Perhaps only | Perhaps I shall only be caught between many choices

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by Anonymous / Unidentified Author

Translation © by David Wyatt

Fors seulement

Language: Old French (Ancien français)

Our translations: ENG

Fors seulement contre ce qu'ay promis
Entre tous lieux seray fors entremis
Et acquerray une belle alliance
J'en ai desir voyre de mon enfance
Point ne vouldroye avoir nulz ennemys

Mon vouloir j'ay tout en cela soubmys
Et hors de la ja ne serai transmis
Garder je veul ordre sens et prudence
    Fors seulement contre ce qu'ay promis
    Entre tous lieux seray fors entremis
    Et acquerray une belle alliance

Je cuide avair en terre des amys
Et qu'en eulx ay ma fiance remys
On doit scavoir que n'ay nulle doubtance
Ou aultrement querroye ma deffiance
Car je seroye de tout honneur desmys

    Fors seulement contre ce qu'ay promis
    Entre tous lieux seray fors entremis
    Et acquerray une belle alliance
    J'en ai desir voyre de mon enfance
    Point ne vouldroye avoir nulz ennemys

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 Johannes Ockeghem (1410?25 - 1497), "Fors seulement" [
text verified 1 time
]

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

ENG English (David Wyatt) , title 1: "Perhaps only", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: David Wyatt

This text was added to the website: 2012-09-10
Line count: 21
Word count: 132

Perhaps only

Language: English after the Old French (Ancien français)

Perhaps I shall only be caught between many choices,
Against what I promised,
But I shall gain a good alliance;
I've wished it since my childhood,
And absolutely don't want to make enemies.
				
I have put all my wishes aside in this case
And I shall never be moved aside from it,
I wish to maintain order, sense and prudence.
  Perhaps I shall only be caught between many choices,
  Against what I promised,
  But I shall gain a good alliance.

I take care to have friends in the world
And since I have placed my trust in them,
Everyone should realise that I am not to be doubted,
Or is instead they suggest  I am to be distrusted,
Then I will lose all honour. 

Perhaps I shall only be caught between many choices,
Against what I promised,
But I shall gain a good alliance;
I've wished it since my childhood,
And absolutely don't want to make enemies.

Text Authorship:

Translation from Old French (Ancien 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 Old French (Ancien français) by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2012-09-10
Line count: 21
Word count: 157