I hope and fear | I hope and fear, I'm silent, I beg

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by Pierre de Ronsard (1524 - 1585)

Translation © by David Wyatt

J'espere et crain, je me tais et supplye

Language: French (Français)

Our translations: ENG

J'espere et crain, je me tais et supplye.
Or’ je suis glace et ores un feu chaut.
J'admire tout et de rien ne me chaut.
Je me delace et soudain me relie.

Rien ne me plaist, sinon ce qui m'ennuie :
Je suis vaillant et le coeur me defaut.
J'ay l'espoir bas, j'ay le courage haut,
Je doute Amour, et si je le deffie.

Plus je me pique, et plus je suis retif.
J'ayme estre libre et veux estre captif.
Cent fois je meurs, cent fois je pren naissance.

Un Promethée en passions je suis.
Et pour aymer perdant toute puissance
Crier mercy seulement je ne puis.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

• G. Boni • P. Certon • R. de Lassus

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Text Authorship:

by Pierre de Ronsard (1524 - 1585) [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

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Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 14
Word count: 110

I hope and fear

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Language: English after the French (Français)

I hope and fear, I'm silent, I beg;
Now I'm like ice, now like hot fire;
I'm amazed at everything, and care for nothing;
I relax, and suddenly get tense again

Nothing pleases me, except what bores me;
I'm courageous and my heart fails me;
I have no hope, I have high hopes;
I doubt Love, and even so I defy him.

The more I'm goaded, the more stubborn I get;
I love to be free, and want to be imprisoned;
I die again & again, again & again I'm reborn.

I'm like a Prometheus in my suffering
And, for love, from losing all strength
Just cannot cry 'enough'.

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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)
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This text was added to the website: 2012-05-18
Line count: 14
Word count: 113