Text & Translation
Quand je fus pris au pavillon
French source:
Charles d'Orléans
De ma dame, très gente et belle,
Je me brûlai à la chandelle
Ainsi que fait le papillon.
Je rougis comme vermillon,
À la clarté d’une étincelle,
Quand je fus pris au pavillon
De ma dame, très gente et belle.
Si j’eusse été esmerillon
Ou que j’eusse eu aussi bonne aile,
Je me fusse gardé de celle
Qui me bailla de l’aiguillon
Quand je fus pris au pavillon.
When in her pavilion I lost my heart
English translation ©
Richard Stokes
To my most beautiful and noble lady,
I burnt myself in the candle’s flame,
As the moth does.
I flushed vermilion
In the brightness of a spark,
When in her pavilion I lost my heart.
To my most beautiful and noble lady.
If I had been a merlin
Or had wings as strong,
I should have shielded myself
From her who stung me,
When in her pavilion I lost my heart.
Quand je fus pris au pavillon
French source:
Charles d'Orléans
When in her pavilion I lost my heart
English source:
Richard Stokes
Quand je fus pris au pavillon
When in her pavilion I lost my heart
De ma dame, très gente et belle,
To my most beautiful and noble lady,
Je me brûlai à la chandelle
I burnt myself in the candle’s flame,
Ainsi que fait le papillon.
As the moth does.
Je rougis comme vermillon,
I flushed vermilion
À la clarté d’une étincelle,
In the brightness of a spark,
Quand je fus pris au pavillon
When in her pavilion I lost my heart.
De ma dame, très gente et belle.
To my most beautiful and noble lady.
Si j’eusse été esmerillon
If I had been a merlin
Ou que j’eusse eu aussi bonne aile,
Or had wings as strong,
Je me fusse gardé de celle
I should have shielded myself
Qui me bailla de l’aiguillon
From her who stung me,
Quand je fus pris au pavillon.
When in her pavilion I lost my heart.
Composer
Reynaldo Hahn
Reynaldo Hahn was a French composer, conductor and music critic. He moved to France at the age of three from Venezuela. Read more here.
Poet
Charles d'Orléans
Charles of Orléans was Duke of Orléans from 1407 and prominent medieval poet.