Death, I appeal to your harshness | Death, I appeal to your harshness

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by François Villon (1431 - 1463)

Translation © by Laura Stanfield Prichard

Mort, j'appelle de ta rigueur

Language: Middle French

Our translations: ENG ENG

Mort, j'appelle de ta rigueur,
Qui m'as ma maîtresse ravie,
Et n'es pas encore assouvie
Si tu ne me tiens en langueur :

Onc puis n'eus force ni vigueur ;
Mais que te nuisoit-elle en vie,
Mort ?

Deux étions et n'avions qu'un coeur ;
S'il est mort, force est que dévie,
Voire, ou que je vive sans vie
Comme les images, par coeur,
Mort !

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

• A. Jolivet • F. Martin

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Text Authorship:

by François Villon (1431 - 1463), "Rondeau (Mort, j'appelle de ta rigueur)", appears in Le Grand Testament [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

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Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2008-09-13
Line count: 12
Word count: 65

Death, I appeal to your harshness

Language: English after the Middle French

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Death, I appeal to your harshness,
Who stole from me my delightful mistress,
And yet were not sated
Until you see my languishing:

Since then I've had neither strength nor force;
But how would it harm you- if she were alive,
Death?

There once were two who shared a heart;
If that heart is dead, that power is deflected,
If so, I must live without love
Like those statues, in my heart
Death!

Available sung text translations: ← What is this?

• F. Martin

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Text Authorship:

Translation from Middle French to English copyright © 2016 by Laura Stanfield Prichard, (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:

a text in Middle French by François Villon (1431 - 1463), "Rondeau (Mort, j'appelle de ta rigueur)", appears in Le Grand Testament
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This text was added to the website: 2016-04-14
Line count: 12
Word count: 76