Youth is the fourth, guided by the sun

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by Pierre de Ronsard (1524 - 1585)

Translation © by Grant Hicks

La Jeunesse est le quart, guidé par le...

Language: Middle French after the Middle French

Our translations: ENG

La Jeunesse est le quart, guidé par le soleil,
Regnant dix et neuf ans, poussant au mariage
L'homme qui veult (vivant) colloquer son mesnage,
Desireux de richesse, en force sans pareil.

About the headline (FAQ)

Confirmed with Œuvres complètes de P. de Ronsard, Tome VI, Paris: Librairie A. Franck, 1866, page 420.

Text Authorship:

by Pierre de Ronsard (1524 - 1585), "Jeunesse", appears in Gayetez et Epigrammes, in Sur les sept âges de l'homme, no. 4 [an adaptation] [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Based on:

a text in Middle French by Claude Gruget (d. c1560) [text unavailable]
- Go to the text page.

Based on:

a text in Spanish (Español) by Pero Mexia (1497 - 1551) [text unavailable]
- Go to the text page.

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

by Jack Ledru (1922 - 2013), "La Jeunesse", 2010, first performed 2011 [ vocal quartet and piano ], from Sur les Sept Âges de l'homme, no. 4 [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 page: Grant Hicks [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2026-07-16
Line count: 4
Word count: 31

Youth is the fourth, guided by the sun

Language: English after the Middle French

Youth is the fourth, guided by the sun,
Reigning nineteen years, prodding to marriage
The man who wishes (living) to establish his household,
Desirous of wealth, unequalled in strength.

About the headline (FAQ)

Translations of titles:
"Jeunesse" = "Youth"
"La Jeunesse" = "Youth"

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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in Middle French by Pierre de Ronsard (1524 - 1585), "Jeunesse", appears in Gayetez et Epigrammes, in Sur les sept âges de l'homme, no. 4 [an adaptation]
- Go to the text page.

Based on:

a text in Middle French by Claude Gruget (d. c1560) [text unavailable]
- Go to the text page.

Based on:

a text in Spanish (Español) by Pero Mexia (1497 - 1551) [text unavailable]
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2026-07-18
Line count: 4
Word count: 29