The use of cameras or recording equipment during the 

performance is not allowed. Please be sure that cell phones,

pagers, and other electronic devices are turned off.

Please note that late entry or reentry ofthe 

West Building after 6:30 pm is not permitted.

For the convenience of concertgoers, 

the Garden Cafe remains open for light refreshments

until 6:00 pm on Sundays.

Music Department

National Gallery ofArt

Sixth Street and Constitution Avenue nw

Washington, dc

uww.ngfl.gov

cover: Edouard Manet, The Old Musician, 1862,

National Gallery ofArt, Washington, Chester Dale Collection

The Seventieth Season of

The William Nelson Cromwell and F. Lammot Belin

Concerts

National Gallery ofArt

Concerts in Honor ofthe

Reopening ofthe

Nineteenth-Century French Galleries

January 28 and 29, 2012

Admissionfree
Program Notes

The paintings in the nineteenth-century French galleries at the National

Gallery ofArt represent a period of culture that was rich in both music and

art. Although French music did not enjoy the hegemony and international

impact that French painting had in the nineteenth century, there are nonetheless musical works of genius in the nineteenth-century repertoire, most

inspired by symbolism, which had its roots in the poetry and essays of

Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867). Symbolism influenced French poets, artists, 

and musicians for more than half a century after his death. Those painters

and composers who are commonly referred to as “Impressionist” much

preferred to be identified as “symbolist.”

Given the churchlike acoustics ofthe East Garden Court, this musical

celebration ofthe reopening ofthe nineteenth-century French Galleries

consists primarily ofmusic for choirs and organ, most ofwhich does not

reflect the changes that symbolism brought to French artistic expression. 

Steeped in the French romantic tradition and largely unaffected by symbolism, this music would have been heard by the French Impressionist and

Post-impressionist painters in churches—primarily in church concerts, 

which were very much in vogue at the time—and concert halls of Paris.

Among those painters, Frederic Bazille, Edgar Degas, Edouard Manet, and

Auguste Renoir had an especially keen interest in music. Bazille was an 

active amateur pianist, and Renoir was a star choir boy in the church choir 

led by Charles Gounod, who is represented in these concerts by two sacred 

works and a famous chorus from the opera Faust.

A considerable number ofnineteenth-century composers drew inspiration from the huge body of French Renaissance chansons, dating from the 

era when northern France and the Low Countries were the wellspring of

musical talent and learning for the rest of Europe. Pieces such as SaintSaens’ Serenade d’hiver and Hymne au printemps or Massenet’s Chansons des

hois d’Amaranthe recreate a simple pastoral idyll, perhaps a reaction on the

part ofthe composers to the changes in the pace oflife that came with the

Industrial Revolution.

3
Camille Saint-Saens (1835-1921) and Gabriel Faure (1845-1924) dominated the French classical music scene during their long parallel careers,

which spanned the second halfofthe nineteenth century and the first quarter

ofthe twentieth. Like the art world, music had its Academicfrangaise, and the

two men dictated the tastes and preferences ofthe academie for two generations. In addition to the serenade and hymn mentioned above, Saint-Saens is

represented in these concerts by Deux choeurs (Two Chorales)—unaccompanied

part-songs ofstunning beauty and delicate, almost naive charm.

In addition to his widely known Requiem, Faure wrote many other choral

works that demonstrate his instinct for engaging melody and smoothly flowing four- or five-part harmony. His Messe basse, begun in 1881, appears in

at least four versions, three ofwhich are for sopranos and altos. The first

version, scored for soprano and alto voices only, was actually a collaboration

with his friend Andre Messager (1853-1929). The two men composed the

mass for a benefit performance in the fishing village ofVillerville, where

they happened to be on holiday.

Noticed even in his student days as an outstanding intellect, Hector

Berlioz abandoned his pursuit of a career in medicine to study music. He is

one ofthe most important choral composers ofthe era—not just in France, 

but in all of Europe—having produced at least four ofthe major romantic

works for chorus and orchestra: Grande messe des morts, Messe solennelle, La

Damnation de Faust, and I’Fnfance du Christ. From the latter work, a magnificent sacred trilogy, Singers Companye sings the short, strophic choral piece

VAdieu des bergers a Sainte Famille (The Farewell ofthe Shepherds to the Holy

Family). This composer’s ebullient energy is revealed in the part songs for

men performed by Men in Blaque: Chanson a boire, Chant guerrier, and Le

Chant des Bretons.

Counted among the greatest nineteenth century composers, Cesar Franck

was actually born in Belgium and began his musical studies at the conservatory in Liege. Eventually graduating from the Paris Conservatory, he performed

extensively as a piano virtuoso, but was constantly active as a composer. Two

ofhis acknowledged masterpieces for organ solo are included in Alexander

Frey’s recital. His most famous choral motet is Panis angelicas, originally

written for solo tenor with harp, cello, bass, and organ accompaniment. It

4

has been adapted for many combinations ofvoices including the four-part

choral version sung by Singers Companye.

Although he made his mark as one ofthe iconoclasts of French music,

Claude Debussy often turned to the French baroque and Renaissance for

inspiration. In the case ofhis Trois Chansons, he chose to set poetry by

Charles d’Orleans (1391-1465), one ofthe last and perhaps the greatest of

the fifteenth-century poetes courtois (courtly poets). Debussy’s songs are

clearly influenced by French Renaissance choral part-writing. The first is an

ecstatic ebb and flow ofvocal color that matches the sensibility ofthe poet,

describing the beauty of a young woman. In the second song, the choir

provides the sound of a distant drum, as the text is given to a solo voice.

The flurry ofsounds in the third chanson portrays the harsh chill ofwinter.

Winner ofthe Prix de Rome in 1863 and a student of Franz Liszt and

Charles Gounod, Jules Massenet was influenced by the declamatory style of

Liszt, but he never lost his penchant for lyricism, which earned him the nickname “la fille de Gounod” (“the daughter of Gounod”—meant as a compliment to contrast Massenet with some other composers ofhis generation—

“sons of Gounod”—whose music was seen to be less lyrical than Massenet’s).

The Singers Companye’s program includes Cheresfleurs and Chantez!, two

contrasting pieces from Massenet’s evocation ofnature in the form of a

song cycle, Chansons des bois dAmaranthe. “Amaranth,” the Greek word for 

everlasting, is a flower with blood-red petals that are slow to fade. The cycle

includes songs about birds, flowers, springs, and streams. Written for solo 

voices, it can also be sung effectively by four-part choir. In the case of Cheres

Jleurs (Dear Flowers), the choral writing is reflective, a tribute to the still

beauty offlowers. Chantez! (Sing!), on the other hand, revels in the delights

ofspringtime without any reservations or distractions. The birds ofspring

are exhorted to sing oflove and pleasure and “ofthe divine work and its 

beauty.” The effervescent piano part supports the exuberant and high-spirited

vocal lines.

