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Qui voudra voir dedans une jeunesse La beauté jointe avec la chasteté, L'humble douceur, la grave majesté, Toutes vertus et toute gentilesse; Qui voudra voir les yeux d'une déesse Et de nos ans la seule nouveauté, De ceste dame oeillade la beauté, Que le vulgaire appelle ma maistresse. Il apprendra comme Amour rit et mord, Comme il guarit, comme il donne la mort; [Puis il dira, voyant chose si belle: Heureux, vraiment, heureux qui peut avoir Heureusement cet heur que de la voir, Et plus heureux qui meurt pour l'amour d'elle!]1
1 variant:
Puis il dira: Quelle estrange nouvelle! Du ciel la terre empruntoit sa beauté; La terre au ciel maintenant a osté La beauté mesme, ayant chose si belle.
Text Authorship:
- by Pierre de Ronsard (1524 - 1585), "Qui voudra voir dedans une jeunesse" [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?), "Qui voudra voir dedans une jeunesse", 1576, published 1578, first performed 1576 [ vocal quartet a cappella ], from Les Amours de Pierre de Ronsard à 4 parties, Livre 1, no. 7 [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (David Wyatt) , "Whoever would like to see within one young lady", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: David Wyatt
This text was added to the website: 2012-07-25
Line count: 14
Word count: 92
Whoever would like to see within one young lady Beauty joined with chastity, Soft humility, grave majesty, All virtues and all nobility: Whoever would like to see the eyes of a goddess And the only novelty of our times; Let him cast his eye on the beauty of this lady Whom the common folk call my mistress. He will learn how love smiles and bites, How it heals and how it gives death; [Then he will say, seeing a thing so lovely: Fortunate is he, fortunate indeed, who can have Just this fortunate hour to see her, And more fortunate he who dies for love of her!]1
1 variant:
Then he will say: what a strange novelty! From heaven, earth borrows its beauty; But the earth now has taken from heaven Beauty itself, having such a beautiful thing [upon it].
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.
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Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Pierre de Ronsard (1524 - 1585), "Qui voudra voir dedans une jeunesse"
This text was added to the website: 2012-07-25
Line count: 14
Word count: 108