Après trois ans

Ayant poussé la porte étroite qui chancelle,
Je me suis promené dans le petit jardin
Qu'éclairait doucement le soleil du matin,
Pailletant chaque fleur d'une humide étincelle.

Rien n'a changé. J'ai tout revu : l'humble tonnelle
De vigne folle avec les chaises de rotin...
Le jet d'eau fait toujours son murmure argentin
Et le vieux tremble sa plainte sempiternelle.

Les roses comme avant palpitent ; comme avant,
Les grands lys orgueilleux se balancent au vent,
Chaque alouette qui va et vient m'est connue.

Même j'ai retrouvé debout la Velléda,
Dont le plâtre s'écaille au bout de l'avenue,
- Grêle, parmi l'odeur fade du réséda.

Authorship

by Paul Verlaine (1844-1896) , "Après trois ans", from Poèmes saturniens, in Mélancholia, no. 3, published 1866

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)

by Marcel Briclot , "Après trois ans", published 1929 [voice and piano], Sénart
by Frédéric Durupt , "Après trois ans", published 1921 [voice and piano], Clermont-Ferrand, Perretière
by Béatrix Helque , "Après trois ans", published 1935 [voice and piano], from Mélodies, no. 2.
by Jean Lacroix , "Après trois ans" [voice and piano], from Le petit jardin, no. ?, Crescendo
by Georges-Victor Lafon , "Après trois ans", published 1924 [voice and piano], from Trois mélodies, no. 1, Bigolet et Melon
by Robert Otlet , "Après trois ans", published 1935 [voice and piano], from Melancholia, no. 2, Bosworth et Cie
by Philip Wilby (1949-) , "Aprés trois ans", copyright © 1988, first performed 1983 [medium voice and piano], from Ten songs of Paul Verlaine for medium voice and piano, Cycle I : Melancholia, no. 2, Chester Music

ITA Italian (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Dopo tre anni", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Text added to the website: 2008-10-23.

Notes about green, red, and white dots

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Dopo tre anni

Dopo aver spinto la stretta porta che vacilla
mi sono messo a passeggiare nel piccolo giardino
al dolce chiarore del primo sole del mattino,
che ogni fiore adorna di un'umida scintilla.

Niente è cambiato. Ogni cosa ritrovo: i rampicanti
d'umile vite selvatica, le sedie di vimine intrecciato...
e lo zampillo con il suo mormorio argentato
e il vecchio pioppo coi suoi eterni lamenti.

Le rose come allora fremono; e, come un tempo,
anche i grandi gigli orgogliosi oscillano nel vento,
e riconosco ogni allodola che arriva e che riparte.

Ho ritrovato perfino in piedi la Velleda,
la statua di gesso che si sfalda al termine del viale,
- Esile, in mezzo a un profumo lieve di reseda.

Authorship

Translation from French to Italian copyright © 2010 by Ferdinando Albeggiani, f (DOT) albeggiani (AT) gmail (DOT) com, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. Please contact the copyright-holder(s) when requesting permission to reprint and be sure to give proper credit.

a text in French by Paul Verlaine (1844-1896) , "Après trois ans", from Poèmes saturniens, in Mélancholia, no. 3, published 1866

Text added to the website: 2010-03-23.