À Lucette
Language: French (Français)
D'un grand mal j'ay l'âme dolente,
J'erre sans conseil ni dessein,
Bruslé par une fièvre lente
Qui faist la figue au médecin.
Las ! d'amour la fine sagette
A navré mon cœur langoureux,
Ce cœur que seule, ô ma Lucette,
Tu peux guérir si tu le veux,
Ce cœur que seule, ô ma Lucette,
Tu peux guérir si tu le veux.
Et Frère Jean l'a dit au prosne:
Il n'est qu'un lâdre et qu'un payen,
Celuy qui refuse une aumosne,
Quand pitoyable est le prochaine.
Adonc, ouïs cette requeste
Et vers moi vire tes doux yeux...
Car tu me peux seule, ô Lucette,
Bailler l'aumosne que je veux,
Car tu me peux seule, ô Lucette,
Bailler l'aumosne que je veux !
Cet ennuy qui tant me chagrine,
Ce mal qui tant me fait souffrir,
Pris sur ta lèvre purpurine
Un baiser le scaurait guérir.
Ou de despit je perds la tête,
Ou plus qu'Anges je suys heureux.
Choisis et m'ouvre, ô ma Lucette,
Le Ciel, l'Enfer, ce que tu veux,
Choisis et m'ouvre, ô ma Lucette,
Le Ciel, l'Enfer, ce que tu veux.
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 (Henry Grafton Chapman) , "To Lucette"
- ENG English (Laura Prichard) , "To Lucette", copyright © 2023, (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: 30
Word count: 181
To Lucette
Language: English after the French (Français)
Due to a serious illness, my soul is miserable,
I wander with neither counsel nor purpose,
Burned by a slow fever
Which doesn’t care a fig for doctors.
Alas! Cupid's tapered arrow
Has pierced my languid heart,
This heart which you alone, my Lucette,
You could heal if you wished,
This heart which you alone, my Lucette,
You could heal if you wished.
And as Father John said in his sermon:
A person is nothing but a coward and peasant,
Who refuses to give alms,
When someone worthy of pity is nearby.
So, hear this petition
And turn towards me your sweet eyes...
Because you alone can, oh Lucette,
Give me the alms that I crave,
Because you alone can, oh Lucette,
Give me the alms that I crave!
This ennui which grieves me so much,
This pain that makes me suffer so much,
Purse your lips of crimson:
A kiss would be able to heal all that.
Either in despair, I’ll lose my mind,
Or even moreso than Angels, I’ll be happy.
Decide and lead me, oh Lucette,
To Heaven, to Hell, whither you will,
Decide and lead me, oh Lucette,
To Heaven, to Hell, whither you will.
Translator's note for stanza 3, line 1: "prosne" originally referred to the grille or screen separating the nave of a church from the choir area,
sometimes called the choir screen;
the modern usage of "prône" (modern spelling) refers to a sermon.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2023 by Laura Prichard, (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:
This text was added to the website: 2023-10-09
Line count: 30
Word count: 199