Mes ver fuiraient

Text by Victor Hugo (1802-1855)

Set by Charles Tomlinson Griffes (1884-1920); Reynaldo Hahn (1875-1947), Si mes vers avaient
des ailes (If my verses had wings); Henri Reber (1807-1880)

Mes vers fuiraient, doux |et1 frêles,

     
My verses would-flee, sweet and frail/delicate,

Vers votre jardin si beau,

    
to your garden so beautiful,

Si mes vers avaient des ailes,

     
if my verses had [the] wings,

Comme l'oiseau!
 
like (a)-bird!

Ils voleraient, |étincelles,

  
they would-fly, sparkling,

Vers votre foyer qui rit,

    
toward your hearth, which laughs/smiles.

Si mes vers avaient des ailes,

     
if my verses had [the] wings,

Comme l'esprit.
 
like the-spirited-mind2.

Près de vous, purs et fidèles,

     
Near to you, pure and faithful,

1
The combination doux et frêles is heard with and without the elision.
2
esprit has several meanings: mind, wit, mood-spirit, religious-spirit, ghost. Although often translated in
this poem simply as mind, it is perhaps better thought of as a light, lively, witty and spirited mind.

Si mes vers avaient des ailes (Hugo) Page 1 of 2

Ils accourraient, nuit et jour,
    
they would-run/hurry night and day,

Si mes vers avaient des ailes,

     
If my verses had [the] wings,

Comme l'amour!
 
like love/Cupid3.

(Literal translation and IPA transcription © 2008 by Bard Suverkrop—IPA Source, LLC)

3
As in Italian, possible translation of amour (love) is Cupid, the winged god of love.

Si mes vers avaient des ailes (Hugo) Page 2 of 2