I would live happily | I would live happily

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by Guillaume de Machaut (c1300 - 1377)

Translation © by David Wyatt

Je vivroie liement

Language: French (Français)

Our translations: ENG

Je vivroie liement,
Douce creature,
Se vous saviés vraiement
Qu'en vous fust parfaitement
Ma cure.

Dame de meinteing joli,
Plaisant, nette et pure,
Souvent me fait dire: "aymi"
Li maus que j'endure
Pour vous servir loyaument.
Et soiés seüre
Que je ne puis nullement
Vivre einsi, se longuement
Me dure.

  Je vivroie liement,
  Douce creature,
  Se vous saviés vraiement
  Qu'en vous fust parfaitement
  Ma cure.

Car vous m'estes sans mercy
Et sans pité dure,
Et s'avés le cuer de mi
Mis en tel ardure
Qu'il morra certeinnement
De mort trop obscure,
Se pour son aligement
Merci n'est procheinnement
Meüre.

  Je vivroie liement,
  Douce creature,
  Se vous saviés vraiement
  Qu'en vous fust parfaitement
  Ma cure.

Text Authorship:

by Guillaume de Machaut (c1300 - 1377) [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

by Guillaume de Machaut (c1300 - 1377), "Je vivroie liement", monophonic virelai [
text verified 1 time
]

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

ENG English (David Wyatt) , title 1: "I would live happily", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 33
Word count: 114

I would live happily

Language: English after the French (Français)

I would live happily,
Sweet creature,
If you truly believed 
That in you was summed up
All my care.

Lady of pretty appearance,
Pleasing, fair and pure,
The ills that I suffer
To serve you loyally
Often make me say ‘alas’.
And you may eb sure
That I can in no way
Live like this, if for long
I must ensure it.

I would live happily,
Sweet creature,
If you truly believed 
That in you was summed up
All my care.

For you are merciless to me
And harsh, without pity,
And so you have put my heart
Into such passion
That it will certainly die
A dark an dismal death,
If for its relief
Mercy is not very soon
Ripe.

I would live happily,
Sweet creature,
If you truly believed 
That in you was summed up
All my care.

Text Authorship:

Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2015 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:

a text in French (Français) by Guillaume de Machaut (c1300 - 1377)
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2015-01-13
Line count: 33
Word count: 140