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Le jour pousse la nuit, Et la nuit sombre Pousse le jour qui luit D'une obscure ombre. L'Autonne suit l'Esté, Et l'aspre rage Des vents n'a point esté Apres l'orage. [Mais la fièvre d'amours Qui me tourmente, Demeure en moy tousjours, Et ne s'alente.]1 Ce n'estoit pas moy, Dieu, Qu'il falloit poindre, Ta fleche en autre lieu Se devoit joindre. Poursuy les paresseux Et les amuse, Mais non pas moy, ne ceux Qu'aime la Muse. Helas, delivre moy De ceste dure, Qui plus rit, quand d'esmoy Voit que j'endure. Redonne la clarté A mes tenebres, Remets en liberté Mes jours funebres. Amour sois le support De ma pensée, Et guide à meilleur port Ma nef cassée. Tant plus je suis criant Plus me reboute, Plus je la suis priant Et moins m'escoute. Ne ma palle couleur D'amour blesmie N'a esmeu à douleur Mon ennemie. Ne sonner à son huis De ma guiterre, Ny pour elle les nuis Dormir à terre. Plus cruel n'est l'effort De l'eau mutine Qu'elle, lors que plus fort Le vent s'obstine. Ell' s'arme en sa beauté, Et si ne pense Voir de sa cruauté La récompense. Monstre toy le veinqueur, Et d'elle enflame Pour exemple le coeur De telle flame, Qui la soeur alluma Trop indiscrete, Et d'ardeur consuma La Royne en Crete.
J. Leguerney sets stanzas 1-5
D. Milhaud sets stanzas 1-5
1 A five-stanza version of this poem exists with a different third stanza:
Mais le mal nonobstant D'amour dolente Demeure en moi constant Et ne s'alente.The text set by Leguerney and Milhaud has five stanzas but uses the third stanza of the longer poem. Here is the modernized form they set (with spelling changes only):
Le jour pousse la nuit Et la nuit sombre Pousse le jour qui luit D'une obscure ombre. L'Automne suit l'Été Et l'âpre rage Des vents n'a point été Après l'orage. Mais la fièvre d'amours Qui me tourmente Demeure en moi toujours Et ne s'alente. Ce n'était pas moi, Dieu, Qu'il fallait poindre; Ta flèche en d'autre lieu Se devait joindre. Poursuis les paresseux Et les amuse, Mais non pas moi, ni ceux Qu'aime la Muse...
Authorship:
- by Pierre de Ronsard (1524 - 1585), "À Cupidon" [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Jacques Leguerney (1906 - 1997), "À Cupidon", 1944, published 1986, first performed 1944, stanzas 1-5 [ voice and piano ], from Poèmes de la Pléiade, Vol. III, no. 3, Max Eschig [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Darius Milhaud (1892 - 1974), "À Cupidon", op. 223 no. 2 (1940), stanzas 1-5 [ voice and piano ], from Quatre Chansons de Ronsard, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Olga Nazaykinskaia (b. 1962), "À Cupidon", 2011, published 2011 [ soprano and piano ], from Chansons d'une étrangère pour soprano et piano, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (David Jonathan Justman) , "To Cupid", copyright © 2002, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Faith J. Cormier) , "To Cupid", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Laura Claycomb) , "To Cupid", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2003-11-02
Line count: 60
Word count: 217
Day pushes night, and dark night pushes gleaming day with dark shades. Autumn follows Summer and the winds no longer rage after the storm. But the love fever that torments me burns in me forever unabated. I'm not the one you should have aimed at, god. Your arrow should have had another target. Go after the lazy and amuse them, not me or those who love the Muse.
Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © by Faith J. Cormier, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Pierre de Ronsard (1524 - 1585), "À Cupidon"
This text was added to the website:
Line count: 20
Word count: 68