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by Pierre de Ronsard (1524 - 1585)
Translation © by David Wyatt

Sainct Blaise, qui vis aux cieux
Language: French (Français) 
Our translations:  ENG
Sainct Blaise, qui vis aux cieux
Comme un ange precieux,
Si de la terre où nous sommes,
Tu entens la voix des hommes,
Recevant les vœux de tous,
Je te prie, escoute-nous. 

Ce jourd'huy que nous faisons
A ton autel oraisons
Et processions sacrées
Pour nous, nos bleds et nos prées,
Chantant ton hymne à genous :
Je te prie, escoute-nous.

Chasse loin de nostre chef
Toute peste et tout meschef
Que l'air corrompu nous verse,
Quand la main de Dieu diverse
Respand sur nous son courrous :
Je te prie, escoute-nous.

Garde nos petits troupeaux,
Laines entieres et peaux,
De la ronce dentelée,
De tac et de clavelée,
De morfonture et de tous :
Je te prie, escoute-nous.

Que tousjours accompagnez
Soient de mastins rechignez,
Le jour allant en pasture,
Et la nuict en leur closture,
De peur de la dent des loups :
Je te prie, escoute-nous.

Si le loup de sang ardent
Prend un mouton en sa dent,
Quand du bois il sort en queste,
Huans tous aprés la beste,
Que soudain il soit recous :
Je te prie, escoute-nous.

Garde qu'en allant aux champs,
Les larrons qui sont meschans,
Ne desrobent fils ne mere ;
Garde-les de la vipere
Et d'aspics au ventre rous :
Je te prie, escoute-nous.

Que ny sorciers ny poison
N'endommagent leur toison
Par parole ou par breuvage ;
Qu'ils passent l'esté sans rage,
Que l'autonne leur soit dous :
Je te prie, escoute-nous.

Garde-nous de trop d'ardeurs
Et d'excessives froideurs ;
Donne-nous la bonne année,
Force bleds, force vinée,
Sans fiévre, rongne, ne clous :
Je te prie, escoute-nous.

Garde nos petits vergers
Et nos jardins potagers,
Nos maisons et nos familles,
Enfans, et femmes, et filles,
Et leur donne bons espous :
Je te prie, escoute-nous.

Garde poulles et poussins
De renards et de larcins ;
Garde sauves nos avettes ;
Qu'ils portent force fleurettes
Tousjours en leurs petits trous :
Je te prie, escoute-nous.

Fay naistre force boutons
Pour engraisser nos moutons,
Et force fueille menue,
Que paist la troupe cornue
De nos chévres et nos boucs :
Je te prie, escoute-nous.

Chasse la guerre bien loing;
Romps les armes dans le poing
Du soldat qui frappe et tue
Celuy qui tient la charrue,
Mangeant son bien en deux coups :
Je te prie, escoute-nous.

Que le plaideur grippe-tout,
Par procés qui sont sans bout,
N'enveloppe le bon homme
Qui chiquanant se consomme,
Puis meurt de faim et de pous :
Je te prie, escoute-nous.

Que l'impudent usurier,
Laissant l'interest premier,
N'assemble point sans mesure
Usure dessus usure,
Pour ravir son petit clous :
Je te prie, escoute-nous.

Garde nos petits ruisseaux
De souillure de pourceaux,
Naiz pour engraisser leur pance ;
Pour eux tombe en abondance
Le glan des chesnes secous :
Je te prie, escoute-nous.

Nos genices au printemps
Ne sentent mouches ne tans,
Enflent de laict leurs mammelles ;
Que pleines soient nos faiscelles
De fourmages secs et mous :
Je te prie, escoute-nous.

Nos bouviers sans murmurer
Puissent la peine endurer,
Bien repeus à nostre table;
Soient les bœufs dedans l'estable
Tousjours de fourrages saouls :
Je te prie, escoute-nous.

Chasse loin les paresseux ;
Donne bon courage à ceux
Qui travaillent, sans blesseure
De congnée, et sans morseure
De chiens enragez et fous :
Je te prie, escoute-nous.

Bref, garde-nous de terreurs,
Et de paniques fureurs,
Et d'illusion estrange,
Et de feu sacré, qui mange
Membres, arteres et pouls :
Je te prie, escoute-nous.

Donne que ceux qui viendront
Prier ton nom, et rendront
A ton autel [leurs]1 offrandes,
Jouissent de leurs demandes,
De tous leurs pechez absous :
Je te prie, escoute-nous.

Sainct Blaise, qui vis aux cieux
Comme un ange precieux,
Si de la terre où nous sommes,
Tu entens la voix des hommes,
Recevant les vœux de tous,
Je te prie, escoute-nous.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

•   C. Saint-Saëns 

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)

Text as set by Saint-Saëns:

Saint Blaise, qui vis aux cieux
Comme un ange précieux,
Si de la terre où nous sommes,
Tu entends la voix des hommes,
Recevant les vœux de tous,
Je te prie, écoute-nous. 

Ce jourd'hui que nous faisons
A ton autel oraisons
Et processions sacrées
Pour nous, nos blés et nos prées,
Chantant ton hymne à genoux :
Je te prie, écoute-nous.

Garde nos petits troupeaux,
Laines entières et peaux,
De la ronce dentelée,
De tac et de clavelée,
De morfonture et de tous :
Je te prie, écoute-nous.

Garde nos petits vergers
Et nos jardins potagers,
Nos maisons et nos familles,
Enfants, et femmes, et filles,
Et leur donne bons époux :
Je te prie, écoute-nous.