Program notes based on material provided by Samuel Gordon, director ofchoral

studies and coordinator ofthe vocal and keyboard divisions at the University ofAkron.

5
2,869th Concert

Saturday, January 28, 2012 11:00 and 3:00 pm

West Building, East Garden Court

Men in Blaque

Joseph Huszti, conductor

Charles-Fran^ois Gounod (1818-1893)

From Deuxieme Messe, op. 1 (1846)

Gloria

Kyrie

Gabriel Faure (1845-1924)

Tantum ergo, op. 65, no. 2 (1894)

Faure

Verbe egal au Tres Haut

From Cantique de Jean Racine (1865)

Arranged for men’s voices by D. G. Mason

Camille Saint-Saens (1835-1921)

Serenade d’hiver (1867)

Hymne au printemps (1912)

Saltarelle (1885)

Hector Berlioz (1803-1869)

Chanson a boire (Thomas Gounet) (1829)

Chant guerrier (Thomas Gounet) (1829)

Le chant des Bretons (Julien-Auguste-Pelage Brizeux) (1835)

6

Gounod

Soldiers Chorus from Faust (1859)

Gioacchino Rossini (1792-1868)

La danza (C. Pepoli)

From Les Soirees musicales (1830-1835)

Arranged for men’s voices by James Quitman Mulholland
The Musicians

MEN IN BLAQUE

An internationally acclaimed ensemble in residency at the University of

California at Irvine, Men in Blaque was formed in 1997 with the goal of

performing music for male voices from all eras and styles. Invited by the

Alava Festival to perform in Spain—a memorable concert that took place 

on September 11, 2001—Men in Blaque also represented the United States 

at music festivals in Puebla, Mexico (2003) and the first Daegu International

Choral Festival (Korea, 2004). In 2006 the choir won two silver medals and

a gold certificate at the World Choral Games in Xiamen, China, where more

than four hundred choirs competed. In 2010 the ensemble returned to China

to participate in the world’s largest choral competition in Shoaxing—with

more than twenty thousand singers from eighty countries participating—

and won a championship trophy and three gold medals. Men in Blaque has

recorded four CDs: I Wonder As I Wander (2001), Live in Spain (2003), Many

Moods (2004), and Tenth Anniversary (2007).

JOSEPH HUSZTI

Professor ofmusic and director ofthe choral program in the Claire Trevor 

School ofthe Arts at the University of California at Irvine, Joseph Huszti has

pioneered innovative choral techniques that have been studied and used by

choral directors throughout the world. Under his direction, choirs from the

university have performed concerts in the cathedrals of Boston, Canterbury,

Coventry, Ely, Liverpool, Westminster, and York, as well as St. Paul’s Cathedral

in London. Huszti has led choral concert tours ofAustria, the Czech Republic,

England, Hong Kong, Hungary, Japan, Poland, and Taiwan, in addition to

presenting concert and choral workshops throughout the United States.

2,870th Concert

Saturday, January 28, 2012 | 2:00 and 4:00 pm

Sunday, January 29, 2012 | 2:00 and 4:00 pm

West Building, East Garden Court

Alexander Frey, organist

Marcel Dupre (1886-1971)

Allegro deciso

From Evocation-Poeme symphonique, op. 37 (1941)

Charles-Marie Widor (1844-1937)

Andante Sostenuto

From Symphonie no. 9 (“Gothique”) (1895)

Cesar Franck (1822-1890)

Fantaisie en la mineur (Fantasy in A Minor)

From Trois Pieces (1878)

Louis Vierne (1870-1937)

Clair de lane

From Pieces defantaisie, op. 53 (1926)

Alexandre Guilmant (1837-1911)

Fantaisie-Verset

From Pieces de differents styles pour orgue (1869-1911)

Franck

Chorale en la mineur (1890)
The Musicians

ALEXANDER FREY

Conductor, organist, pianist, and recording artist Alexander Frey’s international career has taken him to the music capitals ofAsia, Africa, Europe,

and North and South America. He performs with many ofthe world’s leading

symphony orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic, Hollywood Bowl,

Leipzig Gewandhaus, Munich Symphony, and Vienna Radio Symphony

orchestras, under conductors Claudio Abbado, John Mauceri, and Michael

Tilson Thomas, among others.

Frey was the first organist ever to perform an entire symphony of Gustav

Mahler as a solo work for organ. This historic achievement was rated one

of “the most important organ-related events ofthe twentieth century” by

The American Organist magazine. Heard frequently in recital with the late 

Grammy Award-winning tenor Jerry Hadley, Frey has performed chamber

music with violinist Ruggiero Ricci and the Vermeer Quartet and has appeared

on stage in Europe with Prairie Home Companion host Garrison Keillor.

With recordings to his credit on the Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, and

Koch International Classics labels, Frey has received Germany’s highest

recording honor, the Deutsche Schallplattenpreis, as well as bbc Critics 

Choice, Best Recording ofthe Year (Fi Magazine), Best Original Cast Recording ofthe Year 2005 (Borders Music), the Bronze World Medal ofthe New

York Festival, Choice ofthe French Media Critics, and Favorite Record ofthe

Year 2005 (ArkivMusic).

Alexander Frey appears at the National Gallery ofArt by arrangement

with Diabelli Management, www.diabelli.com.

10

2,871st Concert

Sunday, January 29, 2012 11:00 and 3:00 pm

West Building, East Garden Court

Singers Companye

Samuel Gordon, artistic director

Kim Bakkum, pianist

Robert Mollard, organist

Charles-Franfois Gounod (1818-1893)

Ave verum corpus (1882)

Gabriel Faure (1845-1924)

Messe basse (1881)

Kyrie

Sanctus

Benedictus

Agnus Dei

Hector Berlioz (1803-1869)

Shepherd's Farewell to the Holy Family

From L’Enfance du Christ (1854)
Andre Charles Prosper Messager (1853-1929)

O salutaris hostia

From Messe des pecheurs de Villerville

Cesar Franck (1822-1890)

Panis angelicas (1888)

Faure

Madrigal, op. 35 (1883)

Camille Saint-Saens (1835-1921)

From Deux choeurs, op. 68 (1882-1883)

Calme des nuits

Les Fleurs et les arbres

Claude Debussy (1862-1918)

Trois Chansons de Charles d’Orleans 

Dieu! Qu’il la fait bon regarder (1898)

Quant j'ai ouy le tambourin (1908)

Soloist: Patricia LaNasa, soprano

Yver, vous n’estes qu’un villain (1898)

Soloists: Rachel Morrison, soprano; Kristina von Held, alto

Kyle Kelvington, tenor; Paul Stewart, baritone

Jules Massenet (1842-1912)

From Chansons des bois d’Amaranthe

Cheres fleurs 

Chantez!

