Ces deux yeulx bruns, [deux]1 flambeaux de ma vie,
Dessus les miens [fouldroyans]2 leur clarté,
Ont [esclavé]3 ma jeune liberté,
Pour la damner en prison asservie.

[De voz doulx feux]4 ma raison fut ravie,
Si qu'esblouy de [vostre]5 grand' beaulté,
Opiniastre à garder loyaulté
Aultres yeulx voyr depuis je n'euz envie.

D'autre esperon mon Tyran ne me poingt,
Aultres pensers en moy ne [couvent]6 point,
Ny aultre idole en mon cuoeur je n'adore.

Ma main ne sçait cultiver aultre nom,
Et mon papier n'est esmaillé, si non
De [voz]7 beaultez que ma plume colore.

A. Pevernage sets stanzas 1-2

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)
¹ Bertrand: "doux"
² Bertrand, Pevernage: "respandant"
³ Bertrand, Pevernage: "arresté"
⁴ Bertrand: "De ses deux yeux" ; Pevernage: "De ces deux yeux"
⁵ Bertrand, Pevernage: "leur"
⁶ Bertrand: "logent"
⁷ Bertrand: "ses"

Text Authorship:

• by Pierre de Ronsard (1524 - 1585), no title [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?), "Ces deux yeulx bruns", 1576, published 1578, first performed 1576 [ vocal quartet a cappella ], from Les Amours de Pierre de Ronsard à 4 parties, Livre 1, no. 11 [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Andries Pevernage (1542/3 - 1591), "Ces deux yeulx bruns", stanzas 1-2 [sung text checked 1 time]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

• Also set in French (Français), [adaptation] ; composed by Florent Schmitt.
  • Go to the text.
    

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

• ENG English (David Wyatt) , "Two lovely brown eyes", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Guy Laffaille [Guest Editor] , David Wyatt

This text was added to the website: 2010-03-23
Line count: 14
Word count: 101

Two lovely brown eyes, [twin]1 torches of my life,
[Flaming]2 brighter far than mine,
Have [enslaved]3 my youth's liberty
To condemn it to service in prison.

[By your sweet fires]4 my reason was stolen,
So dazzled by [your]5 great beauty
Persistently staying loyal
I've had no wish to see othe eyes since.

My Tyrant allows me no other hope,
Other thoughts never [arise]6 in me,
Nor do I worship any other idol in my heart.

My hand cannot write any other name,
And my page is not embellished unless
My pen colours it with [your]7 beauties.