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by François Villon (1431 - 1463)
Translation © by Ferdinando Albeggiani

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

Fratelli umani, che dopo noi vivrete
 (Sung text translation for setting by F. Martin)
 See original
Language: Italian (Italiano)  after the French (Français) 
Fratelli umani, che dopo noi vivrete,
non siate con noi troppo duri di cuore,
perché, se per noi miseri pena proverete,
Dio, con la sua grazia, vi saprà ricompensare.
Qui ci  vedete impiccati a cinque, a sei:
E quella carne, da noi troppo nutrita,
è stata tutta divorata e imputridita,
e ossa, cenere e polvere è diventata!
Nessuno si compiaccia per ciò da cui siamo afflitti
ma sia pregato Dio che ci perdoni tutti!

Se vi chiamiamo fratelli, non dovete
indignarvi perché fummo impiccati
per pena di giustizia. Bene, infatti, sapete
che non tutti gli uomini sono senza peccati.
Per questo perdonateci, ché siamo trapassati
nelle braccia del figlio della Vergine Maria,
ch’egli non sia, verso di noi, avaro di grazia
e dal fuoco infernale protezione ci dia.
Siamo ormai morti, che il cuore odio non porti
ma sia pregato Dio che ci perdoni tutti!

La pioggia ci ha lavato e dilavato
Il Sole ci ha disseccati e poi anneriti,
le gazze e i corvi ci hanno cavato gli occhi
strappando pure barba e sopraccigli.
Nemmeno un istante siamo stati fermi
senza sosta oscillando a ogni mutare dei venti
di qua, di là, come a loro piace,
con il viso beccato dagli uccelli
simile alla superficie di un ditale.
Quindi evitate di frequentare noi farabutti
e sia pregato Dio che ci perdoni tutti.

Gesù, che sulla sorte di tutti hai potere sovrano
fa’ che l’inferno non ci abbia in sua mano
e che noi non si debba in quel luogo finire.
Uomini, su questa cosa non c’è da scherzare,
Ma sia pregato Dio per farci perdonare!

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from French (Français) to Italian (Italiano) copyright © 2025 by Ferdinando Albeggiani, (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: 2025-10-01
Line count: 36
Word count: 266

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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