by Guillaume de Machaut (c1300 - 1377)
Translation © by David Wyatt

Mors sui, se je ne vous voy
Language: French (Français) 
Our translations:  ENG
Mors sui, se je ne vous voy,
Dame d'onnour,
Car l'ardour
Qui ma dolour
Acroist en moy
M'ocirra, si com je croy.
Pour vostre amour.

Si ne say que faire doy,
Car riens de nulle part n'oy
Qui ma tristour
Esteingne ne mon anoy;
Et bien say qu'onques mais n'oy
Tel ne gringnour;
Car tant sueffre et tant reçoy
Painne et paour
Qu'adès plour,
Dont tels m'atour,
Seuls en requoy,
Que je ne mengne ne boy
Riens par savour.
 Mors sui, se je ne vous voy,
 Dame d'onnour.

Helas! si ne say pour quoy
Pitez dort et Bonne Foy;
Car de mon plour
Desirs estanche sa soy
Et Souvenirs avec soy,
Qui sans sejour
Me monstrent vo bel arroy,
Vostre valour,
Vo douçour,
Vo cointe atour,
Vo maintieng coy
Et font qu'à vous tous m'ottroy,
Sans deshonnour.
  Mors sui, se je ne vous voy,
  Dame d'onnour.

Dame, pour ce me desvoy,
Car quant en vous tous m'employ
Et je n'ay tour
Pour vous veoir, je y congnoy
Ma mort. S'en sui en tel ploy
Que sans retour
Mors sui, car moult bien parçoy
Que ma coulour,
Ma vigour
Et ma baudour
Pers; et ci troy
Font qu'à vous mon cuer envoy.
Plus n'ai de jour.
  Mors sui, se je ne vous voy,
  Dame d'onnour,
  Car l'ardour
  Qui ma dolour
  Acroist en moy
  M'ocirra, si com je croy.
  Pour vostre amour.

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):

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

  • ENG English (David Wyatt) , title 1: "I shall die if I do not see you", 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: 57
Word count: 230

I shall die if I do not see you
Language: English  after the French (Français) 
I shall die if I do not see you,
Honoured Lady,
For the ardour
Which increases
My pain within me
Will kill me, so I believe,
For love of you.

So I do not know what I should do
For I hear nothing from anywhere
Which can extinguish
My sadness or my trouble;
And I well know that I never heard
Of such or worse;
For I suffer and am wounded by so much
Pain and fear 
That I weep ceaselessly;
So much do I keep myself
Alone in prayer
That I neither eat nor drink
Anything with relish.
    I shall die …


Alas! I do not know why
Pity and True Faithfulness are asleep;
For with my tears
Desire has slaked her thirst
And Memory with her.
They without rest
Show me your fine display,
Your nobility,
Your sweetness,
Your elegant attire, 
Your tranquil bearing,
And make me surrender myself entirely to you
Without dishonour
    I shall die …


Lady, for this reason I lose my way,
Because when I busy myself entirely with your affairs
And I have no time
To see you, I recognise in that
My death.  So i am in such a state
That without turning back
I shall die; for I see very well
That my colour,
My strength
And my happiness
I am losing. And these three
Make me send my heart to you.
I have no more time -
  I shall die if I do not see you,
  Honoured Lady,
  For the ardour
  Which increases
  My pain within me
  Will kill me, so I believe,
  For love of you.

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.
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Based on:

 

This text was added to the website: 2015-01-13
Line count: 55
Word count: 266