Songs
Les roses
(1881)
L13
Les roses
Lorsque le ciel de saphir est de feu,Lorsque l’été de son haleine toucheLa folle Nymphe amoureuse, et par jeuMet un charbon rougissant sur sa bouche;Quand sa chaleur, dédaigneuse et faroucheFait tressaillir le myrte et le cyprès,On sent brûler sous ses magiques traitsLes fronts blêmis et les lèvres mi-closesEt le riant feuillage des forêts,Et vous aussi, cœurs enflammés des roses.
Roses
When the sapphire sky’s ablaze,When summer breathes onThe madly enamoured Nymph, and playfullyPlaces a glowing ember on her lips;When its disdainful and fierce heatCauses the myrtle and cypress to quiver,One can feel its magical touch burnPale foreheads and half-closed lipsAnd the laughing forest foliage,And you too, roses with glowing hearts.
Translation © Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005)
If you would like to use our texts and translations, please click here for more information.
Composer
(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 here for the full Wikipedia article.
See Full Entry
Poet
Sorry, no further description available.
Previously performed at:
- 13 Oct 2018: Debussy & Tchaikovsky: Ilona Domnich & Sholto Kynoch
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Les roses
Lorsque le ciel de saphir est de feu,
Lorsque l’été de son haleine touche
La folle Nymphe amoureuse, et par jeu
Met un charbon rougissant sur sa bouche;
Quand sa chaleur, dédaigneuse et farouche
Fait tressaillir le myrte et le cyprès,
On sent brûler sous ses magiques traits
Les fronts blêmis et les lèvres mi-closes
Et le riant feuillage des forêts,
Et vous aussi, cœurs enflammés des roses.
Roses
When the sapphire sky’s ablaze,
When summer breathes on
The madly enamoured Nymph, and playfully
Places a glowing ember on her lips;
When its disdainful and fierce heat
Causes the myrtle and cypress to quiver,
One can feel its magical touch burn
Pale foreheads and half-closed lips
And the laughing forest foliage,
And you too, roses with glowing hearts.
If you would like to use our texts and translations, please click here for more information.
Composer
(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 here for the full Wikipedia article.
See Full Entry
Poet
Sorry, no further description available.
Previously performed at:
- 13 Oct 2018: Debussy & Tchaikovsky: Ilona Domnich & Sholto Kynoch
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