by
Pierre de Ronsard (1524 - 1585)
Ô ma belle maistresse ! à tous les moins...
Language: French (Français)
Available translation(s): ENG
Ô ma belle maistresse ! à tous les moins prenez
De moy vostre servant ce Rossignol en cage,
Il est mon prissonnier, et je vis en servage
Sous vous, qui sans mercy en prison me tenez :
Allez donc, Rossignol, en sa chambre, et sonnez
Mon dueil à son oreille avec vostre ramage,
Et s'il vous est possible, émouvez son courage
A me faire mercy puis vous en revenez :
Non non, ne venez point, que feriez vous chez moy ?
Sans aucun reconfort, vous languiriez d'esmoy,
Un prisonnier ne peut un autre secourir.
Je n'ay pas Rossignol sur vostre bien envie,
Seulement je me hay et me plains de ma vie
Qui languit en prison et si n'y peut mourir.
N. Millot sets stanza 1
About the headline (FAQ)
View text with all available footnotes
Confirmed with Pierre de Ronsard, Nouvelle Continuation des Amours (1556).
Les Amours, Texte établi par Hugues Vaganay, Garnier, 1923.
Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Guillaume Boni (c1530 - c1594), "Ô ma belle maistresse", published 1607 [ vocal quartet ], from Sonnets de Pierre de Ronsard mis en musique à 4 parties, II, no. 16, Paris, Pierre Ballard [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Louis Théodore Gouvy (1819 - 1898), "Le Rossignol", op. 42 (Six Poésies de Ronsard) no. 2, published 1876 [ voice and piano ], from 40 Poèmes de Ronsard, no. 11, Paris, Éd Simon Richault [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Nicolas Millot (d. c1590), "Ô ma belle maistresse", stanza 1 [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in French (Français), [adaptation] ; composed by Jean de Castro.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (David Wyatt) , "O my fair mistress", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: David Wyatt
This text was added to the website: 2012-07-26
Line count: 14
Word count: 121
O my fair mistress
Language: English  after the French (Français)
O my fair mistress, whatever you do take
From me, your servant, this nightingale in a cage;
He is my prisoner, and I live in service
To you who, without mercy, keep me in prison.
On then, nightingale, and in her bedroom sing
Warbling of my sorrow into her ear,
And if you can, stir up her courage
To grant me pity -- and then come back.
No, do not come back, what would you do here with me?
With no comfort you would pine away from your agitation;
One prisoner cannot help another.
I am not jealous, nightingale, about your good fortune,
I just hate myself and bemoan my life
Pining away in prison, and yet unable to die there.
View text with all available footnotes
Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2012 by David Wyatt, (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.
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Based on:
This text was added to the website: 2012-07-26
Line count: 14
Word count: 120