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Text & Translation

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L'Émeraude
French source: Robert Pinget

D’un coquillage au pire émoi
se referme l’image absente
encore qu’un néant inspire
plus de sagesse dans l’amour
en nous mille fois répétée
serait-ce une émeraude à naître?

The Emerald
English translation © Anon.

The absent image of a shell
Closes on the worst commotion
Although nothingness inspires
More wisdom in love
Repeated in us a thousand times
Might this be an emerald yet to be born?

L'Émeraude
French source: Robert Pinget

The Emerald
English source: Anon.

D’un coquillage au pire émoi
The absent image of a shell
se referme l’image absente
Closes on the worst commotion
encore qu’un néant inspire
Although nothingness inspires
plus de sagesse dans l’amour
More wisdom in love
en nous mille fois répétée
Repeated in us a thousand times
serait-ce une émeraude à naître?
Might this be an emerald yet to be born?

Composer

Germaine Tailleferre

The composer Germaine Tailleferre (1892-1983) played the piano and organ, taught and also painted. Thanks to her father’s opposition to her musical education, she changed her name early on from ‘Taillefesse’ to ‘Tailleferre’. Her mother gave her…

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