I swear to you, my lady | My lady, I swear this to you

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by Anonymous / Unidentified Author

Translation © by David Wyatt

Que vous madame

Language: French (Français)

Our translations: ENG

Que vous madame je le jure
N'est ne sera de moy se vie,
Et tant qu'aura vostre serf vie
Garde n'avez qu'il se perjure.
Une fois a vous me donnay
Et derecief certes m'y donne.

Onque riens meulx je'n redonnay
Se vostre grace a moy s'adonne.

Craindre me soit dicte l'injure
S'aultre a ma franchise asservie!
Et mort vueil avoir desservie
Se nulle dame conjure.

Tenor
In pace in idipsum dormiam et requiescam, 
si dedero somnium oculis meis.

Text Authorship:

by Anonymous / Unidentified Author [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 Josquin des Prez (c1440 - 1521), "Que vous madame" [
text verified 1 time
]

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

ENG English (David Wyatt) , title 1: "I swear to you, my lady", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: David Wyatt

This text was added to the website: 2012-07-14
Line count: 15
Word count: 78

I swear to you, my lady

Language: English after the French (Français)

My lady, I swear this to you,
My life is not and will not be mine,
And as long as your servant has life
You need not worry that he will break faith.
Once I gave myself to you,
And truly indeed I give myself again.

I shall never give anything back that is better
If your favour is given to me.

To fear that the insult might be said to me
That another lady has taken my freedom into her service!
I would rather have deserved death
If another lady implored me.

Tenor
In peace, and into the same, shall I lie down and rest, 
if I give my eyes sleep.

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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in French (Français) by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2012-07-14
Line count: 15
Word count: 112