by
Pierre de Ronsard (1524 - 1585)
Demandes‑tu, douce ennemie
Language: French (Français)
Demandes-tu, douce ennemie,
Quelle est pour toy ma pauvre vie ?
Helas certainement elle est
Telle qu’ordonner te la plaist.
Pauvre, chetive, et langoureuse,
Dolente, triste, malheureuse,
[Et tout le plus fascheux esmoy
D’amour fascheux loge chez moy.]1
Apres demandes-tu, [ma mie]2,
Quels compagnie a ma vie ?
Certes accompagnée elle est
De tels compaignons qu’il te plaist.
Ennuy, travail, peine, tristesse,
Larmes, souspirs, sanglots, destresse,
[Et tout le plus fascheux soucy
D’amour fascheux y loge aussy.]3
Voyla comment [par toy, Marie]4,
Je traine ma chetive vie,
Heureux du mal que je reçoy
Pour t’aimer cent fois plus que moy.
Available sung texts: (what is this?)
• A. Bertrand View original text (without footnotes)
1 Bertrand: "Et si amour a quelque esmoy/ Plus facheux, il loge chez moy."
2 Bertrand: "m’amie"
3 Bertrand: "Et s’amour a quelque soucy/ Plus facheux, il est mien aussi."
4 Bertrand: "pour toy, ma vie"
Text Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Anthoine de Bertrand (1540? - 1581?), "Demandes-tu, douce ennemie", published 1578 [ vocal quartet a cappella ], from 25 Chansons à 4 parties, Livre 3, no. 17 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Nicholas La Grotte , "Demandes-tu, douce ennemie" [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Philippe de Monte (1521 - 1603), "Demandes-tu, douce ennemie" [sung text checked 1 time]
Set in a modified version by Jean Langlais, Emanuel Moór.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (David Wyatt) , copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: David Wyatt
This text was added to the website: 2014-10-27
Line count: 20
Word count: 98
Do you ask, sweet enemy
Language: English after the French (Français)
Do you ask, sweet enemy,
What sort of wretched life I lead for you?
Alas it is certainly the kind
That it would please you to arrange.
Poor, wretched, languid,
Plaintive, sad, unhappy,
[And all the most tiresome troubles
Of tiresome love live in me.]1
Next do you ask, [my sweet],
What companions my life has?2
Truly it is accompanied
By the kind of companions which would please you.
Anxiety, struggle, pain, sadness,
Tears, sighs, sobs, distress,
[And all the most tiresome cares
Of tiresome love live there too.]3
That is how [because of you, Marie]4,
I lead my wretched life,
Happy in the ills I receive
For loving you a hundred times more than myself.
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)
1 Bertrand: "And if there’s any more tiresome trouble/ Which love brings, it lives in me."
2 Bertrand: "my love"
3 Bertrand: "And if there’s any more tiresome worry/ Which love brings, it is mine too."
4 Bertrand: "for you, my love"
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2014 by David Wyatt, (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:
This text was added to the website: 2014-10-27
Line count: 20
Word count: 116