by
Louise Labé (1526 - 1566)
Quelle grandeur rend l'homme venerable ?
Language: French (Français)
Quelle grandeur rend l'homme venerable ?
Quelle grosseur ? quel poil ? quelle couleur ?
Qui est des yeus le plus emmieleur ?
Qui fait plus tot une playe incurable ?
Quel chant est plus à l'homme conuenable ?
Qui plus pénètre en chantant sa douleur ?
Qui un dous lut fait encore meilleur ?
Quel naturel est le plus amiable ?
Ie ne voudrois le dire assurément,
Ayant Amour forcé mon iugement :
Mais ie say bien & de tant ie m'assure.
Que tout le beau que l'on pourroit choisir.
Et que tout l'art qui ayde la Nature,
Ne me sauroient acroitre mon desir.
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Œuvres de Louise Labé, texte établi par Charles Boy, Paris, Alphonse Lemerre, 1887, page 105.
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):
[ None yet in the database ]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [
Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2020-03-02
Line count: 14
Word count: 94
What stature puts a man in the "hero"...
Language: English after the French (Français)
What stature puts a man in the "hero" class?
What colour of skin or hair? What body-size?
Which is the honey-sweetest shade of eyes,
the quickest to inflict a wound that lasts?
What kind of song graces the male condition?
What voice most helps him to advance his suit,
especially when accompanied by a lute?
What is the most lovable disposition?
I feel I cannot say with certainty,
since Love has marred my objectivity.
But one thing’s sure - I bear the proof of this:
no trait of beauty that he could acquire,
no artistry enhancing Nature’s gifts,
nothing could further add to my desire.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2022 by Peter Low, (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 Louise Labé (1526 - 1566), no title, appears in Sonnets, no. 21
This text was added to the website: 2022-07-11
Line count: 14
Word count: 104