Songs
Ballade que Villon feit à la requeste de sa mère pour prier Nostre Dame
by Claude Debussy From Trois Ballades de François Villon (1910) L119
Ballade que Villon feit à la requeste de sa mère pour prier Nostre Dame
French source:
François Villon
Emperière des infernaulx paluz,
Recevez-moy, vostre humble chrestienne,
Que comprinse soye entre vos esleuz,
Ce non obstant qu’oncques riens ne valuz.
Les biens de vous, ma dame et ma maistresse,
Sont trop plus grans que ne suys pecheresse,
Sans lesquelz bien ame ne peult merir
N’avoir les cieulx, je n’en suis menteresse.
En ceste foy je vueil vivre et mourir.
À vostre Filz dictes que je suys sienne;
De luy soyent mes pechez aboluz:
Pardonnez-moy comme à l’Egyptienne,
Ou comme il feut au clerc Théophilus,
Lequel par vous fut quitte et absoluz,
Combien qu’il eust au diable faict promesse.
Preservez-moy que je n’accomplisse ce!
Vierge portant sans rompure encourir
Le sacrement qu’on celebre à la messe.
En ceste foy je vueil vivre et mourir.
Femme je suis povrette et ancienne,
Qui riens ne sçay, oncques lettre ne leuz;
Au moustier voy dont suis paroissienne,
Paradis painct où sont harpes et luz,
Et ung enfer où damnez sont boulluz:
L’ung me faict paour, l’aultre joye et liesse.
La joye avoir fais-moy, haulte Deesse,
A qui pecheurs doibvent tous recourir,
Comblez de foy, sans faincte ne paresse.
En ceste foy je vueil vivre et mourir.
Ballad made at his mother's request for a prayer to Our Lady
English translation ©
Richard Stokes
Empress of the infernal swamps,
Take me, your humble Christian,
To be numbered among your elect
Though my worth has been as nothing.
Your mercy, my Lady and my Mistress,
Is much greater than my sinfulness,
Wihout it no soul can merit
Nor enter Heaven, I do not lie.
In this faith I wish to live and die.
Say to your Son that I am his,
By him may my sins be pardoned.
May he forgive me as he forgave the Egyptian woman
Or the clerk Theophilus,
Who was acquitted and absolved by you,
Though he had made a pact with Satan.
Preserve me from doing such a thing,
Virgin, who bore without incurring blemish
The sacrament we celebrate at mass.
In this faith I wish to live and die.
I am a poor old woman,
Ignorant and unlettered.
In my parish church I see
A painted paradise with harps and lutes,
And a hell where the damned are boiled:
One fills me with fright, the other with joy and bliss
Let me have that joy, high Goddess,
To whom all sinners in the end must come,
Full of faith, without hypocrisy or sloth.
In this faith I wish to live and die.
Translation © Richard Stokes, author of A French Song Companion (Oxford, 2000)
Ballade que Villon feit à la requeste de sa mère pour prier Nostre Dame
French source:
François Villon
Ballad made at his mother's request for a prayer to Our Lady
English source:
Richard Stokes
Dame du ciel, régente terrienne,
Lady of heaven, Regent of earth,
Emperière des infernaulx paluz,
Empress of the infernal swamps,
Recevez-moy, vostre humble chrestienne,
Take me, your humble Christian,
Que comprinse soye entre vos esleuz,
To be numbered among your elect
Ce non obstant qu’oncques riens ne valuz.
Though my worth has been as nothing.
Les biens de vous, ma dame et ma maistresse,
Your mercy, my Lady and my Mistress,
Sont trop plus grans que ne suys pecheresse,
Is much greater than my sinfulness,
Sans lesquelz bien ame ne peult merir
Wihout it no soul can merit
N’avoir les cieulx, je n’en suis menteresse.
Nor enter Heaven, I do not lie.
En ceste foy je vueil vivre et mourir.
In this faith I wish to live and die.
À vostre Filz dictes que je suys sienne;
Say to your Son that I am his,
De luy soyent mes pechez aboluz:
By him may my sins be pardoned.
Pardonnez-moy comme à l’Egyptienne,
May he forgive me as he forgave the Egyptian woman
Ou comme il feut au clerc Théophilus,
Or the clerk Theophilus,
Lequel par vous fut quitte et absoluz,
Who was acquitted and absolved by you,
Combien qu’il eust au diable faict promesse.
Though he had made a pact with Satan.
Preservez-moy que je n’accomplisse ce!
Preserve me from doing such a thing,
Vierge portant sans rompure encourir
Virgin, who bore without incurring blemish
Le sacrement qu’on celebre à la messe.
The sacrament we celebrate at mass.
En ceste foy je vueil vivre et mourir.
In this faith I wish to live and die.
Femme je suis povrette et ancienne,
I am a poor old woman,
Qui riens ne sçay, oncques lettre ne leuz;
Ignorant and unlettered.
Au moustier voy dont suis paroissienne,
In my parish church I see
Paradis painct où sont harpes et luz,
A painted paradise with harps and lutes,
Et ung enfer où damnez sont boulluz:
And a hell where the damned are boiled:
L’ung me faict paour, l’aultre joye et liesse.
One fills me with fright, the other with joy and bliss
La joye avoir fais-moy, haulte Deesse,
Let me have that joy, high Goddess,
A qui pecheurs doibvent tous recourir,
To whom all sinners in the end must come,
Comblez de foy, sans faincte ne paresse.
Full of faith, without hypocrisy or sloth.
En ceste foy je vueil vivre et mourir.
In this faith I wish to live and die.
Composer
Claude Debussy
(Achille) Claude Debussy was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influential composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Please click…