12

The Musicians

SINGERS COMPANYE

Founded by Samuel Gordon in 2000, Singers Companye gives singers from 

northeastern Ohio the opportunity to sing great choral works for chamber

choir from virtually every period of musical composition. Named choir-inresidence for Corfest Italia 2008, the ensemble has performed in Assisi,

Bologna, Perugia, and Pistoia, Italy as well as at the 2009 International

Choral Festival in Tolosa, Spain. In the United States, the ensemble has

been heard at the Montana Choral Festival and in Akron, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Washington, DC, where it presented concerts at the National

Gallery in honor ofthe exhibition George de Forest Brush: The Indian Paintings (2008) and in the festival “Mendelssohn on the Mall” (2009). Dedicated

to promoting new choral music, Singers Companye often performs world

premieres, most recently works by Linda Rice Beck and Samuel Gordon.

Performing with Singers Companye in this concert are:

Soprano Alto

Merissa Coleman Lauren Anthony

Alanna Furst Rebecca Brown

Samantha Garner Julissa Faw

Pat Harris Patricia LaNasa

Jill Hornickel Marissa Leonino Lange

Jennifer Moore Patricia Moyer

Rachel Morrison Carissa Patton

Catherine Neff Nancy Robinson

Valerie Niese Christine Stewart

Kathryn Sees Kristina von Held

Marlene Sell

Marie Taylor

13
Tenor Bass

Jason Borden Robert Carlyon

Lawrence Butler Spencer Davis

Zachariah Camp Matthew Dolan

Nathaniel Duvuvuei Doug Downie

Philip Formes Robert Grant

William Hamilton Joseph Guy

Gregory Huber Sam Kitzler

Kyle Kelvington Troy Mason

Jesse Lange Robert Mollard

Instrumentalists

Roger Sell

Paul Stewart

Allison Lint and Lauren Vernice, violinists; Jane Berkner,flutist;

Brendon Phelps, cellist

SAMUEL GORDON

Director of choral studies and coordinator ofthe vocal and keyboard divisions at the University ofAkron, Samuel Gordon has been actively engaged

in both singing and conducting careers in this country and abroad. He was 

the tenor in the National Gallery ofArt Vocal Ensemble (then known as the

Vocal Arts Ensemble) from 1985 until 2003, during which time he was also 

conductor-in-consortium with the Maryland Camerata at the Gallery. In Italy,

he was a first prize winner in several categories at the prestigious Concorso

Polifonico “Guido d’Arezzo,” as well as the Fiat Conducting Prize laureate.

The first American to win the International Musical Eisteddfod in Wales as

well as the Welsh National Eisteddfod, Samuel Gordon’s compositions are

published by National Music Publishers as the Samuel Gordon Choral Series.

KIM BAKKUM

Montana native Kim Bakkum is an active pianist in the Akron-Cleveland area.

Holder of a master’s degree in piano performance from Western Michigan

University, she has done extensive studies in art song and opera in Graz

and Vienna, Austria, and has performed with Cleveland Opera on Tour,

the Canton Players Guild, the O’Neil Chamber Players, Porthouse Summer

Theatre, and Vienna Symphony Percussion and Flute Seminars.

ROBERT MOLLARD

Robert Mollard is principal keyboardist ofthe Akron Symphony Orchestra

and associate director ofthe Akron Symphony Chorus as well as organist

and choirmaster of Faith Lutheran Church of Fairlawn, Ohio. He has also 

worked with the Summit Choral Society in Akron and with the Cincinnati

Symphony and Cincinnati Pops orchestras. Founder and president of

Mollard Conducting Batons Inc., Mollard has a bachelor’s degree in conducting from the University ofCincinnati College Conservatory of Music

and holds an associate certificate with the American Guild ofOrganists.

15
2,872nd Concert

Sunday, January 29, 2012 | 6:30 pm

West Building, West Garden Court

National Gallery ofArt Vocal Ensemble

Rosa Lamoreaux, artistic director and soprano

Betty Bullock, pianist

Reynaldo Hahn (1874-1947)

Un loyal Coeur (1907)

Vivons, mignarde (1907) A Phidyle (189 6)

Comment se peut-ilfaire ainsi? (1907)

Les Foundersd’ete (1907)

Claude Debussy (1862-1918)

Trois chansons de Charlesd’Orleans (1898-1908)

Dieu! Qu’il la fait bon regarder

Quandj’ai oui le tambourin

Hiver, vousn’etes qu’un vilain!

Jules Massenet (1842-1912)

Poeme Pastorale (1872)

Voici venir le doux printemps

Musette

Aurore

Paysage

Crepuscule

Adieuxa la prairie

16

INTERMISSION

Debussy

La Damoiselle due (1888)

Camille Saint-Saens (1835-1921)

Serenaded’hiver (1867)

Gabriel Faure (1845-1924)

Pavane in F-sharp Minor, op. 50 (1887)

Puisqu’ici-has tout ame (1873)

Pleursd’or, op. 72 (1895)

Tarantella (1873)

Madrigal (1883)

V
The Musicians

NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART VOCAL ENSEMBLE

Now in its eighth season as a chamber choir under the leadership ofits

artistic director, Rosa Lamoreaux, the National Gallery ofArt Vocal Ensemble

has presented special programs in honor of Gallery exhibitions, including

part-songs and anthems by nineteenth-century English composers in honor

of The Artist’s Vision: Romantic Traditions in Britain (2006) and seventeenthcentury Dutch music in honor ofJan Lievens: A Dutch Master Rediscovered

(2008) and Pride ofPlace: Dutch Cityscapes ofthe Golden Age (2009). In 2008

the singers were guest artists at the Sonora, Mexico, Music Festival, where

they sang a program of Spanish and Hispanic choral music. Two years later,

members ofthe Vocal Ensemble joined forces with the early music ensemble

artek to perform Claudio Monteverdi’s Vespers ofthe Blessed Virgin (1610) on

the occasion ofits 400th anniversary year.

