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Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.

It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.

To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at licenses@email.lieder.example.net

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by Joachim du Bellay (1525 - c1560)
Translation © by David Jonathan Justman

O foible esprit
Language: French (Français) 
Our translations:  ENG
O foible esprit, chargé de tant de peines
Que ne veux-tu soubz la terre descendre?
O coeur ardent, que n'es-tu mis en cendres?
O tristes yeux, que n'estes vous fonteines?
O bien douteux ô peines trop certaines,
O doux sçavoir trop amer à comprendre,
O Dieu qui fays que j'ose entreprendre
Pourquoy rends tu mes entreprises vaines?
O jeune archer, archer qui n'as point d'ieux,
Pourquoy si droit as-tu pris ta visée?
O vif flambeau qui embrases les Dieux
Pourquoy as-tu ma froideur attisée?
O face d'ange, O coeur de pierre dure
Regarde au moins le tourment que j'endure.

Text Authorship:

  • by Joachim du Bellay (1525 - c1560) [author's text not yet checked 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 Roland de Lassus (1532 - 1594), "O foible esprit", 1571. [5v] [
     text verified 1 time
    ]

Available translations, adaptations, and transliterations (if applicable):

  • ENG English (David Jonathan Justman) , title 1: "O weak spirit", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this page: John Versmoren

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 14
Word count: 99

O weak spirit
Language: English  after the French (Français) 
Oh weak spirit, weighed down by so many troubles
Don't you want to descend below the Earth?
Oh ardent heart, haven't you become cinders?
Oh sad eyes, aren't you fountains?
Oh doubtful good, Oh too certain pains,
Oh sweet knowledge too bitter to comprehend.
Oh God who makes me dare to attempt,
Why do you make my attempts vain?
Oh young archer, archer who has no eyes,
Why did you aim so well?
Oh live torch which enflames the Gods,
Why did you fire up my coldness?
Oh face of an angel, Oh heart of hard stone
At least look at the torment which I'm enduring.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © by David Jonathan Justman, (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 Joachim du Bellay (1525 - c1560)
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 14
Word count: 106

Gentle Reminder

This website began in 1995 as a personal project by Emily Ezust, who has been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your help is greatly appreciated!
–Emily Ezust, Founder

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