Sweetheart, let us see if the rose

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by Pierre de Ronsard (1524 - 1585)

Translation © by Faith J. Cormier

Mignonne, allons voir si la rose

(Sung text for setting by J. Manduell)

See original

Language: French (Français)

Our translations: CHI ENG

Mignonne, allons voir si la rose,
Qui ce matin avait desclose
Sa robe de pourpre au soleil,
N'a point perdu cette vesprée
Les plis de sa robe pourprée
Et son teint au vôtre pareil.

Las ! voyez comme en peu d'espace,
Mignonne, elle a, dessus la place,
Las ! Las ! ses beautés laissé cheoir !
Ô vraiment marâtre nature,
Puisqu'une telle fleur ne dure,
Que du matin jusques au soir !

Donc, si vous m'en croyez Mignonne,
Tandis que votre âge fleuronne
En sa plus verte nouveauté,
Cueillez, cueillez votre jeunesse :
Comme à ceste fleur la vieillesse
Fera ternir vostre beauté.

Somewhat

Composition:

John Manduell, Sir

Trois chansons de la Renaissance

Text Authorship:

by Pierre de Ronsard (1524 - 1585), "À Cassandre"

See other settings of this text.

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

CHI Chinese (中文) [singable] (Dr Huaixing Wang) , copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ENG English (Faith J. Cormier) , no title, copyright © 2000, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 18
Word count: 99

Sweetheart, let us see if the rose

(Sung text translation for setting by J. Manduell)

See original

Language: English after the French (Français)

Sweetheart, let us see if the rose
that only this morning unfolded
its scarlet dress in the sun
has lost, at vesper-time,
the folds of its scarlet dress
and its colour, so like yours.
 
Alas! See how rapidly,
Sweetheart, she has let 
her beauty fall all over the place!
Nature is truly a cruel stepmother
when such a flower only lasts
from dawn to dusk!
 
So if you believe me, Sweetheart,
while your age flowers 
in its greenest newness,
gather, gather your youth.
Age will tarnish your beauty
as it has faded this flower.

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Text Authorship:

Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2000 by Faith J. Cormier, (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), "À Cassandre"
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This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 18
Word count: 95