by Théophile de Viau (1590 - 1626)
Translation © by Emily Ezust

À Chloris
Language: French (Français) 
Our translations:  ENG ENG GER ITA SPA SPA
S'il est vrai, Chloris, que tu m'aimes,
Mais j'entends, que tu m'aimes bien,
Je ne crois point que les rois mêmes
Aient un bonheur pareil au mien.

Que la mort serait importune
De venir changer ma fortune
A la félicité des cieux!

Tout ce qu'on dit de l'ambroisie
Ne touche point ma fantaisie
Au prix des grâces de tes yeux.

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 (Emily Ezust) , "To Chloris", copyright © 2013
  • ENG English [singable] (Peter Low) , "A Chloris", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • GER German (Deutsch) (Elaine Marie Ortiz-Arandes) , "An Chloris", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • SPA Spanish (Español) (Elisa Rapado) , "A Chloris", copyright © 2007, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • SPA Spanish (Español) (José Miguel Llata) , "A Chloris", copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this page: Ted Perry

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 10
Word count: 60

To Chloris
Language: English  after the French (Français) 
If it is true, Chloris, that you love me,
(But I do hear that you love me well),
I don't believe that even kings themselves
Ever had a happiness equal to mine.

How unwelcome Death would be,
[Even] if it replaced my fortune  
With the bliss of heaven!

[For] everything they say about ambrosia
Fails utterly to spark my imagination,
[Especially] if I had to give up the charms of your gaze.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2013 by Emily Ezust

    Emily Ezust permits her translations to be reproduced without prior permission for printed (not online) programs to free-admission concerts only, provided the following credit is given:

    Translation copyright © by Emily Ezust,
    from the LiederNet Archive

    For any other purpose, please write to the e-mail address below to request permission and discuss possible fees.


Based on:

 

This text was added to the website: 2013-04-15
Line count: 10
Word count: 72