At the foot of the tower sits a fair young maiden

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by Anonymous / Unidentified Author

Translation © by Emily Ezust

La belle se sied au pied de la tour

Language: French (Français)

Our translations: ENG

La belle se sied au pied de la tour,
Qui pleure et soupire et mène grand dolour.
Son père lui demande : « Fille qu'avez-vous
Volez-vous mari ou volez-vous seignour ?»

« Je ne veuille mari, je ne veuille seignour,
Je veuille le mien ami qui pourrit en la tour.»
« Par Dieu, ma belle fille, alors ne l'aurez-vous
Car il sera pendu demain au point du jour.»

« Père si on le pend enfouyés moi dessous,
Ainsi diront les gens ce sont loyales amours.»

Note: modernized spelling.

Text Authorship:

by Anonymous / Unidentified Author [author's text not yet checked 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 Francis Poulenc (1899 - 1963), "La belle se sied au pied de la tour", published 1945-6 [mixed chorus], from Huit Chansons françaises, no. 2. [ sung text checked 1 time]

Set in a modified version by Guillaume Dufay, Josquin des Prez.

Go to the text. [ view differences ] ENG

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

ENG English (Emily Ezust) , copyright © 2018

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2004-03-28
Line count: 10
Word count: 84

At the foot of the tower sits a fair...

Language: English after the French (Français)

At the foot of the tower sits a fair young maiden
Who weeps and sighs and shows great sorrow.
Her father asks her: "Ah, daughter, what's wrong?
Do you want a husband, or do you want a lord?"

"I do not want a husband, I do not want a lord,
I want my beloved who is rotting in this tower!"
"My God, my lovely child, you won't have him
For tomorrow he will be hanged at dawn."

"Father, if they hang him, bury me under there,
So that people will say they were loyal lovers."

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2018 by Emily Ezust
Emily Ezust permits her translations to be reproduced without prior permission for printed (not online) programs to free-admission concerts only, provided the following credit is given:
Translation copyright © by Emily Ezust,
from the LiederNet Archive
For any other purpose, please write to the e-mail address below to request permission and discuss possible fees.
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Based on:

a text in French (Français) by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2018-10-16
Line count: 10
Word count: 95