LES LITANIES DE SATAN NOTE The lyrics of "Les Litanies De Satan" are not included NOTE in the CD-booklet. "Les litanies de Satan" was originally NOTE written by Charles Baudelair (1821-1867). Les Litanies de Satan The Litanies of Satan (by Charles Baudelaire) (translated by Joanna Richardson) O toi, le plus savant et le plus beau des Anges, O thou, of Angels loveliest, most wise, Dieu trahi par le sort et prive de louanges, O God betrayed by fate, deprived of praise, O Satan, prends pitie de ma longue misere! Satan, have mercy on my long distress! O Prince de l'exil, a qui l'on a fait tort, O Prince of exile, who was dispossessed, Et qui, vaincu, toujours te redresses plus fort, Who ever rises stronger when oppressed, O Satan, prends pitie de ma longue misere! Satan, have mercy on my long distress! Toi qui sais tout, grand roi des choses souterraines, O thou who knowest all, Hell's sovereign, Guerisseur familier des angoisses humaines, Known healer of mankind's afflictions, O Satan, prends pitie de ma longue misere! Satan, have mercy on my long distress! Toi qui, meme aux lepreux, aux parias maudits, Thou who the lepers and pariahs doomed Enseignes par l'amour le gout du Paradis, Show out of love the Paradise to come, O Satan, prends pitie de ma longue misere! Satan, have mercy on my long distress! O toi qui de la Mort, ta vieille et forte amante, Thou who in Death, your mistress old and strong, Engendras l'Esperance, - une folle charmante! Breeds Hope - delightful aberration! O Satan, prends pitie de ma longue misere! Satan, have mercy on my long distress! Toi qui fais au proscrit ce regard calme et haut Thou who dost give the outlaw the proud glance Qui damne tout un peuple autour d'un echafaud, Which damns the crowd who watch his sufferance, O Satan, prends pitie de ma longue misere! Satan, have mercy on my long distress! Toi qui sais en quels coins des terres envieuses Thou who dost know where greedy earth enfolds Le Dieu jaloux cacha les pierres precieuses, The precious stones a jealous God concealed, O Satan, prends pitie de ma longue misere! Satan, have mercy on my long distress! Toi dont l'oeil clair connait les profonds arsenaux Thou whose clear eye knows the deep sepulchres Ou dort enseveli le peuple des metaux, Where multitudes of metals lie interred, O Satan, prends pitie de ma longue misere! Satan, have mercy on my long distress! Toi dont la large main cache les precipices Thou whose great hand conceals the precipice Au somnambule errant au bord des edifices, From the somnambulist whom roofs entice, O Satan, prends pitie de ma longue misere! Satan, have mercy on my long distress! Toi qui, magiquement, assouplis les vieux os Thou who by magic softens the old bones De l'ivrogne attarde foule par les chevaux, Ofloitering drinks by horses trampled down, O Satan, prends pitie de ma longue misere! Satan, have mercy on my long distress! Toi qui, pour consoler l'homme frele qui souffre, Thou who, consoling frail mankind in pain, Nous appris a meler le salpetre et le soufre, Taught us to make our guns and gun-cotton, O Satan, prends pitie de ma longue misere! Satan, have mercy on my long distress! Toi qui poses ta marque, o complice subtil, Thou who didst set thy mark, accomplice skilled, Sur le front du Cresus impitoyable et vil, Upon the heart of Croesus harsh and vile, O Satan, prends pitie de ma longue misere! Satan, have mercy on my long distress! Toi qui mets dans les yeux et dans le coeur des filles Thou who put into women's hearts and eyes Le culte de la plaie et l'amour des guenilles, The cult of wounds, the love of poverty, O Satan, prends pitie de ma longue misere! Satan, have mercy on my long distress! Baton des exiles, lampe des inventeurs, Staff of the exile and discoverer, Confesseur des pendus et des conspirateurs, Confessor of condemned conspirator, O Satan, prends pitie de ma longue misere! Satan, have mercy on my long distress! Pere adoptif de ceux qu'en sa noire colere Father to those whom in his sombre wrath Du paradis terrestre a chasses Dieu le Pere, God drove from his Paradise on earth, O Satan, prends pitie de ma longue misere! Satan, have mercy on my long distress! PRIERE PRAYER Gloire et louange a toi, Satan, dans les hauteurs To thee, o Satan, glory be, and praise, Du Ciel, ou tu regnas, et dans les profondeurs In Heaven, once thy kingdom, the abyss De l'Enfer, ou, vaincu, tu reves en silence! Of Hell, where now, thou dreamest silently! Fais que mon ame un jour, sous l'Arbre de Science, Grant that my soul, one day, beneath the Tree Pres de toi se repose, a l'heure ou sur ton front Of Knowledge, may rest near thee, when o'erhead, Comme un Temple nouveau ses rameaux s'epandront! Like a new Temple, its wide branches spread!