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Ventadorn, Bernart de: [When I see the lark rising up] ([Quant vet la lauzeta mover] in English)

Portre of Ventadorn, Bernart de

[Quant vet la lauzeta mover] (Occitan)

Quant vet la lauzeta mover
de joi sas alas contral rai,
que s'oblida e·s laissa cazer
per la doussor qu'al cor li vai,
ai! tan grans enveia m'en ve
de cui qu'eu veya jauzion!
meravilhas ai, quar desse
lo cor de dezirier no·m fon.

Ai las! tan cuyava saber
d'amor, e ten petit en sai!
quar eu d'amar no·m puesc tener
celieys don ia pro non aurai;
tout m'a mon cor e tout m'a me
e se mezeis' et tot lo mon,
e quan si·m tolc, no·m laisset re
mas dezirier e cor volon.

Anc non agui de me poder
ni no fui mieus de lor'en sai
que·m laisset en sos huelhs vezer
en un miralh que mot mi plai.
mirals, pus me mirei en te,
m'an mort li sospir de preon,
qu'aissi·m perdei cum perdet se
lo bels Narcisus en la fon.

De las donas mi dezesper;
ia mais en lor no·m fiarai;
qu'aissi cum las suelh captener,
enaissi las descaptendrai.
pus vei qu'una pro no m'en te
ves lieis que·m destrui e·m cofon,
totas las dopt' e las mescre,
quar be sai qu'autretals se son.

D'aisos fa be femna parer
ma dona, per qu'ieu·l o retrai,
quar non vol so qu'om deu voler,
e so qu'om li deveda, fai.
cazutz sui en mala merce,
et ai ben fait co·l fols en pon,
e no sai per que m'esdeve,
mas quar trop pogei contra mon.

Merces es perduda per ver,
(et ieu non o saubi anc mai),
quar cil qui plus en degr'aver,
no·n a ges; et on la querrai?
al quan mal sembla, qui la ve,
qued aquest caitiu deziron,
que is ses leis non aura be,
laisse morir, que no l'aon!

Pus ab midons no·m pot valer
precs ni merces ni·l dregz qu'ieu ai,
ni a leis no ven a plazer
qu'ieu l'am, ia mais no·l o dirai;
aissi·m part de lieis e·m recre;
mort m'a, e per mort li respon,
e vau m·en, pus ilh no·m rete,
caitius, en issilh, no sai on.

Tristans, ges no·n auretz de me,
qu'ieu m'en vau, caitius, no sai on.
de chantar mi gic e·m recre,
e de joi e d'amor m'escon.



Uploaded byP. T.
Source of the quotationhttp://www.brindin.com

[When I see the lark rising up] (English)

When I see the lark rising up
with joy, its wings against the sun,
and it forgets and all but drops
because a sweetness strikes its heart,
then what great envy enters me
of those I see rejoicing then;
I marvel, for my heart will not
leave off from its desirous aim.

Alas, I so desired to know
of love, and yet so little know,
for I can't hold myself to love
the one for whom I'll have no use:
she has my heart and she has me
and has herself and everyone,
and if she takes me, nothing's left
but longing and a willing heart.

Though I have not pow'r over me
nor have I had it ever since
I let myself see in her eyes
a mirror that has pleased me much:
O mirror, since I've looked at you
the sighs from out the deep are dead;
indeed, I lost myself, the way
Narcissus did when at the spring.

The ladies are despair to me:
I can no longer trust in them,
for as I used to bear them up
so now I leave them in the lurch;
I see then, one's no use to me
(it's she who is confounding me),
I doubt them all and misbelieve
for I know they're not what they claim.

My lady, then, does well to play
the woman, so I may advance,
for I don't want what I should want,
and what's forbidden me, I do.
I've fallen in bad graces now
and I've done well with bridging fools:
I don't know why I'm at this pass
but I've stood up against the world.

Mercy's lost from sight
(and I have not recovered it)
for those who have the most of it
have none; and where to seek it out?
how bad it looks to lookers-on;
what do they want of worthless me!
who now, without her, have no goods,
so let me die who have no help.

So, with my lady, prayers and thanks
do me no good, nor rights I claim,
and she is not pleased by the fact
I love her, so I won't claim to:
and so I leave her and swear off;
she has me dead, let death respond;
she won't stop me, so off I go:
worthless, exiled, who knows where.

Sir Tristram, none will hear from me:
I'm off to exile, who knows where;
I'll give up singing and resign
and hide myself from joy and love.



Uploaded byP. T.
Source of the quotationhttp://www.brindin.com

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