Plaisir d'amour

"Plaisir d'amour" (literally "Pleasure of love") is a classical French love song written in 1784 by Jean-Paul-Égide Martini (1741–1816); it took its text from a poem by Jean-Pierre Claris de Florian (1755–1794), which appears in his novel Célestine.

Music by Jean-Paul-Égide Martini (1741–1816)
Lyrics by Jean-Pierre Claris de Florian (1755–1794)

The song was greatly successful in Martini's version. For example, a young woman, Madame Julie Charles, sang it to the poet Alphonse de Lamartine during his cure at Aix-les-Bains in 1816, and the poet was to recall it 30 years later.[1]

Hector Berlioz arranged it for orchestra (H134) in 1859.[2] Louis van Waefelghem arranged the tune for viola d'amore or viola and piano in the 1880s. It has been arranged and performed in various pop music settings.

Lyrics

Original poem by de Florian

Plaisir d'amour ne dure qu'un moment,
chagrin d'amour dure toute la vie.

J'ai tout quitté pour l'ingrate Sylvie,
Elle me quitte et prend un autre amant.
Plaisir d'amour ne dure qu'un moment,
chagrin d'amour dure toute la vie.

"Tant que cette eau coulera doucement
vers ce ruisseau qui borde la prairie,
je t'aimerai", me répétait Sylvie,
l'eau coule encor, elle a changé pourtant.

Plaisir d'amour ne dure qu'un moment,
chagrin d'amour dure toute la vie.

The pleasure of love lasts only a moment,
The grief of love lasts a lifetime.

I gave up everything for ungrateful Sylvia,
She is leaving me for another lover.
The pleasure of love lasts only a moment,
The grief of love lasts a lifetime.

"As long as this water will run gently
Towards this brook which borders the meadow,
I will love you", Sylvia told me repeatedly.
The water still runs, but she has changed.

The pleasure of love lasts only a moment,
The grief of love lasts a lifetime.

Plaisir d'amour ne dure qu'un moment.
chagrin d'amour dure toute la vie.

The joys of love are but a moment long
The pain of love endures the whole life long

Your eyes kissed mine, I saw the love in them shine
You brought me heaven right then when your eyes kissed mine.

My love loves me, and all thy wonders I see
The rainbow shines in my window, my love loves me

And now he's gone like a dream that fades into dawn
But the words stay locked in my heartstrings, my love loves me

Plaisir d'amour ne dure qu'un moment.
chagrin d'amour dure toute la vie.[3]

Recordings

Hermann Hesse's short story "Chagrin d'Amour" (1908) narrates a fictional origin for this song at a medieval tournament. Hesse has it composed by an obscure troubadour named Marcel, who sings this song to a queen named Herzeloyde to express his hopeless and unrequited love for her. Hesse took the names of the characters from Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival.

At the start of Robert Anderson's play Tea and Sympathy, the main character, Tom Lee, is singing this "plaintive" song referred to as "The Joys of Love".

In the 1939 film Love Affair, the song is sung by Irene Dunne.

In the 1949 film The Heiress, the song is played and sung by Montgomery Clift's character, Morris. The song is woven throughout the score, foreshadowing his betrayal and the title character's lifelong heartbreak.

The melodies for Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love" (1961) and the 20th century Christian hymn "My God Loves Me" are based on "Plaisir d'amour".[12]

In the 1966 film Batman, this song is performed by Julie Gregg in an uncredited role. The song is heard twice in the film, during Bruce Wayne's date with Miss Kitka/Catwoman and the later scene where Kitka is revealed to be Catwoman.

Mado Robin's version of the song plays in Djibril Diop Mambéty's 1973 film Touki Bouki when Nori and Anta go to visit a rich patron's estate in order to convince him to fund their trip to Paris. It is repeated a few times more throughout the remainder of the film.[13]

In the 2001 miniseries Band of Brothers, this song is played by a convent choir at the end of the seventh episode "The Breaking Point".

References
  1. Vojislav Mate Jovanović "La Guzla" de Prosper Mérimée: étude d'histoire romantique 1910 p. 136 "Les paroles de Florian furent mises en musique par Martini, l'auteur de Plaisir d'Amour; cette traduction obtint un grand succès en France. En 1816, Mm° Charles la chantait à Lamartine, et le poète du Lac, trente ans plus tard, déclarait dans une page de Raphaël qu'il ne pouvait entendre sans pleurer les vers de cette touchante ballade : Quand les moutons sont dans la bergerie, .."
  2. Berlioz: Musical and Literary Works (list of reference editions)
  3. Baez, Joan (1961). "Plaisir d'amour". Joan Baez, Volume 2 (audio recording). New York: Vanguard Records.
  4. The Seekers All Bound For Morningtown (Their EMI Recordings 1964-1968) "Plaisir d'amour" Opens full album on Spotify, Plaisir d'amour is #10 Last Accessed 2018-09-25
  5. "Plaisir d'amour", Martini – Jean Davon – T. Henriotti (alias for Gustave Kahn)
  6. "Joan Baez – "Plaisir d'amour"". Discogs. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  7. "Nick Drake – "Plaisir d'amour"". Discogs. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  8. Classic Folk at AllMusic
  9. Paul Robeson: The Complete EMI Sessions (1928–1939) "Plaisir d'amour" (2008 remastered version) Video on YouTube
  10. Tracklist, Les grandes chansons françaises (retrieved 2018-12-2)
  11. Nana & Friends – Rendez-vous at Discogs
  12. "My God Loves Me", godsongs.net
  13. "Touki Bouki (Djibril Diop Mambéty, 1973)" by Charles Matthews, 21 September 2016, charlesmatthews.blogspot.com
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