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by François Villon (1431 - 1463)
Translation © by Ferdinando Albeggiani
Dictes‑moy où, n’en quel pays
Language: French (Français)
[Dictes-moy où, n’en]1 quel pays, Est Flora, la belle Rommaine ; Archipiades, ne Thaïs, Qui fut sa cousine germaine ; Echo, parlant quant bruyt on maine Dessus rivière ou sus estan, Qui beauté ot trop plus qu’humaine. Mais où sont les neiges d’antan ! Où est la très sage Helloïs, Pour qui fut chastié et puis moyne Pierre Esbaillart à Saint-Denis ? Pour son amour ot cest essoyne. Semblablement où est la royne Qui commanda que Buridan Fust geté en ung sac en Saine ? Mais où sont les neiges d’antan ! La royne Blanche comme lis, Qui chantoit à voix de seraine, Berte au grant pié, Biétris, Allis ; Haremburgis qui tint le Maine, Et Jehanne, la bonne Lorraine, Qu’Englois brulèrent à Rouan ; Où sont-ilz, Vierge souveraine ? Mais où sont les neiges d’antan ! Envoi Prince, n’enquérez de sepmaine Où elles sont, ne de cest an, Que ce reffrain ne vous remaine : Mais où sont les neiges d’antan !
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)1 Hignard: "Où donc dites, en"; further changes may exist not shown above.
Text Authorship:
- by François Villon (1431 - 1463), "Ballade des dames du temps jadis", appears in Le Testament [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Georges Brassens (1921 - 1981), "Ballade des dames du temps jadis" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Wim Franken (b. 1922), "Ballade des dames du temps jadis", 1969, published 1969 [ tenor and piano ], from Cinq poèmes de François Villon, no. 2, Amsterdam, Donemus [sung text not yet checked]
- by René Gerber (1908 - 2006), "Ballade des dames du temps jadis" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jean-Louis Aristide Hignard (1822 - 1897), "Neiges d'antan", published [1884] [ medium voice and piano ], from Rimes et mélodies, série III, no. 2, Paris, Éditions Louis Gregh et Cie. [sung text not yet checked]
- by Terje Bjørn Lerstad (b. 1955), "Ballade des dames du temps jadis", op. 176b no. 1 (1985) [ soprano and tenor or baritone and piano ], from François Solaire, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by (Martin François) Hippolyte Mirande (1862 - 1938), "Ballade des dames du temps jadis", published [1884] [ high voice and piano ], from Mélopées, no. 5, Paris, Éd. J. Naus [sung text not yet checked]
- by Claude Tricot (b. 1926), "Ballade des dames du temps jadis" [ high voice and piano ], from Mélodies, recueil 2, no. 5, Paris, Éd. Choudens [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in French (Français), [adaptation] ; composed by Eugène Bouvy, Petr Eben, Elizabeth Walton Vercoe.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Grant Hicks) , copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2021-11-05
Line count: 29
Word count: 152
Ditemi dove, in quale contrada
Language: Italian (Italiano) after the French (Français)
Ditemi dove, in quale contrada si trova Flora, la bella Romana, e dov’è Archipiada oppure Taide, che pure fu sua cugina germana. Dove la voce di Eco risuona, fra il mormorio del fiume o presso lo stagno, che per bellezza superò quella umana? Dove sono le nevi dell’anno passato? Dove è finita la dotta Eloisa? Per lei fu castrato Pietro Abelardo, poi fatto monaco a Saint-Denis? L’amore per lei fu a rovinarlo. E dove è finita quella regina la quale ordinò che Buridano, chiuso in un sacco, venisse annegato? Dove sono le nevi dell’anno passato? E la regina Bianca, candida come un giglio, che cantava con voce di sirena, Beatrice, Alice, Berta gran-piede, Aramburgi che comanda sul Maine, e Giovanna la bella Lorena, che gli inglesi, a Rouen, bruciarono viva, dove si trovano,Vergine sovrana? Dove sono le nevi dell’anno passato? Envoi Mio Principe, non domandare con insistenza, né questa settimana e neppure quest’anno; questo ritornellosarà la risposta: Dove sono le nevi dell’anno passato?
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to Italian (Italiano) copyright © 2025 by Ferdinando Albeggiani, (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 François Villon (1431 - 1463), "Ballade des dames du temps jadis", appears in Le Testament
This text was added to the website: 2025-10-01
Line count: 29
Word count: 163