The Singer’s Debussy Vv ««Green—Aquarelle”’ , (Green—Watercolor) : January 1886. Date of composition: ‘Aquarelles. In Romances sans paroles, Source: Paul Verlaine, at Verlaine called the “En, lis! “Green! isthe first poem oe Aquarelles. The ist section” of Roman known but can be set sometime between of copoion kno someting bene ime with Bimmband. an pea of iar me is not altogether clear; it could be peocised with the green offering of the first line, or the youth ful and innocent feelings described. This love poem is a happy, tender song that holds, by its simplicity of form and content, an exceptional place in Verlaine’s production. The classical correct~ ness of the alexandrine verse brings out the clarity of imagery, simplicity of syntax, exceptional sonorities, and purity of. senti- ment. On a cold morning, a fervid young lover comes to his beloved, bearing gifts of fruit, flowers, leaves, and branches, Weary but loving, he begs the lovely and demure lady for a generous welcome: Let him rest his tired head on her bosom. The peacefull scene of the last verse reveals that his wishes have come true: They both repose in fulfillment of the intimacies of it Once the poem does not end on a note of ecrimination; it tells only of joy and satisfac- tion, Debussy’s setting, written at the Villa Medici, communicates ie iain of the poem. Its subtle transparency conveys ¢ Iteshness of a watercolor, Itis a charming lo ith a characteristic melod: Pen ene i ly that springs { i spontaneity, expressing th Prings forward with fervor and lover. The slowing of the Thyehey ad agerness of the pleading ; hy i final Sratification of, pleasure aa the last Part suggests the moras le a. ot hn tOes, lish late cen nd Songs grin Green Green : fyi de fle —rde Voici des fruits des wasi fog fruits des fleurs des failsedesbamcne Void Some fruit some flowers some — Etpuisvoicimoncoeurquine Here are de bra fa bat que pour vous jojo ee. branches, Nele déchirez pas avec vos deux feuilles ©! branch mains blanches, aves and some branches, Egeor yeni uumble présentsoit doux. yi vwasi mS kee rki_ noba oe pais voici mon coeur qui ne bat —_J'attivetoutcouvertencore de is heart that b ae ‘And then bere came Queleventdumatin vient ge ko pu Amon front que pour vous Souffrez que ma fatigue’ vos, ly for you pieds eposée Cy Réve des cher instants quila na lo defire pa ave kvo do ddlasseront. Ne Ie déchirez pas avec vos deux Sur votrejeune sein, assez Not it rend not with your two rouler matéte mé bla s(e) Toute sonore encore de vos mains blanches, demniers baisers serene Laas pier delabone empéte, , Fi Et que je dorme un peu puisque e ka vo zjo si bo Ronee peupesd Et qu’a vos yeux si beaux And may to your eyes so beautiful (Claude Debussy Songs 1880- es . . New York: Dover, 1981 lé blo prezd swa du OO Nea vo Doe) lhumble présent soit doux. . the humble gift be pleasing. 3ariva tu kuve rdkore da rozee arrive tout couvert encore de rosée Tcome all covered still with dewinger’s Debussy The Si . Hereare fruit, 4 glase flowers, a dy mate WE acer branches, leg be b matin vi eee And then hereis my he, Je vent du mae comes t beatsfor youonly.” "thy Que ie wind of the ™ Donotrenditwith yoy, \ eda white hands, "tv ra Andlet the humbleg f front aerible gif 2 mom fro . in your beautfal eyes "ing on mm A . vo pie koma fatig(®) @ os pieds theta sll corre yi, sufre ma fatigue, 4 Vv a Sedew, Souftrez que ines, at your fet That the momsing wind Allow that_ my wear on my brow. me spore Suffer my weariness, rested peas Your eet, . es ‘odream of the dear mom, res ; kok that willsolaceit, "™ é sta revo de fe me i Réve des chers instants qui la Dayour youngbrestet tay Dreams of the dear moments that it head ne. i: Thatstill rings with yourlsy delasar5 kisses; slaserone, Letit find peace after thehappy will refresh. storm, Andlet me sleep a while since now you repose. sy rvotra 3eeno sé lese rule ma Sur votre jeune sein laissez rouler ma On your young breast allow to roll my teta téte head tuta sono takor(a) da_—yo Toute sonore encore de yos All Tesounding still from your demje be ze derniers baisers last Kisses les Lai LetSongs do ete mine ca Pete, eve tegereia Sapaisee ia it itself calm after the g good _ storm . gp d> rma po 7 £, que Je dorme un eS Byer me sleep pea pulsg ay rapoze little Since vous Feposez- are resting. youThe Singer's Debussy ON — VI. ‘‘Spleen”’ (Spleen) ition: 1885-1888. Date of composition: te aarelles. In Romances sans parole, : Paul Verlaine, Source: Pau fthe Aquarelles reverts to the familiar themes of, r : of the Aqu. ep ” e: The serons cn covur” and “L Ombre ae ey although ae Re anneal arrangement. In coup! ts that alternate expresses nd introspection, Verlaine writes about despaitin, e description a ations Rae a ment. Specific interpret, ove and the fear of ae vain: The poet could be referring ret her his wife or Rimbaud. Since every