Phyton, le mervilleus serpent
Language: French (Français)
Phyton, le mervilleus serpent
Que Phebus de sa flesche occit
Avoit la longueur d'un erpent
Si com Ovides le descrit.
Mais onques homs serpent ne vit
Si fel, si crueus ne fier
Com le serpent qui m'escondit
Quant à ma dame merci quier.
Il ha sept chiés, et vraiement,
Chascuns à son tour contredit
La grace, où mon vray desir tent,
Dont mes cuers an doleur languit:
Ce sont Refus, Desdaing, Despit,
Honte, Paour, Durte, Dangier,
Qui me blessent en l'esperit,
Quant à ma dame merci quier.
Si ne puis durer longuement,
Car ma dame tres douce rit
Et prent deduit en mon tourment
Et ès meschiés, où mes cuers vit.
Ce me destruit, ce me murdrit,
Ce me fait plaindre et larmoier,
Ce me partue et desconfit,
Quant à ma dame merci quier.
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):
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [
Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 24
Word count: 134
Python, the marvelous serpent
Language: English after the French (Français)
Python, the marvelous serpent
That Phoebus with his arrow killed
Was one acre in length
Or so Ovid describes it.
But never has any person seen a serpent
So vicious, so cruel, or so fierce
As the serpent that refuses me
When I seek the mercy of my lady.
It has seven heads, truly
And each in turn contradicts
The Grace that my true desire aims for
In which my heart languishes in pain:
These [heads] are Refusal, Disdain, Scorn.
Shame, Fear, Hardship, and Risk.
These harm my spirit
When I seek the mercy of my lady.
So I cannot endure for long
For my most sweet lady laughs
And derives pleasure from my torment
And in the despair, in which my heart lives.
This destroys me, this murders me.
This makes me moan and weep.
This kills me and utterly ruins me
When I seek the mercy of my lady.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2026 by Mark Hodges, (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: 2026-07-11
Line count: 24
Word count: 151
