Si Mes Vers Avaient Des Ailes (“if my verses had wings”) is a poem by Victor Hugo set to music in 1888 by child prodigy Reynaldo Hahn when he was 14 years old. It was published by Le Figaro and was a hit. I recorded this as a first test of my new Zoom H2N Handy Recorder!

My classical voice teacher Macatee Hollie (RIP, gone too soon) gave this song to me to learn probably 20 years ago, and I unearthed the sheet music recently. The lyric evokes Spring, and gardens (which I love), and the loneliness of the poet, whose verse cannot fly like love.

Here are Victor Hugo’s words:

Mes vers fuiraient, doux et frêles,
Vers votre jardin si beau,
Si mes vers avaient des ailes,
Des ailes comme l’oiseau.

Ils voleraient, étincelles,
Vers votre foyer qui rit,
Si mes vers avaient des ailes,
Des ailes comme l’esprit.

Près de vous, purs et fidèles,
Ils accourraient, nuit et jour,
Si mes vers avaient des ailes,
Si mes vers avaient des ailes,
Comme l’amour!

Translation:
My poems would run away, sweet and frail,
To your garden so fair,
If my poems had wings,
Like a bird.

They would fly, sparkling,
To your happy home,
If my poems had wings,
Like wit.

To be close to you, pure and loyal,
They’d speed, night and day,
If my poems had wings,
If my poems had wings,
like the wings of love!