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Je ne saurois aimer autre que vous, Non, Dame, non, je ne saurois le faire: Autre que vous ne me sauroit complaire, Et fust Venus descendue entre nous. Vos yeus me sont si gracieus et dous, Que d'un seul clin ils me peuvent defaire, D'un autre clin tout soudain me refaire, Me faisans vivre ou mourir en deux coups. Quand je serois cinq cens mille ans en vie, Autre que vous, ma mignonne [m'amie]1, Ne me feroit amoureus devenir. Il me faudroit refaire d'autres venes, Les miennes sont de vostre amour si plenes, Qu'un autre amour n'y sauroit plus tenir.
J. Castro sets lines 1-8
About the headline (FAQ)
View text without footnotesText as set by Gouvy:
Je ne saurais aimer autre que vous, Non, dame, non, non, je ne le saurais faire. Autre que vous ne saurait me complaire, Et fût Vénus descendue entre nous. Vos yeux, vos yeux me sont si gracieux et si doux, Que d’un seul regard ils peuvent me défaire, Et d’un autre tout soudain, soudain me refaire, Ah! Je voudrais mourir pour vous! Et quand je serais deux siècles en vie, Autre que vous, ma mignonne, ma mie, Ne me ferait amoureux devenir. Ah! lisez en mon âme et finissez sa peine, Elle est de vos beautés, de votre amour si pleine, Qu’un autre amour n’y saurait plus tenir.1 Bertrand: "ma vie"
Text Authorship:
- by Pierre de Ronsard (1524 - 1585), no title, appears in Continuation des Amours, no. 28, first published 1555 [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 Anthoine de Bertrand (1540? - 1581?), "Je ne saurais aimer autre que vous", published 1578, first performed 1576 [ vocal quartet a cappella ], from Les Amours de Pierre de Ronsard à 4 parties, Livre 2, no. 13 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Jean de Castro (c1540 - c1600), "Je ne saurois aymer autre que vous", lines 1-8 [sung text checked 2 times]
- by Louis Théodore Gouvy (1819 - 1898), "Je ne saurais aimer autre que vous", op. 42 (Six Poésies de Ronsard) no. 3, published 1876 [ voice and piano ], from 40 Poèmes de Ronsard, no. 12, Paris, Éd Simon Richault [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Richard Georg Strauss (1864 - 1949) and by Clemens Krauss (1893 - 1954) ; composed by Richard Georg Strauss.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Faith J. Cormier) , "I wouldn't know how to love any but you", copyright © 2000, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (John Glenn Paton) , copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: John Glenn Paton [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 14
Word count: 103
I could not love anyone but you, no, lady, no, I could not do it; no other than you could please me, even if Venus herself came down among us. Your eyes are so gracious and sweet to me that they can undo me with a single wink, and suddenly make me who again with another wink, making me live or die in two strokes. If I lived five hundred thousand years, no other than you, my darling, [my love]1, could make me become a lover. I would have to remake myself with other veins; my own are so full of love for you that they could not hold another love.
About the headline (FAQ)
View text without footnotes1 Bertrand: "my life"
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2011 by John Glenn Paton, (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 French (Français) by Pierre de Ronsard (1524 - 1585), no title, appears in Continuation des Amours, no. 28, first published 1555
This text was added to the website: 2011-05-14
Line count: 14
Word count: 113