Franc de raison, esclave de fureur,
Je vay chassant une fere sauvage,
Or' sur un mont, or' le long d'un rivage,
Or' dans le bois de jeunesse et d'erreur.

J'ay pour ma laisse un long trait de malheur,
J'ay pour limier un [trop ardent]1 courage,
J'ay pour mes chiens l'ardeur et le jeune âge,
[J'ay pour piqueurs l'espoir et la douleur]2.

Mais eux, voyant que plus elle [est]3 chassée,
Loin, [loin,]3 devant plus s'enfuit elancée,
Tournant sur moi leur rigoureux effort,

Comme mastins affamés de repaistre,
A longs morceaux se paissent de leur maistre,
Et sans mercy me traînent à la mort.

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)
Early version.
¹ Boni: "violent" (used in Ronsard's later version.)
² Boni: "Chagrin, despit, repentance et douleur."
³ omitted by Boni.

Text Authorship:

• by Pierre de Ronsard (1524 - 1585), "Franc de raison, esclave de fureur" [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 Boni (c1530 - c1594), "Franc de raison", published 1608 [vocal quartet], from the collection Sonnets de Pierre de Ronsard mis en musique à 4 parties, I, no. 34, Paris, Pierre Ballard [
   text verified 1 time
  ]

Another version of this text exists in the database.

• Go to the text. [ view differences ]
  

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

• ENG English (David Wyatt) , title 1: "Clear of reason, a slave of madness", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: David Wyatt

This text was added to the website: 2014-08-02
Line count: 14
Word count: 102

Clear of reason, a slave of madness,
I chase and chase a savage Beast
Now over hills, now along riverbanks,
Now in the woods of youth and error.

I have as my leash a long line of misfortunes,
I have as my limed twig [too passionate]1 courage,
I have as my dogs passion and youth,
[I have as beaters hope and sadness]2.

But when they see that the more she is pursued,
The further before them, far far off she bounds in flight
Turning on me their strenuous efforts,

Like famished mastiffs eager to eat
They feast themselves with great bites of their master,
And without mercy drag me to my death.