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by Richard I of England, House of Plantagenet (1157 - 1199)

Ja nuns hons pris
Language: Provençal (Prouvençau) 
Ja nuns hons pris ne dira sa raison
A droitement, se dolantement non:
Mais par esfort puet il faire chançon.
Mout ai amis, mais povre sunt li don.
Honte i avront, se por ma reançon
Sui ça deus yvers pris.

Ce sevent bien mi home e mi baron,
Ynglois, Normanz, Poitevin et Gascon
Que je n'ai nul si povre compaignon
Que je lessaisse, por avoir, en prison.
Je nou di mie por nule rentrançon,
Car encor sui pris.

Or sai je bien de voir, certeinnement,
Que je ne pris ne ami, ne parent,
Quant on me faut por or ne por argent.
Mout m'est de moi, mès plus m'est de ma gent;
Qu'après ma mort avront reprochement,
Se longuement sui pris.

N'est pas mervoille se j'ai le cuer dolant,
Quant mes sires mest ma terre en torment.
S'il li membrast de nostre soirement
Que nos feïsmes andui communement,
Je sai de voir que ja trop longuement
Ne seroie ça pris.

Ce sevent bien Angevin et Torain,
Cil bacheler qui or sont riche et sain,
Qu'encombrez sui loing d'aus, en autre main.
Forment m'aidessent, mais il n'en oient grain.
De beles armes sont ore vuit et plain,
Por ce que je sui pris.

Contesse suer, vostre pris soverain
Vos saut et gart cil a cui je m'en clain;
E por ce que je sui pris.
Je ne di mie a cele de Chartrain,
La mere Loëys.

Note: This song is supposed to have been written when he was a prisoner near Vienna.

Text Authorship:

  • by Richard I of England, House of Plantagenet (1157 - 1199), written 1192-4? [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 Richard I of England, House of Plantagenet (1157 - 1199), "Ja nuns hons pris", 1192-4? [sung text checked 1 time]

Another version of this text exists in the database.

    • Go to the text. [ view differences ]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

  • Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Gerhard Anton von Halem (1752 - 1819) , "König Richards Lied im Gefängniß", subtitle: "Provenzalisch", written 1798 [an adaptation] ; composed by Friedrich Adrian Götzloff.
      • Go to the text.

Researcher for this page: Guy Laffaille [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2010-01-26
Line count: 35
Word count: 235

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