by
Pierre de Ronsard (1524 - 1585)
Devant les yeux nuit et jour me revient
Language: French (Français)
Devant les yeux nuit et jour me revient
[Le saint portrait]1 de l'angelique face ;
Soit que j'ecrive, ou soit que j'entrelasse
Mes vers au luth, toujours m'en ressouvient.
Voyés, pour dieu, comme un bel œil me tient
En sa prison et point ne me délasse,
Et comme il prend mon cœur dedans sa nasse
Qui de pensée à mon dam l'entretient.
O le grand mal, quand une affection
Peint notre esprit de quelque impression !
J'entends alors que l'Amour ne dedaigne
Subtilement l'engraver de son trait ;
Toujours au cœur nous revient [ce]2 portrait,
Et maugré nous toujours nous accompagne.
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)
1 Bertrand, Boni, Maletty: "L'ydole saint"
2 Bertrand: "le"
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?), "Devant les yeux nuit et jour me revient", published 1578 [ vocal quartet a cappella ], from 25 Chansons à 4 parties, Livre 3, no. 20 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Guillaume Boni (c1530 - c1594), "Devant les yeux nuit & jour me revient", published 1608 [ vocal quartet ], from Sonnets de Pierre de Ronsard mis en musique à 4 parties, I, no. 22, Paris, Pierre Ballard [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Jean de Maletty (flourished 16th century), "Devant les yeux nuit et jour me revient" [sung text checked 1 time]
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: 14
Word count: 98
Before my eyes night and day bring back...
Language: English after the French (Français)
Before my eyes night and day bring back to me
The [saintly]1 image of her angelic face;
Whether I write or interweave
My verses to the [notes of the] lute, I always recall it.
See, by heaven, how a fair eye holds me
In its prison, and never lets me relax;
And how it captures within its toils my heart
Which in its thoughts supports it, to my destruction.
Oh what a great evil, when attraction
Paints upon our spirit some impression!
I realise now that Love does not scorn
Subtly to inscribe his wound on it;
Always to our heart returns [this]2 picture,
And despite ourselves always it accompanies us.
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)
1 Bertrand, Boni, Maletty: "holy"
2 Bertrand: "the"
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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
This text was added to the website: 2014-10-27
Line count: 14
Word count: 111