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L'homme est vraiment ou de plomb ou de bois, S'il ne tressaut de crainte et de merveille, Quand face à face il void ma non-pareille, Ou quand il oyt les accords de sa voix ; Ou quand, pensive, aux jours des plus beaux mois, La voit à part (comme un qui se conseille) Tracer les prés, et d'une main vermeille [Tirer de rang]1 les fleurettes de choix; Ou quand, l'esté, lorsque le chaud s'avale, Au soir, à l'huys il la void qu'elle egale La soye à l'or d'un pouce ingenieux; Puis de ses doits, qui les roses effacent, Toucher son luth, et d'un tour de ses yeux Piller les cœurs de mille hommes qui passent.
About the headline (FAQ)
View text without footnotes1 Boni: "Trier à part"
Text Authorship:
- by Pierre de Ronsard (1524 - 1585), no title [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 Guillaume Boni (c1530 - c1594), "L'homme est vrayment ou de plomb ou de bois", published 1607 [vocal quartet], from the collection Sonnets de Pierre de Ronsard mis en musique à 4 parties, II, no. 23, Paris, Pierre Ballard [text verified 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (David Wyatt) , title 1: "A man is truly made of lead or wood", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: David Wyatt
This text was added to the website: 2015-02-26
Line count: 14
Word count: 115
A man is truly made of lead or wood If he does not start from fear and wonder When he sees face to face my unequalled lady Or when he hears the harmony of her voice; Or when he sees her alone, pensive, In the fairest months, as if taking counsel with herself, Crossing the meadows and with her rosy hand [Picking from their rows]1 the choicest blooms; Or when in the summer, when the heat abates In the evening, he sees her by the door as she makes Silk like gold with her clever fingers; Then with her fingers which are pinker than roses Playing her lute, and with a glance of her eyes Stealing the hearts of a thousand passing men.
1 Boni: "Separating out"
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2015 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:
- a text in French (Français) by Pierre de Ronsard (1524 - 1585), no title
This text was added to the website: 2015-02-26
Line count: 14
Word count: 124