Love is slaying me | Love is slaying me, and I do not want to speak

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by Pierre de Ronsard (1524 - 1585)

Translation © by Faith J. Cormier

Amour me tue, et si je ne veux dire

(Sung text for setting by J. de Maletty)

See original

Language: French (Français)

Our translations: ENG

Amour me tue, et si je ne veus dire
  Le plaisant mal que ce m'est de mourir:
  Tant j'ay grand peur, qu'on voulust secourir
  Ce doux tourment pour lequel je soupire.

Il est bien vray, que ma langueur desire
  Qu'avec le tans je me puisse guerir:
  Mais je ne veus ma dame requerir
  Pour ma santé: tant me plait mon martire.

Tay toy langueur: je sen venir le jour,
  Que ma maistresse, après si loing sejour,
  Voyant le soing qui ronge ma pensée,

Tout' une nuict, folatrement m'aiant
  Entre ses bras, prodigu', ira paiant
  Les interés de ma pein' avancée.

Composition:

Jean de Maletty

Text Authorship:

by Pierre de Ronsard (1524 - 1585), no title, appears in Les Amours (1553), no. 5, first published 1553

See other settings of this text.

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

ENG English (Faith J. Cormier) , "Love is slaying me", 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: 14
Word count: 102

Love is slaying me

(Sung text translation for setting by J. de Maletty)

See original

Language: English after the French (Français)

Love is slaying me, and I do not want to speak
the pleasant pain it gives me to die, 
so much I fear that someone will want to cure 
the pain behind my sweet sighs. 

It is true that my languishment desires 
that I may be cured with time, 
but I do not want to need my lady 
for my health: my martyrdom is too pleasurable. 

Be still, languishment: I feel the day coming 
when my mistress, after such a long absence,
seeing the care that gnaws at my thoughts, 

for a whole night will hold me 
in her arms, prodigally, and so will pay
the interest on my great pain.

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), no title, appears in Les Amours (1553), no. 5, first published 1553
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This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 14
Word count: 114