These are just the charms | These are just the charms, lures and bait

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by Pierre de Ronsard (1524 - 1585)

Translation © by David Wyatt

Ce ne sont qu'ains

Language: French (Français)

Our translations: ENG

Ce ne sont qu'haims, qu'amorces et qu'appas
De son bel œil qui m'alléche en sa nasse,
Soit qu'elle rie, ou soit qu'elle compasse
Au son du luth le nombre de ses pas.

Une minuit tant de flambeaux n'a pas,
Ny tant de sable en Euripe ne passe,
Que de beautez embellissent sa grace,
Pour qui j'endure un millier de trespas.

Mais le tourment qui moissonne ma vie
Est si plaisant que je n'ay point envie
De m'esloigner de sa douce langueur.

Ains face Amour que mort encore j'aye
L'aigre douceur de l amoureuse playe
Que vif je porte au [plus beau]¹ de mon cœur.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

• A. Bertrand

View original text (without footnotes)
¹ Bertrand: "rocher"

Text Authorship:

by Pierre de Ronsard (1524 - 1585) [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 Anthoine de Bertrand (1540? - 1581?), "Ce ne sont qu'ains", 1576, published 1578, first performed 1576 [ vocal quartet a cappella ], from Les Amours de Pierre de Ronsard à 4 parties, Livre 1, no. 26 [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (David Wyatt) , "These are just the charms", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2010-10-28
Line count: 14
Word count: 105

These are just the charms

Language: English after the French (Français)

These are just the charms, lures and bait
Of her fair eyes which attract me into her trap
Whether she smiles, or whether she measures
Her steps to the sound of a lute.

Midnight has not so many torches
Nor does so much sand flow through the straits at Euripus
As she has beauties to enhance her grace
For her I endure a thousand deaths.

But the torture which my life reaps as reward
Is so pleasant that I have no desire
To part from this sweet idleness.

But through Love, when dead I will still have
The bitter sweetness of love's wound
Which living I carry in the [fairest place in]¹ my heart.

View original text (without footnotes)
¹ Bertrand: "rock of"

Text Authorship:

Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2012 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.
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Based on:

a text in French (Français) by Pierre de Ronsard (1524 - 1585)
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2012-05-22
Line count: 14
Word count: 115