Sembrich Sings Hahn

Among the many recordings made by Marcella Sembrich for the Victor Talking Machine Company, this performance of Reynaldo Hahn's "Si mes vers avaient des ailes," recorded on January 30, 1908, is one of our favorites. This track was not released to the public until 1938 when it was located in the Victor vault and released by William Seltsam on the International Record Collectors' Club label. This recording and dozens more are preserved in The Sembrich Collection.

Si mes vers avaient des ailes

Mes vers fuiraient, doux et frêles,
Vers votre jardin si beau,
Si mes vers avaient des ailes,
Comme l’oiseau.
Ils voleraient, étincelles,
Vers votre foyer qui rit,
Si mes vers avaient des ailes,
Comme l’esprit.
Près de vous, purs et fidèles,
Ils accourraient nuit et jour,
Si mes vers avaient des ailes,
Comme l’amour.
- Victor Hugo

If my verses had wings

To your garden so fair,
My verses would flee, sweet and frail,
If my verses had wings,
Like a bird.
They would fly, like sparks,
To your smiling hearth,
If my verses had wings,
Like the mind.
Pure and faithful, to your side
They’d hasten night and day,
If my verses had wings,
Like love!
- Translation by Richard Stokes, from A French Song Companion (Oxford, 2000)

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