Members ofthe ensemble participating in this concert are:

Rosa Lamoreaux, artistic director and soprano

Rebecca Kellerman Petretta, soprano

Barbara Hollinshead, mezzo-soprano

Roger Isaacs, counter-tenor

Stephen White, tenor

Matthew Heil, tenor

Steven Combs, bass-baritone

Peter Becker, bass-baritone

18

ROSA LAMOREAUX

Hailed for her versatile musicianship and her engaging and effortless singing,

Rosa Lamoreaux has been artistic director ofthe National Gallery ofArt Vocal

Ensemble since 2005. An award-winning vocalist with a busy international

career, she has been soloist with the Atlanta Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony,

National Gallery, and National Philharmonic orchestras. Many ofher recordings and performances have been broadcast on npr, cbc, and the bbc. A

graduate ofthe University of Redlands in California and the Royal College of

Music in London, she has sung recitals at Carnegie Hall, the Dorothy Chandler

Pavilion, the Kennedy Center, and Royal Albert Hall, among many other

prestigious venues.

BETTY BULLOCK

A veteran ofmany appearances at the National Gallery, Betty Bullock is

equally at home in the worlds of classical music and the lighter repertoire of

cabaret and music theater. Active as a collaborative pianist in a wide variety 

ofvenues, she has recently performed with Rosa Lamoreaux in concerts in

New Mexico, Virginia, and Washington, DC, as well as with other instrumentalists at the German Embassy, the Music Center at Strathmore, and the

United States Supreme Court. With more than twenty seasons to her credit

as coach/accompanist at the Washington Opera, Bullock has taught in

Austria at the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz and at the

Summer Institute for Singers and Pianists in Salzburg.
Madrigal

Inhumaines qui, sans merci 

Vous raillez de notre souci

Aimez quand on vous aime.

Ingrats, qui ne vous doutez-pas 

Des reves eclos sur vos pas 

Aimez quand on vous aime.

Sachez,

6 cruelles Beautes

Que lesjours d'aimer sont comptes.

Sachez, Amoureux inconstants,

Que le bien d'aimer n'a qu'un temps!

Aimez quand on vous aime.

Un meme destin nous poursuit 

Et notre folie est la meme 

C'est celle d'aimer qui nous fuit;

C'est celle de fuir qui nous aime.

Poem by Armand Silvestre

Madrigal

Heartless women, without pity,

You scoff at our attentions.

Love the one who loves you!

Thankless men, you only discredit 

The hopes which blossom at your feet.

Love the one who loves you!

Be aware,O merciless fair ones,

That the time for loving is short.

Be aware, fickle swains,

That love's favor is given only once!

Love the one who loves you! A similar fate waits for us all.

And our foolishness is the same:

We flee from the one who loves us;

We love the one who flees from us.

Texts and Translations

National Gallery of Art Vocal Ensemble

January 29, 2012, 6:30 pm

MELODIES (REYNALDO HAHN)

Un Loyal Cceur

Le trouverai-je jamais,

Un loyal coeur joint au mein A qui je soye tout sien 

Sans departir desormais? A deviser par souhaits,

Souvent m'y es bas!

Eh bien le trouverai-je jamais...

Autant vaut si je m'en tais,

Car, certainement,

Je tiens qu'il ne s'en fera ja rien;

En toute chosea ung mais.

Le trouverai-je jamais un loyale coeur...

Poem by Charles d'Orleans (1394-1465)

Vivons, mignarde (Sur un rythme de Lully)

Vivons, mignarde

Vivons et suivons

Les ebats qu'Amour nous donne

Sans que des vieux rechignes renffognes,

Le sot babil nous etonne.

Lesjours qui viennent et vont se refont

Le soleil more se releve;

Mais une trop longue nuit,

Las! Nous suit apres

Une clarte breve!

Tandis que nous la voyons,

Employons ce beau vivre, 6 ma Meline,

Qa done, mignonne,

Viens-t'en et me tends 

Ta bouchette, Coraline!

Poem by Jean-Antoine de Ba'if (1532-1589) A Phidyle

Offre un encens modeste aux Lares familiers,

Phidyle, fruits recents, bandelettes fleuries,

Et tu verras ployer tes riches espaliers 

Sous le poids des grappes muries.

Poem by Charles-Marie-Rene Leconte de Lisle

(1818-1894)

SONGS A Loyal Heart

Will I never find a loyal heart joined to mine 

to whichI will be all his

without being tom apart?

Conversing only through wishes 

often is whatI am reduced to.

Alas! WillI never find...

It's just as well as ifI would not say anything 

quiet, certainly, I consider that it will never happen;

Because to everything there isa doubt

Will I never finda loyal heart...

Let us live, my dearie (Set toa rhythm of Lully)

Let us live, my dearie

Let us live and follow

the thing that love gives to us,

without the old folks, grumpy and fussing,

or the idiot's babbling to surprise us.

Days come and go, and remake themselves 

as the dead sun rises again.

But the night, so long,

alas! follows after 

the short day!

While we can see it,

let's use this beautiful way oflife, O my dearest,

for then, sweetest,

you will come here and offer to me

your little mouth, Coraline!

To Phidyle

Presenta bit ofincense to the household gods,

Phidyle, new fruits, flowery garlands,

And you will see your abundant trellises 

Bow with the heaviness ofmellow clusters.
Comment se peut-il faire ainsi?

Comment se peut-il faire ainsi 

En une seule creature 

Que tant ait des biens de nature

Dont chacun en est ebahi?

Oncques tel chef-d'oeuvre ne vy,

Mieux accompli, outre mesure.

Comment se peut-il faire ainsi 

En une seule creature?

Mes yeux cuidai qu'eussent menti 

Quand apporterent sa figure

Devers mon coeur un portraiture.

Mais vrai fut, et plus que ne di!

Comment se peut-il faire ainsi?

Poem by Charles d'Orleans

Les fourriers d'Ete

Les fourriers d'Ete sont venus

Pour appareiller son logis

Et ont fait tendre ses tapis 

De fleurs et verdure tissus!

En etendant tapis velus

Et vert d'herbe par le pays.

Cceurs d'ennui pieqa morfondus 

Dieu merci, sont sains et jolis!

Allez vous-en, prenez pays, Hiver,

Vous ne demeurez plus!

Poem by Charlesd’Orleans

TROIS CHANSONS (CLAUDE DEBUSSY)

Dieu! qu’il la fait bon regarder

Dieu! qu'il la fait bon regarder

La gracieuse bonne et belle;

Pour les grans biens que sont en elle,

Chascun est prest de la loiier.

Qui se pourroit d'elle lasser?

Tousjours sa beaute renouvelle.

Dieu! qu'il la fait bon regarder,

La gracieuse bonne et belle!

