The article focuses on the translation of stanzaic structure in verse librettos in the language pair Italian and French. When an opera has sung and recitative passages - or more interestingly, those with a texture in between - it is of the utmost importance to be able to differenciate them in translation. After an analysis of the different terms - recitative, parlante and stanza for the French libretto - and with a welter of examples from Jérusalem and Don Carlo, the article looks at the role of the translator when dealing with the stanzaic sections and the stylistic changes that may arise after a possible intervention by the translator.