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by Joachim du Bellay (1525 - c1560)

À Olive
 (Sung text for setting by L. Gouvy)
 See original
Language: Middle French 
Our translations:  ENG
Rendez à l’or cette couleur qui dore 
Vos blonds cheveux, rendez mille autres choses:
À l’Orient tant de perles encloses,
Et au soleil ces beaux yeux que j’adore.

Rendez ces mains au bel ivoire encore.
Ce front au marbre, ces lèvres aux roses,
Ces doux soupirs aux fleurettes décloses,
Et ce beau teint à la vermeille aurore.

Rendez aussi à l’Amour tous ses traits,
Et à Vénus sa grâce et ses attraits.
Rendez encor’ ce doux nom à son arbre,                  
Et aux rochers rendez ce cœur de marbre.

Note for stanza 2: in the repetition in Gouvy's song, line 4 changes to "Ce beau teint à l’aurore."

Composition:

    Set to music by Louis Théodore Gouvy (1819 - 1898), "À Olive", op. 48 no. 1 (1866) [ voice and piano ], from La Pléiade Française, no. 1

Text Authorship:

  • by Joachim du Bellay (1525 - c1560), no title, appears in L'Olive, no. 91, first published 1550

See other settings of this text.

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

  • ENG English (David Wyatt) , "To Venus", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2010-10-28
Line count: 14
Word count: 100

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