Par de qa, ne de la la mer 

Ne scay dame ni damoiselle 

Qui soit en tous bien parfais telle.

C'est ung songe que d'i penser:

Dieu! qu'il la fait bon regarder!

How can this be so?

How can this be so

thata sole creature

can be so gifted from nature

that everyone is amazed?

Never sucha masterpiece has been seen,

so well accomplished, beyond measure. 

How can this be so

ina sole creature?

My eyes thought this could not be true,

when her image was brought

to my heart likea portrait.

But it was real, and more than was told.

How can this be so?

The designers ofsummer

The designers ofsummer have come

to decorate summer's house

and put downa soft carpet

offlowers and green fibers,

spreading velvety rugs

of green grass through the country.

The heavy hearts so dark and sad,

thank God, are now sane and jolly!

Go, take yourself away, Winter!

Do not stay any longer!

THREE SONGS

God, how good it is to look upon her

God, how good it is to look upon her,

so graceful, good, and beautiful!

For the great goodness that is hers, 

everyone is ready to praise her.

Who could grow tired of her?

Her beauty constantly renews itself.

God, how good it is to look upon her,

so graceful, good, and beautiftil!

On neither side ofthe ocean 

doI know any woman or girl

who is in all virtues so perfect; 

it isa dreamjust to think ofher.

God, how good it is to look upon her!

3

Quantj’ai ouy le tambourin

Quant j'ai ouy le tambourin

Sonner pour s'en after au may,

En mon lit n'en ay fait affray

Ne leve mon chief du coissin.

WhenI hear the tambourine

WhenI hear the tambourine 

sound to call us to May,

in my bedI am not frightened,

nor doI lift my head from the pillow.

En disant: il est trop matin,

Ung peu je me rendormiray:

Quand j'ai ouy le tambourin

Sonner pour s'en after au may.

Saying: "It is too early in the morning,

I'll go back to sleep fora little while,"

whenI hear the tambourine 

sound to call us to May.

Jeunes gens partent leur butin;

De non chaloir m'accointeray, A lui je m'abutineray;

Trouve l'ay plus prochain voisin.

Young folk divide their spoils: I will make a friend oflethargy, I will plunder it; I have found it to be my closest neighbor.

Yver, vous n'estes qu'un vilain!

Yver, vous n'estes qu'un vilain!

Ete est plaisant et gentil,

En temoing de may et d'avril

Qui l'accompagnent soir et main.

Winter, you're nothing buta villain!

Winter, you're nothing buta villain!

Summer is pleasant and amiable,

bearing witness to May and April

which are its morning and evening companions.

Este revet champs, bois et fleurs

De sa livree de verdure

Et de main tes autres couleurs

Par l'ordonnance de nature.

Summer dresses the fields, woods and flowers

in her clothing of green 

and the many other colors

at Nature's command.

Mais vous, Yver, trop estes plein

De nege, vent, pluye et grezil:

On vous deust banir en exil.

Sans point flater, je parle plein,

Yver, vous n'estes qu'un vilain!

Poems by Charles d'Orleans

But you, winter, are too full

ofsnow, wind, rain, and hail:

You should be banished to exile.

Without exaggerating,I say plainly,

Winter, you're nothing buta villain!

POEME PASTORAL (JULES MASSENET) PASTORAL POEM

Pastorale avec Choeur

Voici venir le doux printemps,

Allons danser sur la coudrette;

La naturea marque ce temps

Pour que le plaisir eut sa fete! la, la!

Shepherds' Chorus

Sweet springtime has arrived!

Let's dance among the trees;

Nature has ordained this season

For celebration of pleasure! la, la!

Ah! craignons de perdre un seul jour

De la belle saison d'amour! la, la, la, la!

Ah! Fear to miss even one day

Oflove's sublime season!

De l'eau qui court sur les cailloux,

L'agreable et tendre murmure

Le bruit si leger et si doux

Du zephir et de la verdure; la, la, la!

The stream which courses over little stones,

The sweet and soft ripple;

The sound, so gentle and benign,

Ofthe zephyr and the green woodlands; la, la, la!
Musette

L'autre jour sous l'ombrage

Un jeune et beau pasteur

Racontait ainsi sa douleur A l'echo plaintif du bocage!

Musette

The other day, beneath the shade, A shepherd young and handsome 

Lamented thus his heartache,

Echoed sorrowfully through the copse:

Bonheur d'etre aime tendrement

Que de chagrin marchea ta suite

Et pourquoi viens-tu si lentement

Et t'en retoumes-tu si vite?

Bonheur d'etre aime tendrement,

Pourquoi, pourquoi t'en retoumes-tu si vite?

It is joy to be loved fondly,

But what anguish comes afterwards!

And why do you come to me so slowly,

And leave me again so soon?

It is joy to be loved fondly,

Why, why do you leave again so soon?

Ma bergere m'oublie

Amour fais-moi mourir

Quand on cesse de nous cherir

Quel cruel fardeau que la vie!...

Ma bergere helas m'oublie!...

My shepherdess has forgotten me,

Love, let me perish!

When one is no longer held dear,

Whata heartless affliction life becomes!

Alas! My shepherdess has abandoned me!

Bonheur d'etre aime tendrement

Que de chagrin marchea ta suite

Et pourquoi viens-tu si lentement

Et t'en retoumes-tu si vite?

Bonheur d'etre aime tendrement,

Pourquoi, pourquoi t'en retoumes-tu si vite?

Poem by Jean Pierre Claris de Florian (1755-1794)

It is joy to be loved fondly,

But what anguish comes afterwards!

And why do you come to me so slowly,

And leave me again so soon?

It is joy to be loved fondly,

Why, why do you leave again so soon?

Aurore

Cocorico, le coq chante:

C'est le clairon du matin.

11 monte une odeur de thym

Des grands pres ou tout s'enchante.

Cocorico, le coq chante!

Dawn

Cock-a-doodle-doo! The rooster crows:

It is morning's clarion call.

The scent ofthyme arises

From broad pastures where all is entranced.

Cock-a-doodle-doo! The rooster crows!

Cocorico, le coq chante:

Betes et gens vont manger.

De la maison du berger

Monte une odeur allechante!

Cocorico, le coq chante!

Cock-a-doodle-doo! The rooster crows:

Animals and people are going to eat. A tempting aroma rises

From the shepherd's cottage!

Cock-a-doodle-doo! The rooster crows!

Cocorico, le coq chante:

Entr'ouvrant sesjolis yeux

Myrto me dit, l'airjoyeux,

Qu'elle me hait,

La mechante!

