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Armes, amours, dames, chevalerie, Clers, musicans et fayseurs en françoys, Tous sosfistes, toute poëterie, Tous cheus qui ont melodieuses vois, Ceus qui cantent en orgue aucunes foys Et qui ont chier le doulz art de musique, Demenés duel, plourés, car c’est bien drois, La mort Machaut, le noble rethouryque. Onques d’amours ne parla en follie, Ains a esté en tous ses dis courtois, Aussi a molt pleü sa chanterie Aus grans seigneurs, aus contes, aus bourgois. Hé! Horpheüs, asses lamenter dois, Et regreter d’un regret autentique, Arethuse aussi, Alpheüs, tous trois, La mort Machaut, le noble rethouryque. Priés por li si que nulls ne l’oublie : Ce vous requiert le bayli de Valois, Car il n’en est au jor d’ui nul en vie Tel com il fu, ne ne sera des moys. Complains sera de contes et de roys Jusqu’au lonc temps per sa bone practique. Vestés vous noir ; plorés, tous Champenois, La mort Machaut, le noble rethouryque.
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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):
- [ None yet in the database ]
The text above (or a part of it) is used in the following settings:
- by F. Andrieu (flourished 14th century), no title, Double ballade consisting of two texts performed simultaneously
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Grant Hicks) , copyright © 2026, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Grant Hicks [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2026-07-27
Line count: 24
Word count: 157
Arms, loves, ladies, knights, Clerics, musicians and writers in French, All philosophers, all poetry, All those who have melodious voices, Those who sometimes play an instrument And who hold dear the sweet art of music, Lead the mourning; bewail, for it is only right, The death of Machaut, the noble rhetorician. Never did he speak foolishly of love, Rather was he courtly in all his words, And his singing was very pleasing To great lords, counts, and burghers. Ho! Orpheus, you should lament And grieve with heartfelt grief, Arethusa too, Alpheus, all three, The death of Machaut, the noble rhetorician. Pray for him so that no one may forget him, The bailiff of Valois asks it of you, For there is none alive today Such as he was, nor will there ever be. There will be lamentation of counts and kings For a long time on account of his good style. Dress yourselves in black; bewail, all people of Champagne, The death of Machaut, the noble rhetorician.
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Note for stanza 2, line 7: in Greek mythology, Arethusa was a nymph with whom the river god Alpheus fell in love. To foil his advances, the goddess Artemis transformed Arethusa into a spring on the island of Ortygia; but Alpheus was then transformed into a stream that flowed underground to merge its waters with those of the Arethusan spring.Note for stanza 3, line 2: A bailiff (French bailli) was a representative of the king who was responsible for the regional administration of justice and local finances. The poet Deschamps himself held this position in the Valois region.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from Old French (Ancien français) to English copyright © 2026 by Grant Hicks, (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:
- a text in Old French (Ancien français) by Eustache Deschamps (1346 - 1406)
This text was added to the website: 2026-08-14
Line count: 24
Word count: 167