I have a flea in my ear, alas | I have a flea in my ear, alas !

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by Jean-Antoine de Baïf (1532 - 1589)

Translation © by David Wyatt

Une puce j'ay dedans l'oreille

Language: French (Français)

Our translations: ENG

Une puce j'ay dedans l'oreill' helas !
Qui de nuit & de jour me fretille & me mord
Et me faict devenir fou,
   Nul remède n'i puis donner,
   Je cours, deça, je cours dela,
   Ote la moy, retire la moy, je t'en pri,
   O toute belle, secours moy.

Quand mes yeux je pence livrer au someil,
Elle vient me piquer, me démange, me poingt
Et me garde de dormir.
   Nul remède . . .

D'une vieille charmeresse aidé me suis,
Qui guérit tout le monde & de tout guérissant,
Ne ma sçeu me guerir moy:
   Nul remède . . .

Bien je sçay que seule peux guérir ce mal,
Je te pri de me voir de bon oeil, et vouloir
Amolir ta cruauté:
   Nul remède . . .

Text Authorship:

by Jean-Antoine de Baïf (1532 - 1589) [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), "Une puce j'ay dedans l'oreille", 1576. [5v] [
text verified 1 time
]

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

ENG English (David Wyatt) , title 1: "I have a flea in my ear, alas", copyright © 2007, (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: 19
Word count: 127

I have a flea in my ear, alas

Language: English after the French (Français)

I have a flea in my ear, alas !
Which by night and day irritates and bites me
And makes me become mad,
     No remedy can I give
     I run here, I run there
     Remove it, take it from me, I beg you
     O my complete beauty, help me!
 
When I think to relax my eyes into sleep,
It comes and pricks me, devours me, hits me
And keeps me from sleep.
     No remedy...
 
I was helped by an old sorceress
Who cures everyone and from everything
But she didn't know how to cure me.
     No remedy...
 
Well do I know who, alone, can cure this ill
I beg you to look kindly on me, and choose
To soften your cruelty:
     No remedy...

Text Authorship:

Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2007 by David Wyatt, (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 Jean-Antoine de Baïf (1532 - 1589)
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2007-11-15
Line count: 19
Word count: 122