Paysage
French source:
Olivier Messiaen
La route pleine de chagrins et de fondrières,
Mes pieds qui hésitent dans la poussière,
Le lac comme un gros bijou bleu.
Et la voilà, verte et bleue comme le paysage!
Entre le blé et le soleil je vois son visage:
Elle sourit, la main sur les yeux.
Le lac comme un gros bijou bleu.
Landscape
English translation ©
Richard Stokes
The road full of sorrows and pot-holes,
My feet faltering in the dust,
The lake like a big blue jewel.
And there she is, green and blue like the landscape!
Between corn and sun I see her face:
She smiles, one hand shading her eyes.
The lake like a big blue jewel.
Translation © Richard Stokes, from A French Song Companion (Oxford, 2000)
Paysage
French source:
Olivier Messiaen
Landscape
English source:
Richard Stokes
Le lac comme un gros bijou bleu.
The lake like a big blue jewel.
La route pleine de chagrins et de fondrières,
The road full of sorrows and pot-holes,
Mes pieds qui hésitent dans la poussière,
My feet faltering in the dust,
Le lac comme un gros bijou bleu.
The lake like a big blue jewel.
Et la voilà, verte et bleue comme le paysage!
And there she is, green and blue like the landscape!
Entre le blé et le soleil je vois son visage:
Between corn and sun I see her face:
Elle sourit, la main sur les yeux.
She smiles, one hand shading her eyes.
Le lac comme un gros bijou bleu.
The lake like a big blue jewel.
Composer
Olivier Messiaen
Olivier Eugène Prosper Charles Messiaen was a French composer, organist, and ornithologist. He wrote music for chamber ensembles and orchestra, vocal music, as well as for solo organ and piano, and also experimented with the use of novel electronic…
