by Pierre de Ronsard (1524 - 1585)
Translation © by David Wyatt

Quand je suis tout baissé sur vostre...
Language: French (Français) 
Our translations:  ENG
Quand je suis tout baissé sur vostre belle face,
Je voy dedans vos yeux je ne sçay quoy de [blanc]1,
Je ne sçay quoy de noir, qui m’esmeut tout le sang,
Et qui jusques au cœur de veine en veine passe.
 
Je voy dedans Amour qui va changeant de place,
Ores bas, ores haut, tousjours me regardant,
Et son arc contre moy coup sur coup desbandant.
Las ! si je faux, Raison, que veux-tu que [j’y]2 face ?
 
Tant s’en faut que je sois alors maistre de moy
Que je vendrois mon père et trahirois mon roy,
[Mon païs et]3 ma sœur, mes frères et ma mère ;
 
Tant je suis hors du sens après que j’ay tasté
A longs traits amoureux de la poison amere,
Qui sort de ces beaux yeux dont je suis enchanté.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

•   J. de Maletty 

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)
1 Maletty: "blame"
2 Maletty: "je"
3 Maletty: "Et"

Text Authorship:

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

Another version of this text exists in the database.

Available translations, adaptations, and transliterations (if applicable):

  • ENG English (David Wyatt) , title 1: "When I am bowed over your beautiful face", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2015-02-27
Line count: 14
Word count: 137

When I am bowed over your beautiful face
Language: English  after the French (Français) 
When I am bowed over your beautiful face,
I see within your eyes [something white]1,
Something black which affects all my blood
And which passes from vein to vein right to my heart.

I see within them Love, continually changing place,
Now low now high, always watching me
And his bow loosing shot after shot against me.
Alas, if I am wrong what, reason, do you want me to do [there]2?

I am so far from master of myself 
That I would sell my father and betray my king,
And my sister, brothers and mother;

I am so sensless after sampling,
In long loving draughts, the bitter poison 
Which flows from your eyes by which I am bewitched.

View original text (without footnotes)
1 Maletty: "some reprimand"
2 omitted by Maletty.

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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This text was added to the website: 2015-02-27
Line count: 14
Word count: 121