Cocorico, le coq chante!!

Poem by Armand Silvestre

Cock-a-doodle-doo! The rooster crows:

Half-opening her beautiful eyes,

Myrto teasingly says

That she detests me.

Mischievous girl!

Cock-a-doodle-doo! The rooster crows!!

5

Paysage

Arbre charmant qui me rappelle

Ceux oil ma main grava son nom;

Ruisseau limpide, beau vallon,

En vous voyant je cherche Estelle, O souvenir cruel et doux,

Laissez-moi! Que me voulez-vous?

Scene

Lovely tree, which reminds me

Ofthose on which my hand carved her name;

Limpid brook, beautiful valley,

In gazing at you,I am seeking Estelle.

O cruel, sweet memory,

Release me! What do you want ofme?

Si quelque fois sous cet ombrage

Mes yeux succombent au sommeil...

Je la vois!... mais le reveil, helas

Ifsometimes under this shade

My eyes give in to sleep... I see her!... but the wakening, alas

Tout nous dit: craignez de perdre un jour

De la belle saison d'amour!

It all says to us: fear to miss one day

Oflove's sublime season!

Craignons de perdre un seul jour

De la belle saison d'amour!

M'enleve une si chere image! O souvenir cruel et doux,

Laissez-moi! Que me voulez-vous?

Fear to miss even one day

Oflove's sublime season!

Takes from me that beloved image! O cruel, sweet memory,

Release me! What do you want ofme?

Insense quel est mon delire...

Je ne vis que par mes regrets...

Ah! Si je les perdaisjamais

Que mon coeur serait prompta dire:

O souvenir cruel et doux

Revenez, pourquoi fuyez-vous?

Poem by Jean Pierre Claris de Florian (1755-1794)

Insane as my delirium is, I can see only through my regrets...

Ah! If everI lost them,

My heart would be swift to say: 0 cruel, sweet memory

Return! Why do you flee?

Crepuscle

Comme un rideau sous la blancheur

De leurs petales rapprochees,

Les lys ont enferme leur coeur,

Les coccinelles sont couchees.

Twilight

As with

a veil, under the paleness

Oftheir sheltering petals,

The lilies have enclosed their hearts,

The ladybugs have gone to sleep.

Et jusqu'au rayon matinal

Au coeur meme des lys cachees

Comme en un reve virginal,

Les coccinelles sont couchees.

And until the light of dawn,

Concealed in those same lilies' hearts,

As in an innocent dream,

The ladybugs have gone to sleep.

Les lys ne dorment qu'un moment

Veux-tu pas que tetes penchees,

Nous causions amoureusement?

Les coccinelles sont couchees.

Poem by Armand Silvestre

The lilies sleep only fora little while;

Let us speak oflove,

Our heads inclined together.

The ladybugs have gone to sleep.
Adieux

a la Prairie

Le Berger:

Adieu! adieu! bergere cherie, adieu!

Adieu! mes seules amours, adieu bergere!

Je vais quitter la prairie,

Quitter la prairie ou tu venais tous lesjours! 

Adieu! adieu! bergere cherie, adieu!

Adieu! mes seules amours, adieu bergere!

Ne pleure pas mon amie, ne pleure pas,

J'ai peu de tempsa souffrir,

Tout mal cesse avec la vie,

Et qui te fuit va mourir!

Adieu! adieu! bergere cherie, adieu!

Adieu! mes seules amours, adieu, bergere!

Choeur des Bergeres:

Helas! Helas! ce beau printemps 

Qui quelquesjoursa peine dure,

Ne revient point pour las amours,

Comme il revient pour la nature! la, la, la!

Tout nous dit: craignez de perdre un jour

De la belle saison d'amour!

Craignons de perdre un seul jour

De la belle saison d'amour!

Poem by Jean Pierre Claris de Florian

LA DAMOISELLE ELUE (DEBUSSY)

Choeur:

La Damoiselle elue s'appuyait 

Sur la barriere d'or du Ciel,

Ses yeux etaient plus profonds que l'abime 

Des eaux calmes au soir.

Elle avait trois lysa la main 

Et sept etoiles dans les cheveux.

Une Recitante:

Sa robe flottante,

N'etait point omee de fleurs brodees,

Mais d'une rose blanche, present de Marie,

Pour le divin service justement portee;

Ses cheveux qui tombaient le long de ses epaules,

Etaient jaunes comme le ble mur.

Farewell to the Meadow

The Shepherd:

Farewell, dear shepherdess, farewell!

Farewell, my only love, farewell, shepherdess! I am leaving the meadow,

Leaving the meadow where you came every day!

Farewell, dear shepherdess, farewell!

Farewell, my only love, farewell, shepherdess!

Don't cry, my dear, don't cry. I won't suffer for long;

All misfortune, with life, will end,

And he who leaves you must die.

Farewell, dear shepherdess, farewell!

Farewell, my only love, farewell, shepherdess!

Shepherd's Chorus:

Alas, this beautiful springtime 

Which has lasted buta few days,

Returns not at all for lovers,

As it returns for nature! la, la, la!

It all says to us: fear to miss one day 

Oflove's sublime season!

Fear to miss even one day 

Oflove's sublime season!

THE BLESSED DAMSEL

Chorus:

The blessed damsel leaned out

from the gold bar of Heaven;

her eyes were deeper than the depth 

of waters still at even;

she had three lilies in her hand,

and the stars in her hair were seven.

Narrator:

Her robe, ungirt from clasp to hem,

no wrought flowers did adorn,

buta white rose of Mary's gift,

for service meetly worn;

her hair that lay along her back 

was yellow like ripe com.

Choeur:

Autour d'elle des amants

Nouvellement reunis,

Repetaient pour toujours, entre eux,

Leurs nouveaux noms d'extase;

Et les ames, qui montaienta Dieu,

Passaient pres d'elle comme de fines flammes.

Chorus:

Around her, lovers, newly met

'mid deathless love's acclaims, 

spoke evermore among themselves 

their rapturous new names;

and the souls mounting up to God 

went by her like thin flames.

Une Recitante:

Alors, elle s'inclina de nouveau et se pencha

En dehors du charme encerclant,

Jusqu'a ce que son sein eut echauffe

La barriere sur laquelle elle s'appuyait,

Et que les lys gisent comme endormis

Le long de son bras etendu.

Narrator:

And still she bowed herself and stooped

out ofthe circling charm;

until her bosom must have made

the bar she leaned on warm,

and the lilies lay as if asleep

along her bended arm.

La Damoiselle Elue:

"Je voudrais qu'il fut deja pres de moi,

Car il viendra.

