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

Se je souspir parfondement
Language: French (Français) 
Our translations:  ENG
Se je souspir parfondement
Et tendrement
Pleure en recoy,
C'est, par ma foy,
Pour vous, quant vo faitis corps gent,
Dame, ne voy.

Vostre dous maintieng simple et coy,
Vo bel aroy,
Cointe et plaisant,
Vo maniere sans effroy,
Pris m'ont cil troy
Si doucement
Qu'à vous tres amoureusement
Entierement
Doing et ottroy
Le cuer de moy
Qui loing de vous esbatement
N'a n'esbanoy

  Se je souspir parfondement
  Et tendrement
  Pleure en recoy,
  C'est, par ma foy,
  Pour vous, quant vo faitis corps gent,
  Dame, ne voy.

Si que je port plus grief anoy
Qu'onques mais n'oy,
Secretement;
Mais, par m'ame, je le conjoy
Et le reçoy
Tres humblement,
Qu'aligier poués mon tourment
Legierement,
D'un seul ottroy,
Et plus qu'un roy
Moy faire vivre liement;
Ainsi le croy.

  Se je souspir parfondement.

Dame, mis m'avés en tel ploy,
Bien le perçoy,
Que, vraiement,
En vous sens, temps et vie employ
Et toudis croy
En ce talent.
Et se loing sui d'aligement
Et povrement
De mercy j'oy,
Ne m'en desvoy,
Car si grant honnour nullement
Avoir ne doy.

  Se je souspir parfondement
  Et tendrement
  Pleure en recoy,
  C'est, par ma foy,
  Pour vous, quant vo faitis corps gent,
  Dame, ne voy.

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), "Se je souspir parfondement" [duet], virelai [
     text verified 1 time
    ]

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

  • ENG English (David Wyatt) , title 1: "If I sigh profoundly", 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: 55
Word count: 200

If I sigh profoundly
Language: English  after the French (Français) 
If I sigh profoundly
And tenderly
Weep in secret,
It is truly
For you, my Lady, when you arrange that
I do not see your noble form.

Your sweet demeanour, simple and calm,
Your fair carriage
Pretty and pleasing,
Your fearless manner,
These three have seized me
So sweetly
That to you most lovingly
And entirely
I give and entrust
My heart
Which far from you has no joy
Nor gives itself any pleasure

If I sigh profoundly
And tenderly
Weep in secret,
It is truly
For you, my Lady, when you arrange that
I do not see your noble form.

So I bear more terrible pain
Than ever I have heard of,
Secretly;
But by my soul I welcome it
And accept it
Most humbly,
Since you could alleviate my suffering
Easily,
With a single gift,
And make me live more
Happily than a king;
So I believe.

   If I sigh profoundly…

Lady, you have put me in such a position,
I clearly see,
That truly
I use my senses, time and life for you
And always believe
In this desire.
And so I am far from relief
And sadly
I hear of mercy
But do not turn aside,
For I ought to have
No such great honour at all.

If I sigh profoundly
And tenderly
Weep in secret,
It is truly
For you, my Lady, when you arrange that
I do not see your noble form.

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: 55
Word count: 238

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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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