Donne que ceux qui viendront
Prier ton nom, et rendront
A ton autel [leurs]1 offrandes,
Jouissent de leurs demandes,
De tous leurs péchés absous :
Je te prie, écoute-nous.

Saint Blaise, qui vis aux cieux
Comme un ange précieux,
Si de la terre où nous sommes,
Tu entends la voix des hommes,
Recevant les vœux de tous,
Je te prie, écoute-nous.
1 Saint-Saëns: "les"

Text Authorship:

  • by Pierre de Ronsard (1524 - 1585), "Des pères de famille. À Sainct Blaise", subtitle: "Sur le chant Te rogamus audi nos", appears in Les Hymnes, no. 12 [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 Charles Camille Saint-Saëns (1835 - 1921), "À Saint-Blaise", 1921, published 1921 [ voice and piano ], from Cinq poèmes de Ronsard, no. 3, Paris: Durand & Cie., [sung text checked 1 time]

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

  • ENG English (David Wyatt) , copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2011-04-29
Line count: 132
Word count: 614

Saint Blaise, who lives in the heavens
Language: English  after the French (Français) 
Saint Blaise, who lives in the heavens
Like a precious angel
If, from the earth where we are,
You can hear the voice of men,
Receiving all our vows,
  I pray you, hear us.

Today as we make 
Our prayers at your altar
And sacred processions
For us, our homes and fields,
Singing you a hymn on our knees,
  I pray you, hear us.

Chase far from our master
All illness and all evils
That the corrupt air pours on us 
When the hand of God stretches
Wide on us in his anger:
  I pray you, hear us.

Guard our little flocks,
Their woolly fleeces and skins,
From barbed nettles
From scabies and sheep-pox
From blue-tongue, and from everything:
  I pray you, hear us.

May they always be accompanied
By reluctant mastiffs
By day as they go to pasture,
By night in their field,
From fear of the wolf's teeth: 
  I pray you, hear us.

If the hot-blooded wolf
Takes a sheep in its teeth
When it leaves the wood to hunt
Calling the pack after the sheep,
May it suddenly retreat: 
  I pray you, hear us.

Watch that, when going to the fields,
Wicked thieves
Steal no lamb or ewe.
Keep them from the viper
And red-bellied serpents: 
  I pray you, hear us.

That no sorcerer or poison
Should damage their fleeces
With spell or potion;
That they may spend the summer free of ills
That the autumn may be kind to them: 
  I pray you, hear us.

Keep us from too much heat
And from excessive cold
Give us a good year,
Bring on the corn and the vines --
No fever, wasting or boils: 
  I pray you, hear us.

Guard our little orchards
Our little kitchen gardens,
Our homes and families
Our children, wives and daughters,
And give them all good marriages: 
  I pray you, hear us.

Keep chickens and chicks
From foxes and thieves;
Keep our sprouts safe
That they may bear many flowers
While still in their little holes: 
  I pray you, hear us.

Mak many buds grow
To fatten up our sheep
And many slender leaves
To feed our horned herd
Of goats and rams: 
  I pray you, hear us.

Keep war far from here;
Break the weapons in the hand
Of the soldier who strikes and kills
Anyone guiding the plough,
And eats his goods up in a moment:
  I pray you, hear us.

Keep the grab-everything litigant
In his endless lawsuits
From swallowing up the good man,
May he consume himself in quibbling
Then die of hunger and lice:
  I pray you, hear us.

Keep the impudent loan-shark
From waiving his initial fee
Then piling up without limit
Huge interest on top of interest
To build his own stash:
  I pray you, hear us.

Keep our little streams
From the filth of pigs
Born to fatten their bellies;
May the acorns of dry oaks
Fall abundantly for them:
  I pray you, hear us.

Keep our heifers in spring
From biting of flies and such like;
Swell their udders with milk
That we may have piles
Of cheeses, dry and soft:
  I pray you, hear us.

May our cowmen without murmur
Be able to keep up their work
Well fed at our tables;
May the cattle in the stable
Always be stuffed with fodder:
  I pray you, hear us.

Chase far from here the lazy
Give endurance to those
Who work, no wounds
From the axe, and no bites
From rabid or mad dogs:
  I pray you, hear us.

In short, keep us from fear
And terrifying panic,
And from strange visions
And from the holy fire which consumes
Limbs, veins and blood:
  I pray you, hear us.

May those who come
To pray in your name and give
At your altar  their offerings
Be successful in all their requests
And absolved of all their sins:
  I pray you, hear us.

Sain Blaise, who live in the heavens
Like a precious angel
If, from the earth where we are,
You can her the voice of men,
Receiving all our vows,
  I pray you, hear us.

About the headline (FAQ)

Translations of titles
"À Saint-Blaise" = "To Saint Blaise"
"Des pères de famille. À Sainct Blaise" = "Fathers of families. To Saint Blaise"

Note: Saint-Saëns only set to music stanzas 1-2,4,10,21-22.


Text Authorship:

  • Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2012 by David Wyatt, (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 French (Français) by Pierre de Ronsard (1524 - 1585), "Des pères de famille. À Sainct Blaise", subtitle: "Sur le chant Te rogamus audi nos", appears in Les Hymnes, no. 12
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2012-05-18
Line count: 132
Word count: 681

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This website began in 1995 as a personal project by Emily Ezust, who has been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your help is greatly appreciated!
–Emily Ezust, Founder

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