Nuit d'etoiles
French source:
Théodore de Banville
Sous tes voiles,
Sous ta brise et tes parfums,
Triste lyre
Qui soupire,
Je rêve aux amours défunts.
La sereine mélancolie
Vient éclore au fond de mon cœur,
Et j’entends l’âme de ma mie
Tressaillir dans le bois rêveur.
Nuit d’étoiles …
Je revois à notre fontaine
Tes regards bleus comme les cieux;
Cette rose, c’est ton haleine,
Et ces étoiles sont tes yeux.
Nuit d’étoiles …
Night of stars
English translation ©
Richard Stokes
Beneath your veils,
beneath your breeze and fragrance,
Sad lyre
That sighs,
I dream of bygone loves.
Serene melancholy
Now blooms deep in my heart,
And I hear the soul of my love
Quiver in the dreaming woods.
Night of stars...
Once more at our fountain I see
Your eyes as blue as the sky;
This rose is your breath
And these stars are your eyes.
Night of stars...
Translation © Richard Stokes, from A French Song Companion (Oxford, 2000)
Nuit d'etoiles
French source:
Théodore de Banville
Night of stars
English source:
Richard Stokes
Nuit d’étoiles,
Night of stars,
Sous tes voiles,
Beneath your veils,
Sous ta brise et tes parfums,
beneath your breeze and fragrance,
Triste lyre
Sad lyre
Qui soupire,
That sighs,
Je rêve aux amours défunts.
I dream of bygone loves.
La sereine mélancolie
Serene melancholy
Vient éclore au fond de mon cœur,
Now blooms deep in my heart,
Et j’entends l’âme de ma mie
And I hear the soul of my love
Tressaillir dans le bois rêveur.
Quiver in the dreaming woods.
Nuit d’étoiles …
Night of stars...
Je revois à notre fontaine
Once more at our fountain I see
Tes regards bleus comme les cieux;
Your eyes as blue as the sky;
Cette rose, c’est ton haleine,
This rose is your breath
Et ces étoiles sont tes yeux.
And these stars are your eyes.
Nuit d’étoiles …
Night of stars...
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
Théodore de Banville
Théodore Faullain de Banville was a French poet and writer.
Performances
Previously performed at:
- Young Artist Auditions (Session 6) 20 Apr 2024
- 19. Magical Mysteries: Katharina Ruckgaber, Ashley Riches & Sholto Kynoch 14 Oct 2019
- Debussy: A Life in Song 13 Oct 2018