Pierre Baudelaire was a French poet who also produced notable work as an essayist, art critic, and pioneering translator of Edgar Allan Poe. His most famous work, Les Fleurs du mal (The Flowers of Evil), expresses the changing nature of…

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