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Voulez-vous entendre un chant, Un chant d'amour avenant Et plein d'harmonie ? Qui le fit ? Un chevalier Sous l'ombrage d'un laurier, Aux bras de sa mie. Sous l'hermine elle portait Chemisette en lin fluet, Fin corset de soie, Avec jupe d'or tramé, Clairs souliers de fleurs de mai Et le cœur en joie. Pour ceinturette elle avait Le feuillage dont se vêt Le bois qui verdoie ; Aux oreilles, pour pendants Elle avait des diamants Où le ciel flamboie. Sa mule au pied diligent Était ferrée en argent Sous l'or de la selle. Sur la croupe, tout entiers Étaient plantés trois rosiers En guise d'ombrelle. Comme elle allait par le pré, Un seigneur bien équipé Lui dit sans ambage : « Quel est donc votre pays ? De douce France je suis Du plus haut parage. Mon père est le rossignol Qui bien chante loin du sol, Au plus haut bocage : Et ma mère qui m'attend Est sirène, et va chantant Au plus haut rivage. Belle, votre parenté Est merveille, en vérité ; Plût à Dieu le père Que pour moi, simple mortel, Vous fussiez, devant l'autel, L'épouse très chère.
Text Authorship:
- by Léon-Émile Petitdidier (1839 - 1927), as Émile Blémont [an adaptation] [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Old French (Ancien français) by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist , no title, 13th century
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Julien Tiersot (1857 - 1936), "La Belle au Rossignol", subtitle: "Romance du XIIIe Siècle" [ medium voice and piano ], from Chants de la vieille France: 20 mélodies et chansons du XIIIè au XVIIIè siècles, no. 1, Éd. 'Au Ménestrel' Heugel, also set in Old French (Ancien français) [sung text checked 1 time]
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Grant Hicks) , "The Nightingale's Fair Maid", copyright © 2026, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2025-08-12
Line count: 42
Word count: 185
Do you wish to hear a song, A song of love, delightful And full of harmony? Who made it? A knight Under the shade of a laurel, In the arms of his sweetheart. Beneath her ermine she wore A bodice of thin linen, A fine silk corset, With a skirt threaded with gold, Bright slippers of mayflowers And a joyous heart. For a belt she had The foliage that clothes The greening wood; Hanging from her ears She had diamonds In which the sky blazed. Her she-mule with diligent tread Was shod in silver Beneath the gold of its saddle. On its rump, in all Three rosebushes had been planted By way of a parasol. As she went through the meadow, A well-outfitted lord Spoke to her in plain terms: "What then is your country?" "I am from sweet France, Of highest birth. "My father is the nightingale Who sings beautifully far from the ground In the highest grove; And my mother who awaits me Is a siren, and goes about singing On the highest shore." "Fair maid, your family Is truly marvelous; Would to God the Father That though I am a simple mortal, You had been, before the altar, My cherished bride."
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2026 by Grant Hicks, (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 Léon-Émile Petitdidier (1839 - 1927), as Émile Blémont [an adaptation]
Based on:
- a text in Old French (Ancien français) by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist , no title, 13th century
This text was added to the website: 2026-07-25
Line count: 42
Word count: 204