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Si nostre vie eſt moins qu’vne iournée En l’eternel, ſi l’an qui faict le tour, Chaſſe noz iours ſans espoir de retour, Si periſſablɇ eſt toute choſe née, Que ſonges-tu mon amɇ empriſonnée ? Pourquoy te plaiſt l’obſcur de nostre iour, Si pour voler en vn plus cler ſeiour, Tu as au dos l’aele bien empanée ? La, eſt le bien que tout esprit deſire, La, le repos ou tout le monde aspire, La, eſt l’amour, la le plaiſir encore. La, ô mon amɇ au plus hault ciel guidée ! Tu y pouras recongnoistre l’Idée De la beauté, qu’en ce mondɇ i’adore.
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Joachim du Bellay, L'Olive, Gilles Corrozet & Arnoul L'Angelier, 1550.
Note: inspired by a sonnet by Bernardino Daniello, "Se 'l viver nostro è breve oscuro giorno". Note: the text above is a modernized version.
Modernized version of the text:
Si notre vie est moins qu’une journée En l’éternel, si l’an qui fait le tour Chasse nos jours sans espoir de retour, Si périssable est toute chose née, Que songes-tu, mon âme emprisonnée ? Pourquoi te plaît l’obscur de notre jour, Si pour voler en un plus clair séjour, Tu as au dos l’aile bien empannée ? Là, est le bien que tout esprit désire, Là, le repos où tout le monde aspire, Là, est l’amour, là, le plaisir encore. Là, ô mon âme au plus haut ciel guidée ! Tu y pourras reconnaître l’Idée De la beauté, qu’en ce monde j’adore.
Text Authorship:
- by Joachim du Bellay (1525 - c1560), no title, appears in L'Olive, no. 113, first published 1550 [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 André Lermyte (1882 - 1963), "Sonnet de Joachim du Bellay", 1930 [ mezzo-soprano and piano ], from Trois Disciples de Ronsard, no. 1, Vincennes, Éd. Paul Ricard [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Grant Hicks) , copyright © 2026, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2023-05-04
Line count: 14
Word count: 99
If our life is less than a single day In eternity, and the year in its turning Scatters our days with no hope of return, If everything that is born must die, What do you dream of, my imprisoned soul? Why does our day's darkness satisfy you, If, in order to fly in a brighter realm, Your back bears well-feathered wings? There dwells the good that every spirit desires, There, the rest for which all the world yearns, There is love, there pleasure is as well, There, O my soul seeking the heights of heaven! There you will come to know the Ideal Form Of beauty, which in this world I most prize.
About the headline (FAQ)
Translations of titles:
"Sonnet" = "Sonnet"
"Sonnet de Joachim du Bellay" = "Sonnet by Joachim du Bellay"
Text Authorship:
- Translation from Middle French 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.
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Based on:
- a text in Middle French by Joachim du Bellay (1525 - c1560), no title, appears in L'Olive, no. 113, first published 1550
This text was added to the website: 2026-07-12
Line count: 14
Word count: 113