by Horace (Quintus Horatius Flaccus) (65 BCE - 8 BCE)
Translation by Louis Charles Alfred de Musset (1810 - 1857)
Donec gratus eram tibi
Language: Latin
HORATIUS
Donec gratus eram tibi
nec quisquam potior bracchia candidae
cervici iuvenis dabat,
Persarum vigui rege beatior.
LYDIA
Donec non alia magis
arsisti neque erat Lydia post Chloën,
multi Lydia nominis,
Romana vigui clarior Ilia.
HORATIUS
Me nunc Thressa Chloë regit,
dulcis docta modos et citharae sciens,
pro qua non metuam mori,
si parcent animae fata superstiti.
LYDIA
Me torret face mutua
Thurini Calais filius Ornyti,
pro quo bis patiar mori,
si parcent puero fata superstiti.
HORATIUS
Quid si prisca redit Venus
diductosque iugo cogit aëneo,
si flava excutitur Chloë?
Reiectaeque patet ianua Lydiae?
LYDIA
Quamquam sidere pulchrior
ille est, tu levior cortice et inprobo
iracundior Hadria,
tecum vivere amem, tecum obeam libens.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Horace (Quintus Horatius Flaccus) (65 BCE - 8 BCE), no title, appears in Carmina (Odes), in 3. Liber III (Book III), no. 9 [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 Ella Georgiyevna Adayevskaya (1846 - 1926), "Horazische Ode", subtitle: "Wechselgesang", 1896, published 1918 [ vocal duet for soprano and baritone with piano ], also set in German (Deutsch) [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Cipriano de Rore (1516 - 1565), "Donec gratus eram tibi" [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in French (Français), a translation by Louis Charles Alfred de Musset (1810 - 1857) , "À Lydie", subtitle: "Imitation", written 1837, appears in Poésies nouvelles ; composed by Martial Caillebotte, Jules Massenet.
- Also set in French (Français), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist [an adaptation] ; composed by Augusta Mary Anne Holmès.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Wilhelm Binder (1810 - 1876) , "Wechselgespräch", subtitle: "Versmaß 2." ; composed by Ella Georgiyevna Adayevskaya.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Charles-Marie-René Leconte de Lisle) , "À Lydia"
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Mario Rapisardi) , no title, written 1883, appears in Le odi di Orazio, in 3. Libro terzo, no. 9
- POL Polish (Polski) (Lucjan Hipolit Siemieński) , "Rozmowa", first published 1916
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2011-08-19
Line count: 30
Word count: 107
Du temps où tu m'aimais, Lydie
Language: French (Français) after the Latin
Horace Du temps où tu m'aimais, Lydie, De ses bras nul autre que moi N'entourait ta taille arrondie ; J'ai vécu plus heureux qu'un roi. Lydie Du temps où j'étais ta maîtresse, Tu me préférais à Chloé ; Je m'endormais à ton côté, Plus heureuse qu'une déesse. Horace Chloé me gouverne à présent, Savante au luth, habile au chant, La douceur de sa voix m'enivre. Je suis prêt à cesser de vivre S'il fallait lui donner mon sang. Lydie Je me consume maintenant Pour Calaïs, mon jeune amant, Qui dans mon cœur a pris ta place. Je mourrai deux fois, cher Horace, S'il fallait lui donner mon sang. Horace Eh quoi ! si dans notre pensée L'ancien amour se [rallumait]1 ? Si ma blonde était délaissée ? Si demain Vénus offensée A ta porte me ramenait ? Lydie Calaïs est jeune et fidèle, Et toi, poète, ton désir Est plus léger que l'hirondelle, Plus inconstant que le zéphyr ; Pourtant, s'il t'en prenait envie, Avec toi j'aimerais la vie ; Avec toi je voudrais mourir.
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Confirmed with Œuvres de Alfred de Musset, Paris, Charpentier, 1867, page 104.
1 Massenet: "ranimait"Note: Massenet has both singers sing the last three lines. There are also many small punctuation changes not shown above.
Text Authorship:
- by Louis Charles Alfred de Musset (1810 - 1857), "À Lydie", subtitle: "Imitation", written 1837, appears in Poésies nouvelles [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Latin by Horace (Quintus Horatius Flaccus) (65 BCE - 8 BCE), no title, appears in Carmina (Odes), in 3. Liber III (Book III), no. 9
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Martial Caillebotte (1853 - 1910), "À Lydie" [ vocal duet for tenor and mezzo-soprano with piano ], from Scènes et Mélodies, no. 8, Paris, Éd. G. Hartmann [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jules Massenet (1842 - 1912), "Horace et Lydie", 1886, published 1893 [ duet for 2 voices with piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Guy Laffaille [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2008-12-23
Line count: 36
Word count: 161