part of the 0: Seri hermetic, images and setting alike, interpretation be ionable and unnecessary. Seen justified mood of uneasiness and lassitude that Se overcomes the poet facing a muted and hostile nature. Neither the soft visions around him nor even his dear co mpanion, who is the very source of his happiness, can be sympathetic to the poet’s anguish. All relationship becomes temporary, and the slightest incident brings about alarm. Therefore spleen is the anxious state of a lucid but powerless heart, which is the willing and also B unwilling victim of his own insecurity. As always in Verlaine’s poetry, the intensity of feelings is contained within a successfully controlled form. Repetitions of words and sounds create familiar Patterns, static in the descrip- tive verse and dynamic in the introspective. Verlaine’s mastery of his poetic material brings a fine tension to the sentiment expressed. Debussy’s setting of “Spleen” is centered around the theme of melancholy, which not only Opens and ends the song but is monotony and infinite lassitude. Oo i . «Once again Debussy has “ccurately interpreted and clearly detailed Verlaine’s feeling ofSplin Spleen Spleen a zete tute rug Je 102! . Les roses étaient toy Les roses étaient toutes rouges, Etleslieresétienttou soe The roses were all red, rs. Chere pour peu que tate bouges, ele ero zete tu nwar Renaissent tous mes désespoirs, lierres étaient tout noirs. bat Et les! a i Leciel était trop bleu, trop tendre ‘And the ivy lack. Lamertrop verte et/air trop doux fero pu mo ko ty to bu3a Scerins tovjoursce ques a que t a Chére pour peu que tu te bouges, Quelaue faite atroce de vous Dear for little that you yourself move, Duhouxala feuille vernie Tone so tu. me dezespwar Etdu luisant buisjesuis las, Renaissent tous mes désespoirs Redek a despai lela campagne infinie Return all my despairs Etdetout, fors de vous, Hels! (Claude Debussy Songs 1880- lo sje lete tro ble tro tadro 1904. New York: Dover, 1981) Le ciel était trop bleu, trop tendre . The sky was too blue, too tender The roses wereall red la me rtro ve rte le rtro du Andtheivy wasall black. La mer trop verte et Vair trop doux The sea too green and the air too mild Dear, atyourslightest move My despair comes back. a Thesky was too blue, too tender, Se So oe datddra — Theseatoo green and the air too Je crains toujours ce qu’est d’attendre ypild. T fear always — what itis to waitda vu de vous s of yours tatros kelko = fui Quelque fuite atroce Some flight atrociou: la fe ja verni The Singer's Debussy dj u a J 4 M la feuille vernie Du houx a Of the holly with the leaf e dy lyiza yi 30 syi Et du Iuisant buis And of the shiny e do la kapa néfinio Et de la campagne infinie And of the countryside infinite e do tu fo rda vu Et de tout, And of everything, save of you, lustrous la je suis las, boxwood I am weary, elas fors de vous, Hélas! alas! Hear alwa wonder! Some atrocious Fgh, Ofthe holly with ts Andofthe shiny boy weary, And ofthe immense, Andofeveything . alas! SIN omit Of 04 teSY sons **Apparition” a (Apparition) mposition: 1884. pate of eelication: 1 May 1926. Peisher? La Revue musicale, (“La Jeunesse de Debus f a Path 4 to Madame Vasnier. De ‘Mallarmé, “Apparition.” Fi ; Stéphane ;, “Apparition,” Fi , Soutetsine in Lutace, November-December First published by ”, h he was twenty years old when he wi “ : Al Mallarmé was still disconsolate over his See tony ad occurred when he was five. In 1863 he was about to wiles (or was already married to) Maria Gerhart. The poem i mary the rare examples of commissioned work in Mallarmé's one ot as written on behalf of his best friend Henri Cazalis for leitiy. Gancée, a beautiful blonde named Ettic Yapp. It is Cuavjered one of the least obscure of Mallarmé’s poems, yet Srery word is allusion and symbol. ihe imagery and atmosphere of the madrigal is very much influenced by Pre-Raphaelite paintings. The four opening lines of the two-part poem recall the day of the lovers’ first kiss, against a background of moonlight, seraphim, viols, and flow- ers. Yet what should be an entrancing moment has left behind a note of disappointment: The moon gloomy, the seraphim in tears, the viols sobbing, the blue corollas fading, the poet’s heart sad, as if the kiss had been a sacrilege. Suddenly, the poet's somber reverie is interrupted by a flashback—the glorious vi- sion ofa young woman. This brief illuminating apparition in the style of Burne-Jones, all smile and flaming hair, evokes Ettie Yapp and also recalls Mallarmé’s first vision of his wife-to-be in the streets of Sens. But the hair, a symbol of love and beauty, suddenly loses its voluptuousness, as if the poet would not share the experience of passion. The young woman, alive and terres- trial, fades into a more ethereal figure that now resembles the firylike mother-image of the poet’s childhood dreams. Con- trasts are then