Songs

Se pour ce muir qu’amours ay bien servi (Ballade: from 'Le Voir Dit')

by Guillaume de Machaut

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Text & Translation

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Se pour ce muir qu’amours ay bien servi (Ballade: from 'Le Voir Dit')
French source: GUILLAUME DE MACHAUT

Se pour ce muir qu’Amours ay bien servi,
Y fait mauvais servir si fait signour
Car je n’ay pas mort d’Amours desservi
Pour bien amer de tres loyal amour.
Mais je croy bien que fine sont mi jour
Quant je congnoy et voy tout en appert
Qu’en lieu de bleu, dame, vous vestes vert.

Pour ce maudi les yex dont je vous vi,
L’eure, le jour, et le tres cointe atour
Et la biauté qui ont mon cuer ravi,
Et le plaisir enivré de folour.
Et si maudi Fortune et son faus tour
Et Loyauté que sueffre et a souffert,
Qu’en lieu de bleu, dame, vous vestez vert.

If I die because I served Love well
English translation © R. Barton Palmer

If I die because I served Love well,
To serve such a lord is bad luck
Since death I’ve not deserved from Love
For loving her with a faithful affection.
But I see well my days are numbered
When I recognize and readily perceive
That instead of blue, lady, it’s green you wear.

And so I curse the eyes I saw you with,
The hour, the day, the quite appealing display
And beauty that have ravished my heart,
Also the pleasure drunk with folly.
So I curse Fortune and her faithless turning
As well as Loyalty, who suffers and has suffered,
That instead of blue, lady, it’s green you wear.

Se pour ce muir qu’amours ay bien servi (Ballade: from 'Le Voir Dit')
French source: GUILLAUME DE MACHAUT

If I die because I served Love well
English source: R. Barton Palmer

Se pour ce muir qu’Amours ay bien servi,
If I die because I served Love well,
Y fait mauvais servir si fait signour
To serve such a lord is bad luck
Car je n’ay pas mort d’Amours desservi
Since death I’ve not deserved from Love
Pour bien amer de tres loyal amour.
For loving her with a faithful affection.
Mais je croy bien que fine sont mi jour
But I see well my days are numbered
Quant je congnoy et voy tout en appert
When I recognize and readily perceive
Qu’en lieu de bleu, dame, vous vestes vert.
That instead of blue, lady, it’s green you wear.

Pour ce maudi les yex dont je vous vi,
And so I curse the eyes I saw you with,
L’eure, le jour, et le tres cointe atour
The hour, the day, the quite appealing display
Et la biauté qui ont mon cuer ravi,
And beauty that have ravished my heart,
Et le plaisir enivré de folour.
Also the pleasure drunk with folly.
Et si maudi Fortune et son faus tour
So I curse Fortune and her faithless turning
Et Loyauté que sueffre et a souffert,
As well as Loyalty, who suffers and has suffered,
Qu’en lieu de bleu, dame, vous vestez vert.
That instead of blue, lady, it’s green you wear.

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…

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