Mandoline
French source:
Paul Verlaine
Et les belles écouteuses
Échangent des propos fades
Sous les ramures chanteuses.
C’est Tircis et c’est Aminte,
Et c’est l’éternel Clitandre,
Et c’est Damis qui pour mainte
Cruelle fait maint vers tendre.
Leurs courtes vestes de soie,
Leurs longues robes à queues,
Leur élégance, leur joie
Et leurs molles ombres bleues
Tourbillonnent dans l’extase
D’une lune rose et grise,
Et la mandoline jase
Parmi les frissons de brise.
Fêtes galantes
English translation ©
Richard Stokes
and their fair listeners
exchange sweet nothings
beneath singing boughs.
Tirsis is there, Aminte is there,
and tedious Clitandre too,
and Damis who for many a cruel maid
writes many a tender song.
Their short silken doublets,
their long trailing gowns,
their elegance, their joy,
and their soft blue shadows
Whirl madly in the rapture
of a grey and roseate moon,
and the mandolin jangles on
in the shivering breeze.
Translation © Richard Stokes, author of A French Song Companion (Oxford, 2000)
Mandoline
French source:
Paul Verlaine
Fêtes galantes
English source:
Richard Stokes
Les donneurs de sérénades
The gallant serenaders
Et les belles écouteuses
and their fair listeners
Échangent des propos fades
exchange sweet nothings
Sous les ramures chanteuses.
beneath singing boughs.
C’est Tircis et c’est Aminte,
Tirsis is there, Aminte is there,
Et c’est l’éternel Clitandre,
and tedious Clitandre too,
Et c’est Damis qui pour mainte
and Damis who for many a cruel maid
Cruelle fait maint vers tendre.
writes many a tender song.
Leurs courtes vestes de soie,
Their short silken doublets,
Leurs longues robes à queues,
their long trailing gowns,
Leur élégance, leur joie
their elegance, their joy,
Et leurs molles ombres bleues
and their soft blue shadows
Tourbillonnent dans l’extase
Whirl madly in the rapture
D’une lune rose et grise,
of a grey and roseate moon,
Et la mandoline jase
and the mandolin jangles on
Parmi les frissons de brise.
in the shivering breeze.
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 Verlaine
Paul-Marie Verlaine was a French poet associated with the Symbolist movement. He is considered one of the greatest representatives of the fin de siècle in international and French poetry. Born in Metz, Verlaine was educated at the Lycée Impérial…