Why have I not, my Lady, as I write, the divine

Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.

It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.

To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at licenses@email.lieder.example.net

If you wish to reprint translations, please make sure you include the names of the translators in your email. They are below each translation.

Note: You must use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.

by Pierre de Ronsard (1524 - 1585)

Translation © by David Wyatt

Que n'ay‑je dame et la plume et la grace

(Sung text for setting by G. Boni)

See original

Language: French (Français)

Our translations: ENG

Que n'ay-je, Dame, et la plume et la grace
Divine autant que j'ay la volonté!
Par mes escrits tu serois surmonté,
Vieil enchanteur des vieux rochers de Thrace.

Plus haut encor que Pindare et qu'Horace,
J'appenderois à ta divinité
Un livre enflé de telle gravité,
Que du Bellay luy quitteroit la place.

Si vive encor Laure par l'Univers
Ne fuit volant dessus les Thusques vers,
Que nostre siecle heureusement estime,

Comme ton nom, honneur des vers François,
(Jusques au ciel eslevé par ma voix)
S'en-voleroit sus l'aisle de ma ryme.

Composition:

Guillaume Boni

Sonnets de Pierre de Ronsard mis en musique à 4 parties, II

Text Authorship:

by Pierre de Ronsard (1524 - 1585), no title

Go to the general single-text view

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

ENG English (David Wyatt) , copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: David Wyatt

This text was added to the website: 2015-03-01
Line count: 14
Word count: 89

Why have I not, my Lady, as I write, the...

(Sung text translation for setting by G. Boni)

See original

Language: English after the French (Français)

Why have I not, my Lady, the pen and the divine
Favour that matches my eagerness!
You would be overcome by my writing,
Ancient enchanter of the ancient rocks of Thrace!

Higher still than Pindar and Horace,
I would add to your divinity in
A book puffed up with such gravity
That du Bellay would make way for it!

Laura does not fly so fleetly through
The world within those Tuscan verses
Which our age happily esteems,

As your name, the honour of French verse,
Raised to heaven by my voice
Would fly on the the wings of my poetry.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2015 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), no title
- Go to the text page.

Go to the general single-text view

This text was added to the website: 2015-03-01
Line count: 14
Word count: 103