Songs

Madras: Une belle

by Maurice Delage From Quatre poèmes hindous (1912)

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Text & Translation

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Madras: Une belle
French source: Anon.

Une belle à la taille svelte
se promène sous les arbres de la forêt,
en se reposant de temps en temps.
Ayant relevé de la main
les trois voiles d’or
qui lui couvre les seins,
elle renvoie à la lune
les rayons dont elle était baignée.

Madras: A beautiful woman
English translation © Richard Stokes

A beautiful woman, with a slim waist,
walks beneath the forest trees,
halting to rest from time to time.
Lifting with her hand
the three golden veils
that cover her breasts,
she reflects back to the moon
the rays in which she was bathed.

Translations by Richard Stokes, from A French Song Companion (Oxford, 2000)

Madras: Une belle
French source: Anon.

Madras: A beautiful woman
English source: Richard Stokes

Une belle à la taille svelte
A beautiful woman, with a slim waist,
se promène sous les arbres de la forêt,
walks beneath the forest trees,
en se reposant de temps en temps.
halting to rest from time to time.
Ayant relevé de la main
Lifting with her hand
les trois voiles d’or
the three golden veils
qui lui couvre les seins,
that cover her breasts,
elle renvoie à la lune
she reflects back to the moon
les rayons dont elle était baignée.
the rays in which she was bathed.

Composer

Maurice Delage

Maurice Delage was a French composer and pianist. Read more here.

Poet

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