established: The flame becomes snow, the sun changes to stars, present dissolves into past, ardor into nostalgia. Time raises a barrier which, while it shields the poet’s heart, yet Paralyzes his vital impulses: The memory of the mother trans- forms the violence of his desire into an appeasing outpouring ofThe Singer's Debussy The poem subtly underlines the division of the solutes. poet's so, form Ber era ae ongs to the Vasnier Debussy’s seqting ice of a Mallarmé poem at such an early eyele of songs. aren eee Mallarmé was still stage in Debussy reciated, shows Debussy’s keen feeling for unknown ani wee usical language and his vivid intellectual experiment a only did he have to deal with the music of the curiosity. sea but with symbols, sensorial correspon- see sseF the confrontation of an inner world torn apare. ‘The Ce vers a wide range, going from a recitative effect to vocal pote intervals. ‘The harmonies chosen depict the fallen ere fae the opening lines. Appropriate dynamics enhance the Paradis’ ions, and the fading away of the opposition between the two visions, he illusi ending that repeats d’étoiles parfumées accentuates the illusion on 228 of the mother apparition. tenderness. aparisj5 Apparition Apparition la lyna satriste de serafé 2G Lalunes'attristait, Des. séraphins La lune s’attristait. Des séraphins en enpleurs The moon was saddenin pler lecalme des fleurs pleurs Vaporeuses, tiraient de tears mourantes violes . Deblancs sanglots glissant sur _ Pazur des corolles. revd larfe dwa dé Ip C’étaitlejour béni de ton premier Révant, Varchet aux doigts, dans le baiser. Dreaming, the bow in the fingers, in the Masongerieaimantame kalma de fle martyriser calme des fleurs S‘enivraitsavamment du parfum calm of the flowers detristesse Que méme sans regret et sans déboire laisse Lacucillaison d’un Réve au cocur quil’a cueilli, 8- Some seraphim in Révant,’archetauxdoigts, dans | meredo or tre murdts vizio Gaporeuses> tiraient de — mourantes violes yaporouss drew from dying viols go (via siglo glisd sy rlazy B, blanes sanglots glissant sur Pazur some white sobs gliding over the azure de Kor 19 jes corolles. ‘the corollas. sete lo 3u tbeni da ts — pramje _ciétait le jour béni de ton premier the day blessed of your first It was beze baiser- kiss. ma sszori ema ta ma martirize Ma songerie aimant a me martyriser My dreaming fond of me martyrizing sGnivre savama dy parfé do S’enivrait savamment du parfum de Was reveling knowingly in the scent of tristesa tristesse sadness ko memo sd rogre e sd Que méme sans regret et sans Which even without regret and without de bwara lesa déboire laisse disappointment leaves Jemaisdone,r Peevi uand avec du soleil cheveux, dans larue = Etdansle Soit, Tum'es ens apparue apparue mn Etjraicravoiela He voila éean chapean Quijadissurmes beaux sonnel dng assait,lissant maismaermees Niger deblancs bouquets exiles pariumées, d étoiles parfumées, ‘ocilivésurle (Quatre Chansons de jeunesse. Paris: Jobert, 1969) Themoon was saddening. Seraphim in tears, Dreaming, bowinhand, inthe calm of vaporous flowers Were drawing from dying vials White sobs that glided overthe bluecorollas. —Itwas the blessed day of your first kiss. My fantasy thatloves to torment me Knowingly reveledin he scentof sadness Which, even without regretand disappointment, The gathering of: ‘aDream leaves inthe heart thathas gathered it. Thus] wandered, my eyes fixed onthe worn pavement, When with sunin your hair, in the streetThe Singer’s Debussy kee Andin the evening, laughing kajezs dé re vo i Youappeared tome, ape la etal d'un Réve au coew you PPeated to illaison The gathering ofa Dream to the heart And! thought saw thetiry ae Fi with her luminous cap rki la keeji i Ta cueilli. Who once through the lovely ae thered. sleeps of my spoilt childhood that it has gathered. Would pass, letting herhaty _ closed hands always 5 le jrive sy la Ferris donc, Pocil tive sur Ie Serviicboumeaat T pndered thus, the eye fixed on the stars. , pave vjeji pavé —_vieilli pavement worn kG ave kdy sole jo fovo Quand avec du soleil aux cheveux, When with some sun in the hair, di la ry dans la rue in the street e dé la swar ty me 2 Et dans le soir, Tu m’es en And in the evening, you me has while taparyo aparya riant — apparue apparue, laughing appeared appeared, © s iy vwa tla fea o Et jai cra voir la fée an And I have thought to see the fairy in the Sapo dg Klarte y ° chapeau de clarté cap of brightnessrme bo some gadis 8Y sur mes beaux sommeils ui jadis ho once On MY lovely sleeps joata BO qenfant até f child spoilt lesa tu sé $ 3u tdo se mé posit, laissant toujours de ses mains ‘Would pass, letting always from her hands ma ierme mal fermées. palf-closed. neze 0 bla buke de twalo Neiger de blancs bouquets d’étoiles bouquets of stars Snow some white parfy me detwale parfymeo d’étoiles parfumées. parfumées, perfumed, of stars perfumed.