by
Pierre de Ronsard (1524 - 1585)
Amour, quiconque ait dit que le ciel fut...
Language: French (Français)
Amour, quiconque ait dit que le ciel fut ton pere,
Et que Venus la doulce en ses flancs te porta,
Il mentit lachement, une ourse en avorta,
S’une ourse d’un tel filz se veult dire la mere.
Des champs Massiliens la plus cruelle Fere
Entre ses lionneaux horribles t’alecta,
Et tirant ses tetins par son laict te jecta
Tout à l’entour de toy sa rage la plus fiere.
Rien ne te plaist, cruel, que sanglots et que pleurs,
Que deschirer nos coeurs d’espineuses douleurs,
Que tirer tout d’un coup mille morts de ta trousse.
Un si meschant que toy du ciel n’est point venu :
Si Venus t’eust conceu tu eusses retenu
Quelque peu de douceur d’une mere si douce.
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 (David Wyatt) , "Love, whoever said that heaven was your father", copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: David Wyatt
This text was added to the website: 2022-02-18
Line count: 14
Word count: 119
Love, whoever said that heaven was your father
Language: English  after the French (Français)
Love, whoever said that heaven was your father,
And that sweet Venus bore you in her womb,
He lied shamelessly: a bear aborted you,
If a bear would want to be called mother of such son.
The cruellest wild beast from the plains of Massilia [Marseilles]
Gave you milk in a rocky den amidst her cubs,
And pulling at her breasts, through her milk injected you
All around yourself with her proudest passion.
Nothing pleases you, cruel one, but sobs and tears,
But tearing our hearts with grief’s thorns,
But shooting from your quiver a thousand death-blows all at once.
None so wicked as you ever came from heaven;
If Venus had conceived you, you would have retained
Some small part of the sweetness of so sweet a mother.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2014 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:
- a text in French (Français) by Pierre de Ronsard (1524 - 1585), "Amour, quiconque ait dit que le ciel fut ton pere"
This text was added to the website: 2022-02-18
Line count: 14
Word count: 129