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J'ai construit dans mon âme Un merveilleux palais, Plein d'odeurs de cinname, Plein de vagues reflets. Saphir, ambre, émeraude En couvrent les piliers ; En silence il y rôde Des lions familiers. Dans l'ivoire des coupes, Sur les tapis profonds, Des monarques par groupes Y boivent les vins blonds. Isolés comme une île, Les murs s'en vont plongeant Dans la nappe tranquille D'un lac de vif argent. Et tout semble immobile, Et pourtant tout grandit, S'élargit, tache d'huile, Monte et s'approfondit. Et de l'onde muette, Et du palais sans bruit, Un feu qui se projette De plus en plus reluit. Mais, à ce qui m'enchante, Deux choses font défaut : Là-dedans rien ne chante, Le ciel est noir là-haut. Oh ! pour un son de lyre, Oh ! pour le moindre azur, Je laisserais porphyre, Perles fines, or pur. Mais le seul qui les donne, L'amour doux et cruel, M'interdit ma couronne D'harmonie et de ciel. Et plus tout luit, tout monte, Tout devient vaste et beau, Plus la douleur me dompte, Plus je suis un tombeau.
Confirmed with Les nuits persanes par Armand Renaud, Paris, Alphonse Lemerre, 1870, pages 79-81.
Authorship:
- by Armand Renaud (1836 - 1895), "La splendeur vide", appears in Les nuits persanes, in 5. La solitaire, first published 1870 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Charles Camille Saint-Saëns (1835 - 1921), "La splendeur vide", op. 26 no. 2 (1870), published 1872 [ voice and piano ], from Mélodies persanes, no. 2, Éd. Durand [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Laura Prichard) , "Empty splendor", copyright © 2021, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2011-04-30
Line count: 40
Word count: 177
I have constructed in my soul A marvellous palace, Full of scents of cinnamon, Full of rippled reflections. Sapphire, amber, emerald Cover the pillars; In silence there, prowl Some sociable lions. From ivory goblets, On thick carpets, Monarchs in groups Drink golden wines. Insulated like an island, The palace walls plunge Into the tranquil surface Of a lake of quicksilver. And everything seems immobile, And yet everything is magnified, Spreading out, like an oil spill, It rises and deepens; And over the mute waters, And from the noiseless palace, A reflected flame shoots up and Grows brighter. But, amidst all this enchantment, Two things are problematic: Within nothing sings, and The sky is black above. Oh, for the sound of a lyre, Oh, for the palest blue, I could forget this porphyry, Fine pearls, and pure gold. But the only thing that would restore them, With a love sweet and cruel, Forbids me my crown Of harmony and heaven; And so everything shines, everything rises, Everything grows vast and beautiful, The more the pain subdues me, The more I am in my grave.
Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2021 by Laura Prichard, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
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Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Armand Renaud (1836 - 1895), "La splendeur vide", appears in Les nuits persanes, in 5. La solitaire, first published 1870
This text was added to the website: 2021-03-05
Line count: 40
Word count: 183