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!