Text & Translation
Ne jamais la voir
French source:
Sully Prudhomme
Ne jamais tout haut la nommer,
Mais, fidèle, toujours l’attendre,
Toujours l’aimer.
Ouvrir les bras et, las d’attendre,
Sur le néant les refermer,
Mais encor toujours les lui tendre,
Toujours l’aimer.
Ah! ne pouvoir que les lui tendre,
Et dans les pleurs se consumer,
Mais ces pleurs toujours les répandre,
Toujours l’aimer.
Ne jamais la voir ni l’entendre,
Ne jamais tout haut la nommer,
Mais d’un amour toujours plus tendre
Toujours l’aimer.
Never to see her
English translation ©
Richard Stokes
Never to utter her name aloud,
But faithful, always to wait for her,
Always to love her.
To open my arms and, weary of waiting,
To close them again on a void,
Yet always to hold them out again,
Always to love her.
Ah, able only to hold them out
And to waste away in tears,
Yet always to shed those tears,
Always to love her.
Never to see or hear her,
Never to utter her name aloud,
But with a love always more tender,
Always to love her.
Ne jamais la voir
French source:
Sully Prudhomme
Never to see her
English source:
Richard Stokes
Ne jamais la voir ni l’entendre,
Never to see or hear her,
Ne jamais tout haut la nommer,
Never to utter her name aloud,
Mais, fidèle, toujours l’attendre,
But faithful, always to wait for her,
Toujours l’aimer.
Always to love her.
Ouvrir les bras et, las d’attendre,
To open my arms and, weary of waiting,
Sur le néant les refermer,
To close them again on a void,
Mais encor toujours les lui tendre,
Yet always to hold them out again,
Toujours l’aimer.
Always to love her.
Ah! ne pouvoir que les lui tendre,
Ah, able only to hold them out
Et dans les pleurs se consumer,
And to waste away in tears,
Mais ces pleurs toujours les répandre,
Yet always to shed those tears,
Toujours l’aimer.
Always to love her.
Ne jamais la voir ni l’entendre,
Never to see or hear her,
Ne jamais tout haut la nommer,
Never to utter her name aloud,
Mais d’un amour toujours plus tendre
But with a love always more tender,
Toujours l’aimer.
Always to love her.
Composer
Poet
Sully Prudhomme
René François Armand (Sully) Prudhomme was a French poet and essayist, and was the first ever winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, in 1901. Born in Paris, Prudhomme originally studied to be an engineer, but turned to philosophy and later to…