Nes que on porroit (Ballade: from 'Le Voir Dit')
French source:
GUILLAUME DE MACHAUT
Quant on les voit luire plus clerement,
Et les goutes de pluie et de la mer,
Et la greve seur quoy elle s’estent,
Et compasser le tour dou firmament,
Ne porroit on penser ne concevoir
Le grant desir que j’ay de vous veoir.
Et si ne puis par devers vous aler
Pour Fortune qui le vuet et deffent,
Dont maint souspir me couvient estrangler
Quant a vous pense et je sui entre gent;
Et quant je sui par moy secretement,
Adont me fait tous meschies recevoir,
Le grant desir que j’ay de vous veoir.
No more than a man
English translation ©
R. Barton Palmer
When they are seen to shine so clearly,
And the drops of water in rain and the sea,
And the sands that make up its bed,
Or map the stars in the firmament,
Could anyone fathom or imagine
The great desire I have to see you.
And if I cannot come to you
Because Fortune insists, who prevents me,
Then I must stifle many a sigh
When thinking among other of you;
And all alone and unobserved,
It makes me suffer every kind of agony,
The great desire I have to see you.
Nes que on porroit (Ballade: from 'Le Voir Dit')
French source:
GUILLAUME DE MACHAUT
No more than a man
English source:
R. Barton Palmer
Ne que on porroit les estoiles nombrer
No more than a man could number the stars
Quant on les voit luire plus clerement,
When they are seen to shine so clearly,
Et les goutes de pluie et de la mer,
And the drops of water in rain and the sea,
Et la greve seur quoy elle s’estent,
And the sands that make up its bed,
Et compasser le tour dou firmament,
Or map the stars in the firmament,
Ne porroit on penser ne concevoir
Could anyone fathom or imagine
Le grant desir que j’ay de vous veoir.
The great desire I have to see you.
Et si ne puis par devers vous aler
And if I cannot come to you
Pour Fortune qui le vuet et deffent,
Because Fortune insists, who prevents me,
Dont maint souspir me couvient estrangler
Then I must stifle many a sigh
Quant a vous pense et je sui entre gent;
When thinking among other of you;
Et quant je sui par moy secretement,
And all alone and unobserved,
Adont me fait tous meschies recevoir,
It makes me suffer every kind of agony,
Le grant desir que j’ay de vous veoir.
The great desire I have to see you.
Composer
Guillaume de Machaut
Guillaume de Machaut is presumed to have been born around the year 1300; the first surviving documentary evidence from 1330 lists him as a ‘clerk’ in the household of John of Bohemia and suggests that he had been in service since 1323. Machaut was…