N'ai-je pas prie dans le ciel? Sur terre,

Seigneur, Seigneur, n'a-t-il pas prie,

Deux prieres ne sont-elles pas une force parfaite?

Et pourquoi m'effraierais-je?

The Blessed Damsel:

"I wish that he were come to me,

for he will come," she said.

"HaveI not prayed in Heaven?- On earth,

Lord, Lord, has he not pray'd?

Are not two prayers

a perfect strength? 

And shallI feel afraid?

Choeur:

Le soleil avait dispam, la lune annelee

Etait comme une petite plume

Flottant au loin dans l'espace; et voila

Qu'elle parlaa travers Pair calme,

Sa voix etait pareillea celle des etoiles

Lorsqu'elles chantent en choeur.

Chorus:

The sun was gone now; the curled moon 

was likea little feather 

fluttering far down the gulf; and now

she spoke through the still weather.

Her voice was like the voice the stars

had when they sang together.

"Lorsqu'autour de sa tete s'attache l'aureole,

Et qu'il aura revetu sa robe blanche,

Je le prendrai par la main et j'irai avec lui

Aux sources de lumiere

Nousy entrerons comme dans un courant,

Et nousy baigneronsa la face de Dieu.

"When round his head the aureole clings,

and he is clothed in white,

I'll take his hand and go with him

to the deep wells oflight;

we will step down as to

a stream,

and bathe there in God's sight.

"Nous nous reposerons tous deuxa l'ombre

De ce vivant et mystique arbre,

Dans le feuillage secret duquel on sent parfois

La presence de la colombe,

Pendant que chaque feuille, touchee par ses plumes,

Dit son nom distinctement.

"We two will lie in the shadow of

that living mystic tree

within whose secret growth the Dove

is sometimes felt to be,

while every leafthat His plumes touch

saith His Name audibly.

"Tous deux nous chercherons les bosquets

Ou trone Dame Marie

Avec ses cinq servantes, dont les noms

Sont cinq douces symphonies:

Cecile, Blanchelys, Madeleine,

Marguerite et Roselys.

"We two," she said, "will seek the groves

where the Lady Mary is,

with her five handmaidens, whose names 

are five sweet symphonies,

Cecily, Gertrude, Magdalen,

Margaret and Rosalys.
"11 craindra peut-etre, et restera muet,

Alors, je poserai ma joue

Contre la sienne; et lui parlerai de notre amour,

Sans confusion ni faiblesse,

Et la chere Mere approuvera

Mon orgueil, et me laissera parler.

"He shall fear, haply, and be dumb:

thenI will lay my cheek 

to his, and tell about our love,

not once abashed or weak:

and the dear Mother will approve 

my pride, and let me speak.

"Elle-meme nous amenera la main dans la main A celui autour duquel toutes les ames

S'agenouillent, les innombrables tetes clair rangees 

Inclinees, avec leurs aureoles,

Et les anges venusa notre rencontre chanteront, 

S'accompagnant de leurs guitares et de leurs citoles.

"Herselfshall bring us, hand in hand,

to him round whom all souls

kneel, the clear-ranged unnumbered heads

bowed with their aureoles:

and angels meeting us shall sing

to their citherns and citoles.

"Alors, je demanderai au Christ Notre Seigneur,

Cette grande faveur, pour lui et moi,

Seulement de vivre comme autrefois sur terre;

Dans l'Amour; et d'etre pour toujours,

Comme alors pour un temps,

Ensemble, moi et lui."

"There willI ask ofChrist the Lord 

thus much for him and me:-

only to live as once on earth 

with Love,

- only to be,

as then awhile, for ever now

together,I and he."

Choeur:

Elle regarda, preta l'oreille et dit,

D'une voix moins triste que douce:

Chorus:

She gazed and listened and then said,

less sad ofspeech than mild,

La Damoiselle Elue:

"Tout ceci sera quand il viendra."

The Blessed Damozel:

"All this is when he comes."

Choeur:

Elle se tut;

La lumiere tressaillit de son cote, remplie

D'un fort vol d'anges horizontal.

Ses yeux prierent, elle sourit;

Chorus:

She ceased.

The light thrilled towards her, fill'd

with angels in strong level flight.

Her eyes prayed, and she smil'd.

Main bientot leur sentier

Devint vague dans les spheres distantes.

I saw her smile. But soon their path

was vague in distant spheres:

Une Recitante:

Alors, elle jeta ses bras le long

Des barrieres d'or.

Et posant son visage entre ses mains,

Pleura.

Poem by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1882)

Narrator:

And then she cast her arms along 

the golden barriers, 

and laid her face between her hands,

and wept.

Translation by Gabriel Sarrazin

9

SERENADE D'HIVER (CAMILLE SAINT-SAENS)

Nous venons pour chanter, Madame,

La Serenade en votre honneur:

Puissions-nous avoir le bonheur

Que la chanson plaisea votre ame.

Toutes les portes nous sont closes,

Que fame du moins s'ouvrea nous,

Qui ne demandons

a genoux 

Qu'un sourirea vos levres roses.

II vente, il fait froid, mais qu'importe 

Si votre visage vermeil

Nousjette un rayon de soleil

Qui nous rechauffea votre porte.

Du printemps la lumiere aimante 

Rit chez vous en toute saison,

Et, Madame, en votre maison 

Tous les jours le rossignol chante. Ah!

Maintenant voulez-vous connaitre

Qui sont ces gens masques de noir

Vous venant dire le bonsoir

Et chanter sous votre fenetre?

Daignez apprendre qui nous sommes:

Nos yeux sont caches sous des loups,

C'est pour mieux rire desjaloux.

Mais nous sommes des gentils hommes,

Pleins d'honneur et de courtoisie,

Gardant deux amours en nos cceurs,

Les Dames et la poesie. La, la, la...!

Poem by Henri Cazalis (1840-1909)

CHANTSA PLUSIEURS VOIX (GABRIEL FAURE)

Pavane

C'est Lindor! c'est Tircis!

et c'est tous nos vainqueurs!

C'est Myrtil! c'est Lyde!

Les reines de nos coeurs.

Comme ils sont provocants!

Comme ils sont fiers toujours!

Comme on ose regner sur nos sorts et nosjours!

Faites attention! Observez la mesure!

WINTER SERENADE

Madame, we are here to sing

This serenade to honor you.

It will make us glad

Ifthe song gives you pleasure.

To us all doors are shut;

May your soul, at least, be open to us

Who, on our knees, beg only

Fora smile on your rosy lips.

It is windy and cold, but that won't matter

If your glowing face

Sends usa sunny ray,

Warming us here at your doorway.

