Le Colibri (The HummingBird)

Le vert colibri,        le roi des collines,
The Green Humming Bird the king of the hills
Voyant la rosée et le soleil clair,
see    the dew and  the sun  clear
Luire dans son nid tissé d'herbes fines,
glow  in   its nest woven herbal  fine
Comme un frais rayon s'échappe dans l'air.
like   a  fresh ray   escape   into the air
Il se hâte et vole aux sources voisines,
it  hasten and fly to  source  neighbours

Où les    bambous font le bruit de la mer,
where the bamboos are the noise of the sea
Où l'açoka rouge aux odeurs divines
where Asoka red  of   smell  divine
S'ouvre et porte au coeur un humide éclair.
it open and door of heart a  humid  flash 
Vers la fleur dorée,  il descend,    se pose,
to   the flower golden the descend , torises
Et boit tant d'amour dans la coupe rose,
and drink much love  on   the cut rose
Qu'il meurt, ne sachant s'il l'a pu tarir! 
it     die   not  knowing  it could  dry
Sur ta lèvre pure, ô ma bien-aimée,
on  his lips  pur  o my beloved
Telle aussi mon âme eut voulu mourir,
this  also  my soul  had wanted die
Du premier baiser qui l'a parfumée.

you first  kiss   that  a perfume

(English Translation by Peter Low)

The hummingbird, the green prince of the heights,
feeling the dew and seeing the sun's clear light
shining into his nest of woven grass,
shoots up in the air like a gleaming dart.

Hurriedly he flies to the nearby marsh
where the waves of bamboo rustle and bend,
and the red hibiscus with the heavenly scent
opens to show its moist and glistening heart.

Down to the flower he flies, alights from above,
and from the rosy cup drinks so much love
that he dies, not knowing if he could drink it dry.

Even so, my darling, on your pure lips
my soul and senses would have wished to die
on contact with that first full-fragrant kiss.

Le Charme by Chausson

Word-to-Word translations

Quand ton sourire me surprit,

when  your smile  me surprise

Je sentis frémir tout mon être,

I   felt  shudder all my being

Mais ce qui domptait mon esprit,

but  what   tamed    my  mind

Je ne pus d'abord le connaître.

I  dont    at first   recognize

Quand ton regard tomba sur moi,

when  your look   fell on me

Je sentis mon âme se fondre,

I   felt   my soul   melt

Mais ce que serait cet émoi,

but   what  would  the  emotion

Je ne pus d'abord en répondre.

I  not    at first   answer

Ce qui me vainquit à jamais, 

the    me vanished   forever

Ce fut un plus douloureux charme;

it was a   more  sad       charme

Et je n'ai su que je t'aimais,

and i  not    that  I love you

Qu'en voyant ta première larme.

what  seeing your first   tears

(English translation by Thomas A. Gregg)

 When your smile surprised me,
 I felt a shudder through my entire being,
 But what tamed my spirit,
 At first I did not recognize.
 
 When your glance fell on me,
 I felt my soul melt,
 But what that emotion was,
 At first I could not answer it.
 
 What conquered me forever,
 That was a charm more sad,
 And I did not know that I loved you,
 Until I saw your first tear.