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

Quand ce beau Printemps je vois
Language: French (Français) 
Our translations:  ENG
Quand ce beau Printemps je vois,
     J'aperçois
  Rajeunir la terre et l'onde
  Et me semble que le jour,
     Et l'Amour,
  Comme enfants naissent au monde.

Le jour qui plus beau se fait,
     Nous refait
  Plus belle et verte la terre,
  Et Amour armé de traits
     Et d'attraits,
  Dans nos coeurs nous fait la guerre.

Il répand de toutes parts
     Feux et dards
  Et dompte sous sa puissance
  Hommes, bestes et oiseaux,
     Et les eaux
  Lui rendent obeïssance.

Vénus avec son enfant
     Triomphant,
  Au haut de son coche assise,
  Laisse ses cygnes voler
     Parmi l'air
  Pour aller voir son Anchise. 

Quelque part que ses beaux yeux
     Par les cieux
  Tournent leurs lumières belles,
  L'air qui se montre serein
     Est tout plein
  D'amoureuses étincelles.

Puis en descendant à bas
     Sous ses pas
  Croissent mille fleurs écloses;
  Les beaux lis et les oeillets
     Vermeillets
  Y naissent entre les roses.

Je sens en ce mois si beau
     Le flambeau
  D'Amour qui m'échauffe l'âme,
  Y voyant de tous côtés
     Les beautés
  Qu'il emprunte de ma Dame.

Quand je vois tant de couleurs
     Et de fleurs
  Qui émaillent un rivage,
  Je pense voir le beau teint
     Qui est peint
  Si vermeil en son visage.

Quand je vois les grand rameaux
     Des ormeaux
  Qui sont lacés de lierre,
  Je pense être pris és lacs
     De ses bras,
  Et que mon col elle serre.

Quand j'entends la douce voix
     Par les bois
  Du gai rossignol qui chante,
  D'elle je pense jouir
     Et ouïr
  Sa douce voix qui m'enchante.

Quand Zéphyre mène un bruit
     Qui se suit
  Au travers d'une ramée, 
  Des propos il me souvient
     Que me tient
  La bouche de mon aimée.

Quand je vois en quelque endroit
     Un pin droit,
  Ou quelque arbre qui s'élève,
  Je me laisse décevoir,
     Pensant voir
  Sa belle taille et sa grève.

Quand je vois dans un jardin,
     Au matin,
  S'éclore une fleur nouvelle,
  J'accompare le bouton
     Au teton
  De son beau sein qui pommelle.

Quand le Soleil tout riant
     D'Orient
  Nous montre sa blonde tresse,
  Il me semble que je voi
     Près de moi
  Lever ma belle maîtresse.

Quand je sens parmi les prés
     Diaprés
  Les fleurs dont la terre est pleine,
  Lors je fais croire à mes sens
     Que je sens 
  La douceur de son haleine.

Bref, je fais comparaison,
     Par raison,
  Du printemps et de m'amie;
  Il donne aux fleurs la vigueur,
     Et mon coeur
  D'elle prend vigueur et vie.

Je voudrais au bruit de l'eau
     D'un ruisseau,
  Déplier ses tresses blondes,
  Frisant en autant de noeuds
     Ses cheveux.
  Que je verrais friser d'ondes.

Je voudrois, pour la tenir,
     Devenir
  Dieu de ces forêts désertes,
  La baisant autant de fois
     Qu'en un bois
  Il y a de feuilles vertes.

Hà ! maîtresse, mon souci,
     Viens ici,
  Viens contempler la verdure !
  Les fleurs de mon amitié
     Ont pitié,
  Et seule tu n'en as cure.

Au moins lève un peu tes yeux
     Gracieux,
  Et vois ces deux colombelles,
  Qui font naturellement,
     Doucement
  L'amour du bec et des ailes.

Et nous, sous ombre d'honneur,
     Le bonheur
  Trahissons par une crainte:
  Les oiseaux sont plus heureux
     Amoureux,
  Qui font l'amour sans contrainte.

Toutefois ne perdons pas
     Nos ébats
  Pour ces lois tant rigoureuses;
  Mais, si tu m'en crois, vivons,
     Et suivons
  Les colombes amoureuses.
 
Pour effacer mon émoi,
     Baise-moi,
  Rebaise-moi, ma Déesse!
  Ne laissons passer en vain
     Si soudain
  Les ans de notre jeunesse.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

•   G. Auric •   P. Eben •   R. Escher •   L. Gouvy 

G. Auric sets stanzas 1-3
R. Escher sets stanzas 1-3, 7-9, 13, 15, 17-23
L. Gouvy sets stanzas 1, 10, 15, 19, 23 (lines 3-4, 6)
R. Caby sets stanza 17
P. Eben sets stanzas 1-2, 7, 19
A. Dethou sets stanzas 19-20
L. Kreutzer sets stanzas 8, 14

About the headline (FAQ)

View text with all available footnotes

Text Authorship:

