by
Joachim du Bellay (1525 - c1560)
Le ciel ne pouvoit mieux nous monstrer son sçavoir
Language: French (Français)
Le ciel ne pouvoit mieux nous monstrer son sçavoir
Qu’en vous formant Madame et si sage et si belle,
Et qu’en vous departant de grace naturelle
Autant qu’une Déesse en pourroit mesme avoir.
Mais si vous faisant telle au monde il a fait voir
En un subject mortel sa puissance immortelle,
Vous reserrant ainsi en prison si cruelle
Il a fait son envie esgalle à son pouvoir.
Las ! qu’est-ce que j’ay dit ? ce n’est pas par envie
Que vostre liberté le ciel vous a ravie.
Plustost pour nostre bien il vous cache à nos yeux
Car qui verroit de pres vostre celeste face
Feroit son paradis en ceste terre basse
Et ne voudroit jamais l’aller chercher aux cieux.
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) , copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: David Wyatt
This text was added to the website: 2017-02-17
Line count: 14
Word count: 118
Heaven could not better have shown us...
Language: English after the French (Français)
Heaven could not better have shown us its wisdom
Than by making you, my Lady, so wise and so fair,
And by granting you such natural grace
As even a Goddess might have.
But if, by making one such as you in the world, it has made visible
In a mortal subject its immortal power,
By closing you thus in a prison so cruel
It has made its envy the equal of its power.
Ah, what have I said? It is not from envy
That heaven has taken your liberty from you.
Rather, for our good it has hidden you from our eyes
For he who saw you heavenly face up close
Would make his paradise in this base world
And would not wish ever to go seek it in the heavens.
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Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2017 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: 2017-02-17
Line count: 14
Word count: 132