Do you ask, sweet enemy

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by Pierre de Ronsard (1524 - 1585)

Translation © by David Wyatt

Demandes‑tu, douce ennemie

(Sung text for setting by A. Bertrand)

See base text

Language: French (Français)

Our translations: ENG

Demandes-tu, douce ennemie,
Quelle est pour toy ma pauvre vie ?
Helas certainement elle est
Telle qu’ordonner te la plaist.
 
Pauvre, chetive, et langoureuse,
Dolente, triste, malheureuse,
Et si amour a quelque esmoy
Plus facheux, il loge chez moy.
 
Apres demandes-tu, m’amie,
Quels compagnie a ma vie ?
Certes accompagnée elle est
De tels compaignons qu’il te plaist.
 
Ennuy, travail, peine, tristesse,
Larmes, souspirs, sanglots, destresse,
Et s’amour a quelque soucy
Plus facheux, il est mien aussi.

Voyla comment pour toy, ma vie,
Je traine ma chetive vie,
Heureux du mal que je reçoy
Pour t’aimer cent fois plus que moy.

Composition:

Anthoine de Bertrand

25 Chansons à 4 parties, Livre 3

Text Authorship:

by Pierre de Ronsard (1524 - 1585)

See other settings of this text.

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

ENG English (David Wyatt) , copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: David Wyatt

This text was added to the website: 2014-10-27
Line count: 20
Word count: 104

Do you ask, sweet enemy

(Sung text translation for setting by A. Bertrand)

See original

Language: English after the French (Français)

Do you ask, sweet enemy,
What sort of wretched life I lead for you?
Alas it is certainly the kind
That it would please you to arrange.
 
Poor, wretched, languid,
Plaintive, sad, unhappy,
And if there’s any more tiresome trouble
Which love brings, it lives in me.

Next do you ask, my sweet,
What companions my life has?
my love
Truly it is accompanied 
By the kind of companions which would please you.
 
Anxiety, struggle, pain, sadness,
Tears, sighs, sobs, distress,
And if there’s any more tiresome worry
Which love brings, it is mine too.
 
That is how for you, my love,
I lead my wretched life,
Happy in the ills I receive
For loving you a hundred times more than myself.

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Text Authorship:

Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2014 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: 2014-10-27
Line count: 20
Word count: 121