  • by Pierre de Ronsard (1524 - 1585), "Chanson" [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 Georges Auric (1899 - 1983), no title, alternate title: "Printemps", 1935, published 1935, stanzas 1-3 [ medium voice and piano ], note: composed for Édouard Bourdet's play Margot (1935) in which Yvonne Printemps played the role of Marguerite of Navarre; Paris, Durand [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Robert Caby (1905 - 1992), "Je voudrais au bruit de l'eau", 1955, stanza 17 [ mixed chorus or vocal quartet a cappella ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Paul Delmet (1862 - 1904), "Chanson de Ronsard", published [1898] [ medium voice and piano ], from Nouvelles Chansons, no. 15, Éd. Heugel [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Amédée Dethou (1811 - 1877), "Ha ! Maîtresse", published [1859], stanzas 19-20 [ medium voice and piano ], from Douze mélodies sur des poësies de Victor Hugo et de Ronsard, Bertaut, Desportes et Passerat, Poëtes du XVIè siècle, no. 6, Paris, Imprimerie Bouchard [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Petr Eben (1929 - 2007), "Quand ce beau printemps", stanzas 1-2,7,19 [ voice and guitar ], from Písně k loutně, no. 3, confirmed with a CD booklet [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Rudolf Escher (1912 - 1980), "Chanson", 1957, stanzas 1-3,7-9,13,15,17-23, from Ciel, air et vents, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Louis Théodore Gouvy (1819 - 1898), "Chanson", op. 42 (Six Poésies de Ronsard) no. 6, published 1876, stanzas 1, 10, 15, 19, 23 (lines 3-4,6) [ voice and piano ], from 40 Poèmes de Ronsard, no. 15, Paris, Éd Simon Richault [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Léon Charles François Kreutzer (1817 - 1868), "Poésie de Ronsard", stanzas 8,14 [ voice and piano ], from 26 mélodies pour chant et piano, no. 4, Éd. Richault [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Paul-Jean-Jacques Lacôme d'Estalenx (1838 - 1920), "Le printemps" [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Gaston Marchet , "Chanson", published [1920] [ voice, piano, viola d'amore or violin ], from Deux mélodies, no. 2, Paris, Éd. Maurice Sénart & Cie. [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Henri Rabaud (1873 - 1949), "Quand ce beau printemps je voy", published 1948 [ mezzo-soprano and piano ], Paris, Éd. 'Au Ménestrel' Heugel et Cie. [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Guido Spinetti (1850 - 1931), "Quand ce beau printemps je voy", published 1897 [ medium voice and piano ], from Treize poésies de Ronsard, mises en musique par Guido Spinetti, et ornées par Lucien Métivet de vignettes modernes dans le goût ancien, préface de Francisque Sarcey, no. 2, Paris, Éd. Flammarion [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Julien Tiersot (1857 - 1936), "Quand ce beau printemps je vois", published 1924 [ medium voice and piano ], from Chansons de Ronsard, no. 7, Éd. 'Au Ménestrel' Heugel [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Anselm Vinée (1847 - 1921), "Madrigal" [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

  • Also set in French (Français), [adaptation] ; composed by Jules Massenet.
    • Go to the text.

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

  • ENG English (David Wyatt) , "When I see the fair Springtime", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Jeroen Scholten , Malcolm Wren [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 138
Word count: 575

When I see the fair Springtime
Language: English  after the French (Français) 
When I see the fair Springtime
  I recognise
Earth and sea renewing their youth
And it seems to me that Day
  And Love
Like children are born into the world. 

Day which makes itself lovelier,
  Makes the earth again
Lovelier and greener for us,
And Love armed with charms
  And harms
Makes war on us in our hearts.

He looses in all directions 
  His fiery darts
And overcomes with his power
Men, beasts and birds,
  And even the waters
Give him obedience.

Venus with her
  Triumphant son
Sitting up high on her couch
Sets her swans flying
  Through the air
To go and see her Anchises.

Wherever her lovely eyes
  Around the heavens
Turn their fair light,
The air, remaining calm,
  Is filled
With stars in love.

Then coming down low
  Under her feet
Grow a thousand flowers blooming;
Fair lilies and bright red
  Carnations
Flower there among roses.

In this month so lovely, I feel
  The flame
Of Love warming my soul,
Seeing there on all sides
  The beauties
Which it has borrowed from my Lady.

When I see so many colours
  And flowers
Studding a riverbank,
I imagine I see the fair colour
  Which paints
Her complexion so pink.

When I see the great branches
  Of the elms
Which are laced with ivy,
I imagine being taken into the lakes
  Of her arms
And her supporting my neck.

When I hear the soft voice
  Of the happy nightingale
Singing in the woods,
I imagine enjoying her
  And hearing
Her soft voice which enchants me.

When the sound of Zephyr's breeze
  Follows him
Across a branch,
It reminds me of the promise
  Which the lips
Of my love hold for me.

When I see in some place
  A tall pine
Or some other tree growing tall
I allow myself to be deceived
  And imagine I see
Her lovely shape and size.

When I see in a garden
  In the morning
A new flower opening,
I compare its bud
  With the nipple
Of her fair breast, swelling.

When the sun, smiling
  In the east,
Shows us his golden tresses,
I imagine I see
  Next to me
My fair mistress arising.

When I spy the meadows
  Dotted
With the flowers which fill the earth,
Ah then I make my senses believe
  That I feel
The softness of her breath.
 
In short, I make the comparison,
  With good reason
Of Springtime with my beloved;
One gives the flowers their new strength,
  And my heart
Takes from the other its strength and life.

I'd like, to the sound of the water
  Of some stream
To untie her blonde tresses
Curling her hair into
  So many knots
That I'd see waves curling.

I'd like, so I could hold her,
  To become
God of these empty forests,
Kissing her as many times
  As there are
Green leaves in a wood.

Ah, my mistress, my desire,
  Come here
Come and consider the greensward!
The flowers take pity
  On my love
And only you care not.

At least lift your gracious eyes
  A little
And see these two doves
Who quite naturally
  And sweetly
Make love with beak and wings.

And we, under the cloud of honour
  Betray
Our happiness through fear:
The birds are luckier
  Lovers
Who make love without constraint.

Still, let us not give up
  Our frolics
For these too restrictive laws;
But if you trust me, let's live
  Let's copy
The amorous doves.

To sweep away my anguish
Kiss me
Kiss me again, my goddess!
Don't let them go by empty
And quickly,
These years of our youth!

View text with all available footnotes

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), "Chanson"
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2012-07-25
Line count: 138
Word count: 598

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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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