Before my eyes night and day bring back to me

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by Pierre de Ronsard (1524 - 1585)

Translation © by David Wyatt

Devant les yeux nuit et jour me revient

(Sung text for setting by A. Bertrand)

See original

Language: French (Français)

Our translations: ENG

Devant les yeux nuit et jour me revient
L'ydole saint de l'angelique face ;
Soit que j'ecrive, ou soit que j'entrelasse
Mes vers au luth, toujours m'en ressouvient.

Voyés, pour dieu, comme un bel œil me tient
En sa prison et point ne me délasse,
Et comme il prend mon cœur dedans sa nasse
Qui de pensée à mon dam l'entretient.

O le grand mal, quand une affection
Peint notre esprit de quelque impression !
J'entends alors que l'Amour ne dedaigne

Subtilement l'engraver de son trait ;
Toujours au cœur nous revient le portrait,
Et maugré nous toujours nous accompagne.

Composition:

Anthoine de Bertrand

25 Chansons à 4 parties, Livre 3

Text Authorship:

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

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: 14
Word count: 100

Before my eyes night and day bring back...

(Sung text translation for setting by A. Bertrand)

See original

Language: English after the French (Français)

Before my eyes night and day bring back to me
The holy image of her angelic face;
Whether I write or interweave
My verses to the notes of the lute, I always recall it.
 
See, by heaven, how a fair eye holds me
In its prison, and never lets me relax;
And how it captures within its toils my heart
Which in its thoughts supports it, to my destruction.
 
Oh what a great evil, when attraction
Paints upon our spirit some impression!
I realise now that Love does not scorn
 
Subtly to inscribe his wound on it;
Always to our heart returns the picture,
And despite ourselves always it accompanies us.

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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), no title
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This text was added to the website: 2014-10-27
Line count: 14
Word count: 113