Translation of the song 3. Grand camée pour une savante italienne artist Hubert Clos Lus

Quand tu étais petite, un oiseau des lointains,

When you were a young girl, a bird from distant lands,

Le plus beau du jardin, le loriot autrichien,

The handsomest in the garden, the Austrian oriole,

vêtu de plumes d'or, se posa près de toi :

All clad in gold, landed there, near your hand:

Viola, comment peux-tu te comparer à moi ?

Viola, just tell me how you could compare to me ?

As-tu yeux de saphir, et plumes de rubis ?

Have you got sapphire eyes and nice ruby feathers ?

Et Viola ne put pas se comparer à lui.

And Viola, oh no, could not compare to him.

As-tu bec de topaze comme celui-là ?

Have you got a topaz beak , a bit like this one ?

Elle ne put se comparer à lui, Viola...

And Viola, oh no, could not compare to him.

Et as-tu comme ami le bouvreuil si joli ?

Have you got for a friend the bullfinch so handsome ?

Et Viola ne put pas se comparer à lui.

And Viola, oh no, could not compare to him.

Sais-tu batifoler dans les cieux, çà et là ?

Can you fly on all sides, in the Sky, here and there ?

Elle ne put se comparer à lui, Viola...

And Viola, oh no, could not compare to him.

Je suis le loriot d'or, le prince des oiseaux.

I am the golden oriole, the prince of birds.

Nul ne m'égale encore dans tout ton pays.

No one can equal me yet in this whole country.

La fillette lui dit: Tu sei, tu, bello uccello

The young girl said : Tu sei, tu, uccello,

La più bella cosà che è sotto il cielo.

La più bella cosà che è sotto il cielo.

L'oiseau, honteux, partit et jamais ne revint,

The bird apologized, ashamed, never came back,

L'oiseau venu se comparer à toi, Viola.

The bird which had come to compare with you ,Viola.

Et en songeant à lui, seule dans ton jardin,

And when you think of him, alone in your garden,

Parfois tu le regrettes, ton beau prince-là

Sometimes, you regret him, your nice prince that got back

Reparti dans les nues, les cieux incomparables

Towards the clouds and the incomparable skies,

Le roi des oiseaux, mais qui, pour le bel canto,

The king of birds , but which, as for the bel canto,

L'italien, n'a pas pu - se comparer à toi.

- Italian, never could,.- ever- compare to you.