O flour des flours de toute melodie
Language: Old French (Ancien français)
O flour des flours de toute melodie,
Tres doulz maistres qui tant fuestes adrois,
O Guillaume, mondains diex d’armonnie,
Après vos fais, qui obtiendra le choys
Sur tous fayseurs ? Certes, ne le congnoys.
Vo nom sera precieuse relique,
Car l’en plourra en France, et en Artois,
La mort Machaut, le noble retorique.
Le fons Cirée et la fontayne Helie,
Dont vous estés le ruissel et le dois,
Où poëtes mirent leur estudie,
Convient taire, dont je suy molt destrois.
Las ! c’est pour vous, qui mort gisiés tous frois,
Qu’ay un dolent depit, faillant replique,
Plourés, arpes et cors saracynois,
La mort Machaut, le noble retorique.
Rubebe, leuths, viële et ciphonie,
Psalterion, tous instrumens courtois,
Rothes, guisternes, fleustes, chelemie,
Traversaynes et vous, nimphes de bois,
Timpane ossy, metés en euvre doys,
Tous instrumens qui estes tout antiques,
Faites devoir, plourés, gentil Galoys,
La mort Machaut, le noble retorique.
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Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
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The text above (or a part of it) is used in the following settings:
- by F. Andrieu (flourished 14th century), no title, Double ballade consisting of two texts performed simultaneously
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: 2026-07-27
Line count: 24
Word count: 147
O flower of flowers of all melody
Language: English after the Old French (Ancien français)
O flower of flowers of all melody,
Sweetest of masters who was so adept,
O Guillaume, earthly god of harmony,
After what you've made, who will be the choice
Among all the makers? I surely do not know him.
Your name will be a precious relic,
For all will bewail in France, and in Artois,
The death of Machaut, the noble rhetorician.
The spring of Cirrha and the fountain of Helicon
Of which you were the stream and the fount,
On which poets based their study,
Must fall silent, which greatly distresses me.
Alas! It is for you, who lie all cold in death,
That I have a bitter grief, to which there is no remedy.
Bewail, harps and Saracen horns,
The death of Machaut, the noble rhetorician.
Rebec, lute, vielle and symphony,
Psaltery, all courtly instruments,
Zithers, gitterns, recorders, chalumeaux,
Transverse flutes and you, nymphs of the wood,
Tambourine too, you should put to work,
All instruments that are entirely venerable,
Do your duty: bewail, gentle Gauls,
The death of Machaut, the noble rhetorician.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- Translation from Old French (Ancien 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.
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Based on:
This text was added to the website: 2026-08-14
Line count: 24
Word count: 175
