The English version presented below is a literal, word-for-word translation. It attempts to preserve the poet's word order as far as possible, for a better appreciation of the composer's musical treatment of individual words and phrases. Download track from iTunes.

Il pleure dans mon coeur
Comme il pleut sur la ville.
Quelle est cette langueur
Qui pénètre mon coeur?

O bruit doux de la pluie,
Par terre et sur les toits!
Pour un coeur qui s’ennuie,
O le bruit de la pluie!

Il pleure sans raison
Dans ce coeur qui s’écoeure.
Quoi! nulle trahison?
ce deuil est sans raison.

C’est bien la pire peine,
De ne savoir pourquoi,
Sans amour et sans haine,
Mon coeur a tant de peine.

Paul Verlaine

There is weeping in my heart
As it is raining on the town.
What is this languor
That penetrates my heart?

Oh the soft sound of the rain
On the ground and on the roofs!
For a heart that is weary
Oh the sound of the rain!

It is raining for no reason
In this sickened heart.
What! No betrayal?
This grief is without reason.

The worst thing is
Not to know why,
without love or hatred,
My heart has so much pain.