by Pierre de Ronsard (1524 - 1585)
Translation © by Faith J. Cormier

De peu de bien on vit honestement
Language: French (Français) 
Our translations:  ENG
De peu de bien on vit honestement,
L'homme qui peut trouver contentement,
[N'entreront]1 point son sommeil par la creinte
Des blés manteurs, ne par la vign' attente.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

•   P. Cléreau 

View original text (without footnotes)
1 Cléreau: "N'entrerompt"

Modernized version of the text: 

De peu de bien, on vit honnétement,
L'homme qui peut trouver contentement,
N'entreront point son sommeil par la crainte
Des blés menteurs, ni par la vigne attente.


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 or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

  • ENG English (Faith J. Cormier) , "With a little we live honestly", copyright © 2001, (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: 4
Word count: 28

With a little we live honestly
Language: English  after the French (Français) 
With a little we live honestly.
The man who can find contentment
will not [fall asleep]1 in the fear
of treacherous grain or blighted vines.

View original text (without footnotes)
1 Cléreau: "interrupt his sleep"

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2001 by Faith J. Cormier, (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 between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 4
Word count: 26