Manon’s aria from Massenet’s Manon.
Translations by Valerie Dzielski
From Manon
Composer: Massenet
Librettist: Henri Meilhac
Allons! Il le faut! Pour lui-même…
Come on! He/it the must for himself
Come on? It is necessary (I must do it)! For his sake...
Mon pauvre chevalier!
My poor knight
My poor knight!
Oui, c'est lui que j'aime!
Yes, it is him that I love
Yes, it’s him that I love!
Et pourtant, j'hésite aujourd'hui!
And yet/however/but I hesitate today
And yet, I hesitate today!
Non, non!... Je ne suis plus digne de lui!
No, no I not am more dignified/worthy of him
No, no!... I am not worthy of him!
J'entends cette voix qui m'entraîne
I hear that voice who me takes/sweeps/pulls/drags
I hear that voice that pulls me
contre ma volonté:
Against my will/drive/passion
Against my will:
Manon, Manon, tu seras reine...
Manon, Manon, you will be queen
Manon, Manon, you will be queen...
Reine... par la beauté!
Queen by/through/via the beauty
Queen… by your beauty!
Je ne suis que faiblesse et que fragilité...
I not am what/that/who weakness/inadequate and that fragility
I am nothing but weakness and fragility
Ah! malgré moi je sens couler mes larmes…
Ah! despite/in spite of me/myself I sense flow my tears
Ah! In spite of myself I feel the flow of my tears...
Devant ces rêves effacés,
In front of/outside/before those/these dreams barely visible/indistinct/erased
Beyond those vanishing dreams
L' avenir aura-t-il les charmes
the/it future/prospects will there be the charms
In the future there will be the charms
de ces beaux jours déjà passés?
Of these/those beautiful days already/yet past
Of those beautiful days yet to pass
(Peu à peu elle s'est approchée de la table toute servie.)
(Little by little she approaches the table all served/ set up for a meal)
Adieu, notre petite table,
Goodbye, our little table,
qui nous réunit si souvent!
who/which/that we gather/join so often/frequently
Who we gathered around so often!
Adieu, notre petite table,
Goodbye, our little table,
si grande pour nous cependant!
So big/large for us however/yet/nevertheless/even so/nonetheless
So big for us though!
On tient, c'est inimaginable...
somebody/someone/you/one/we hold/keep/retain/got it is unimaginable/unthinkable
One thinks, it’s unimaginable
Si peu de place… en se serrant…
So little/small of place/space/room to/in self/ squeeze/compress/tighten
So little space… to squeeze oneself into...
Adieu, notre petite table,
Goodbye, our little table,
Un même verre était le nôtre,
A same glass/drink was the ours
We used the same glass
chacun de nous, quand il buvait
Each of us when he drinks
Each of us when we drank
y cherchait les lèvres de l'autre …
at/to/he/it searches/looks for the lips of the other
We searched for the lips of the other
Ah! pauvre ami, comme il m'aimait!
Ah poor friend like/as/how/since he me loves
Ah! Poor friend, how he loves me!
Adieu, notre petite table, adieu!
Goodbye, our little table, goodbye!