The gracious light ofspringtime 

Smiles on your home in every season,

And within your house, Madame,

The nightingale sings each day. Ah!

Now, would you like to know

Who are these black-masked people

Who come to say good evening to you,

And sing under your window?

Consent to learning who we are:

We hide our eyes behind masks 

To make better fun ofthe envious

But we are thoughtful men,

Abounding in honor and gallantry,

Carrying in our hearts two passions:

Ladies and poetry. La, la, la!

PART-SONGS

Pavane

Here is Lindor! here is Tircis!

and here are all our conquerors!

Here is Myrtille! here is Lyde!

The rulers of our hearts.

How provocative they are!

And always so haughty!

How they presume to rule over our fortunes and our

lives!

Take care! Mind the beat!
10

6 la mortelle injure!

La cadence est moins lente,

Et la chute plus sure.

Nous rabattrons bien leur caquets!

Nous serons bientot leurs laquais!

Qu'ils sont laids! Chers minois!

Qu'ils sont fols! Airs coquets!

Et c'est toujours de meme,

et c'est ainsi toujours!

On s'adore! On se hait!

On maudit ses amours!

Adieu Myrtille, Egle, Chloe,

demons moqueurs!

Adieu done et bons jours

aux tyrans de nos coeurs! Et bons jours!

Poem by Robert de Montesquiou (1855-1921)

Puis qu'ici-bas toute ame

Puis qu'ici-bas toute ame/ Donne a quelqu'un 

Sa musique, sa flamme,/ Ou son parfum;

Puis qu'ici toute chose/ Donne toujours 

Son epine ou sa rose/ A ses amours;

Puis qu'Avril donne aux chenes/ Un bruit charmant;

Que la nuit donne aux peines/ L'oubli dormant.

Puisque lorsqu'elle arrive,/ S'y reposer,

L'onde amere a la rive/ Donne un baiser;

Je te donne a cette heure,/ Penche sur toi

La chose la meilleure/ Que j'ai en moi.

Repois done ma pensee,/ Triste d'ailleurs,

Qui comme une rosee/ T'arrive en pleurs!

Repois mes voeux sans nombre,/ O mes amours!

Repois la flamme ou l'ombre/ De tous mesjours!

Mes transports pleins d'ivresses,/ Pur de souppons,

Et toutes les caresses/ De mes chansons!

Mon esprit qui sans voile/ Vogue au hasard,

Et qui n'a pour etoile/ Que ton regard!

Repois, mon bien celeste,/ O ma beaute,

Mon cceur dont rien ne reste,/ L'amour ote!

Poem by Victor Hugo (1802-1885)

O the brutal insult!

The tempo is less relaxed, 

and a stumble more sure.

We will silence them for good!

Soon, we will be their minions!

How unsightly they are! Dear, sweet faces!

What fools they are! Flirtatious looks!

It is always like that,

and it will always be so!

They adore each other! They despise each other!

They curse their lovers!

Goodbye, Myrtille, Egle, Chloe,

sneering devils!

So goodbye and good day

to the rulers of our hearts! Good day!

Since here on earth

Since here on earth every soul gives to another

Its song, its fervor, or its fragrance;

Since here on earth each being always bestows 

Its thorn, or its rose, on the one it loves;

Just as April endows the oak trees

With alluring sound; As night gives to pain

The oblivion ofsleep; Just as a wave,

Coming to rest on land, leaves a kiss upon the shore;

I give to you, at this very moment,

Bending over you, the best of all that is in me.

Receive, therefore, my thoughts, despite their sorrow,

Which, like the dew, fall as tears upon you.

O my love, accept my endless vows!

Embrace the light and the shadow of all my life!

My passions, full of ecstasy, free of distrust,

And all the sweet endearments ofmy songs!

My spirit, without a sail, drifts at random,

Guided only by its lodestar: The sight of you!

O, my beautiful creature, My celestial one,

Accept my heart, in which nothing will remain 

iflove is taken away.

11

Pleurs d'Or

Larmes aux fleurs suspendues,

Larmes aux sources perdues 

Aux mousses des rochers creux.

Larmes d'Automne epandues.

Larmes de cor entendues

Dans les grands bois douloureux.

Larmes des cloches latines,/ Carmelite, Feuillantines... 

Voix des beffrois en ferveur;/ Larmes des nuits etoilees,

Larmes des flutes voilees/ Au bleu du pare endormi;

Larmes aux grandes cils perlees,

Larmes d'amantes coulees/ Jusqu'a l'ame de l'ami;

Larmes d'extase, eplorement delicieux,

Tombez des nuits, tombez des fleurs,

Tombez des yeux!

Poem by Albert Samain (1858-1900)

La Tarentelle

Aux cieux la lune monte et luit.

II fait grand jour en plein minuit.

Viens avec moi, me disait-elle,

Viens sur le sable gresillant

Ou saute et bribe en fretillant/ La Tarentelle!

Sus! sus! les danseurs! En void deux;

Foule sur l'eau, foule autour d'eux!

L'homme est bien fait, la fille est belle;

Mais gare a vous! Sans y penser,

C'est jeu d'amour que de danser/ La Tarentelle!

Doux est le bruit du tambourin!

"Si j'etais fille de marin 

Et toi pecheur," me disait-elle,

"Toutes les nuitsjoyeusement

Nous danserions en nous aimant 

La Tarentelle..."

Poem by Marc Monnier (1827-1885)

Golden Tears

Tears suspended from flowers,

Tears washed by springs

Into rocky hollows;

Tears of autumn flowing,

Tears ofthe hunting horn, heard 

In the great mournful woods;

Tears of convent bells, Carmelites, Feuillantines... 

Fervent voices ofthe church towers; tears ofstar-filled 

nights, tears ofmuffled flutes 

In a slumbering night-blue park;

Teardrops pearling long eyelashes, lovers' tears 

streaming toward the loved one's soul;

Tears ofrapture, sweet tears; fall in the nighttime, fall

from the flowers, fFall from my eyes!

Tarantella

The moon rises and glows in the sky.

Midnight becomes broad daylight!

She said to me, "Come with me,

Come onto the scorching sand,

Where leaps and blazes the tarantella!

Keep it up, dancers! Look, there are two;

People surrounding them, on the water, too;

The man is muscular, the girl is lovely;

But beware! Heedless,

This dance is a love-game! The tarantella!

The tambourine's sound is enticing;

She said, "IfI were a seafarer's daughter,

And you were a fisherman,

We would joyfully fall in love

While, every night, we dance 

The tarantella!"