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by François Villon (1431 - 1463)
Translation © by Laura Stanfield Prichard

Ballade des Pendus 
 (Sung text for setting by F. Martin)
 See original
Language: French (Français) 
Our translations:  ENG ENG ITA
Frères humains, qui après nous vivez,
N'ayez les coeurs contre nous endurcis,
Car, si pitié de nous pauvres avez,
Dieu en aura plus tôt de vous mercis.
Vous nous voyez ci attachés, cinq, six :
Quant de la chair, que trop avons nourrie,
Elle est piéça dévorée et pourrie,
Et nous, les os, devenons cendre et poudre.
De notre mal personne ne s'en rie ;
Mais priez Dieu que tous nous veuille absoudre !

Si vous clamons frères, pas n'en devez
Avoir dédain, quoique fûmes occis
Par justice. Toutefois, vous savez
Que tous hommes n'ont pas bon sens assis.
Excusez-nous, puisque sommes transis,
Envers le fils de la Vierge Marie,
Que sa grâce ne soit pour nous tarie,
Nous préservant de l'infernale foudre.
Nous sommes morts, âme ne nous harie,
Mais priez Dieu que tous nous veuille absoudre !

La pluie nous a bués et lavés,
Et le soleil desséchés et noircis.
Pies, corbeaux nous ont les yeux cavés,
Et arraché la barbe et les sourcils.
Jamais nul temps nous ne sommes rassis
Puis çà, puis là, comme le vent varie,
A son plaisir sans cesser nous charrie,
Plus becquetés d'oiseaux que dés à coudre.
Ne soyez donc de notre confrérie ;
Mais priez Dieu que tous nous veuille absoudre !

Prince Jésus, qui sur tous a maîtrie,
Garde qu'Enfer n'ait de nous seigneurie :
A lui n'ayons que faire ne que soudre.
Hommes, ici n'a point de moquerie ;
Mais priez Dieu que tous nous veuille absoudre !

Composition:

    Set to music by Frank Martin (1890 - 1974), "Ballade des Pendus " [ tenor, baritone, bass, 2 electric guitars, and bass guitar ], from Poèmes de la Mort et Ballade des Pendus, no. 3

Text Authorship:

  • by François Villon (1431 - 1463), "Ballade des pendus", subtitle: "L'Épitaphe de Villon"

See other settings of this text.

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

  • ENG English (Laura Stanfield Prichard) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Grant Hicks) , copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , no title, copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Grant Hicks [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2008-09-13
Line count: 35
Word count: 249

Brother humans, who live after us
 (Sung text translation for setting by F. Martin)
 See original
Language: English  after the French (Français) 
Brother humans, who live after us,
Don’t harden your hearts against us,
But instead, pity us poor sinners, so that
God may have mercy on you.
You see us hanging, five, six:
When of the flesh, that completely nourished us,
Is devoured piecemeal and swells up,
And we, as bones, are reduced to ashes and dust.
Of our misfortune, let no one make fun;
But pray that God may absolve us all!

If we cry out to you, brothers, there’s no need
To feel disdain, though we were slain
For justice. However, you know
That few men have common sense seated.
Forgive us, as we shiver,
For the sake of the son of the Virgin Mary,
For us, for whom grace has dried up,
Preserve us from the infernal lightning.
We are dead, our souls are not troubled,
But pray that God may absolve us all!

The rain wets and washes us,
And the sun desiccates and blackens us.
Magpies, ravens pluck out our eyes,
And thin our beards and eyebrows.
We aren’t allowed time to become stale
First here, then there, as the wind shifts,
At its pleasure, we swing unceasingly,
More pecked by birds than a thimble.
Do not join our fraternity;
But pray that God may absolve us all!

Prince Jesus, you who are master over all,
Preserve us from the rule of Hell:
From him for whom there is no salvation.
Men, this isn’t the time for mockery;
But pray that God may absolve us all!

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2016 by Laura Stanfield Prichard, (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.
    Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

  • a text in French (Français) by François Villon (1431 - 1463), "Ballade des pendus", subtitle: "L'Épitaphe de Villon"
    • Go to the text page.

Go to the general single-text view


This text was added to the website: 2016-04-15
Line count: 35
Word count: 258

Gentle Reminder

This website began in 1995 as a personal project by Emily Ezust, who has been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your help is greatly appreciated!
–Emily Ezust, Founder

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