Prison
French source:
Paul Verlaine
Si bleu, si calme!
Un arbre, par-dessus le toit,
Berce sa palme.
La cloche, dans le ciel qu’on voit,
Doucement tinte.
Un oiseau sur l’arbre qu’on voit
Chante sa plainte.
Mon Dieu, mon Dieu, la vie est là,
Simple et tranquille.
Cette paisible rumeur-là
Vient de la ville.
– Qu’as-tu fait, ô toi que voilà
Pleurant sans cesse,
Dis, qu’as-tu fait, toi que voilà,
De ta jeunesse?
Prison
English translation ©
Richard Stokes
So blue, so calm!
A tree, above the roof,
Waves its crown.
The bell, in the sky that you see,
Gently rings.
A bird, on the tree that you see,
Plaintively sings.
My God, my God, life is there,
Simple and serene.
That peaceful murmur there
Comes from the town.
O you, what have you done,
Weeping without end,
Say, what have you done
With your young life?
Translation © Richard Stokes, author of A French Song Companion (Oxford, 2000)
Prison
French source:
Paul Verlaine
Prison
English source:
Richard Stokes
Le ciel est, par-dessus le toit,
The sky above the roof –
Si bleu, si calme!
So blue, so calm!
Un arbre, par-dessus le toit,
A tree, above the roof,
Berce sa palme.
Waves its crown.
La cloche, dans le ciel qu’on voit,
The bell, in the sky that you see,
Doucement tinte.
Gently rings.
Un oiseau sur l’arbre qu’on voit
A bird, on the tree that you see,
Chante sa plainte.
Plaintively sings.
Mon Dieu, mon Dieu, la vie est là,
My God, my God, life is there,
Simple et tranquille.
Simple and serene.
Cette paisible rumeur-là
That peaceful murmur there
Vient de la ville.
Comes from the town.
– Qu’as-tu fait, ô toi que voilà
O you, what have you done,
Pleurant sans cesse,
Weeping without end,
Dis, qu’as-tu fait, toi que voilà,
Say, what have you done
De ta jeunesse?
With your young life?
Composer
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…