ALBA
INNOMINATA
From the Provencal.
Ezra-Pound-Provenca-English
Ye see that I have not Wherewith to guard him, O angels, divine ones That pass us a-flying,
Sith sleepeth my child here Stay ye the branches.
Ya veis que no tengo Con que guardarlo,
O angeles santos
Que vais volando
For que duerme mi nino Tened los ramos!
SONG
thou thy dream
scorning, Love thou the wind
And here take warning
That dreams alone can truly be, For 't is in dream I come to thee.
48
LOVE
l base love Al
? PLANH FOR THE YOUNG ENGLISH KING THAT IS, PRINCE HENRY PLANTAGENET, ELDER
all the grief and woe and bitterness, IFAll dolour, ill and every evil chance
That ever came upon this grieving world Were set together, they would seem but light
Against the death of the young English King. Worth lieth riven and Youth dolorous,
The world o'ershadowed, soiled and overcast, Void of all joy and full of ire and sadness.
Grieving and sad and full of bitterness
Are left in teen the liegemen courteous,
The joglars supple and the troubadours.
O'er much hath ta'en Sir Death, that deadly warrior, In taking from them the young English King, Who made the freest hand seem covetous.
'Las ! Never was nor will be in this world
The balance for this loss in ire and sadness !
O skilful Death and full of bitterness,
Well mayst thou boast that thou the best chevalier That any folk e'er had, hast from us taken;
Sith nothing is that unto worth pertaineth
But had its life in the young English King,
And better were it, should God grant his pleasure That he should live than many a living dastard That doth but wound the good with ire and sadness.
49
BROTHER TO RICHARD "CCEUR DE LION
From the Provengal of Bertrans de Born, elk marrimen"
"
"
Si tuitli dolelhplor
? Planh for From this faint world, now full of bitterness EnJlisT* Love takes his wa^ and holds his J oy deceitful>
King
Sith no thing is but turneth unto anguish
And each to-day Vails less than yestere'en,
Let each man visage this young English King That was most valiant mid all worthiest men ! Gone is his body fine and amorous,
Whence have we grief, discord and deepest sadness.
Him, whom it pleased for our great bitterness To come to earth to draw us from misventure, Who drank of death for our salvacioun,
Him do we pray as to a Lord most righteous And humble eke, that the young English King He please to pardon, as true pardon is,
And bid go in with honoured companions
There where there is no grief, nor shall be sadness.
ALBA INNOMINATA From the Provencal.
FN a garden where the whitethorn spreads her r leaves
My lady hath her love lain close beside her,
Till the warder cries the dawn Ah dawn that
grieves !
Ah God ! Ah God ! That dawn should come so
soon!
50
? " Please God that night, dear night, should never Alba In- nominata
cease,
Nor that my love should parted be from me,
Nor watch cry 'Dawn' Ah dawn that slayeth
peace!
Ah God ! Ah God ! That dawn should come so
soon!
"Fair friend and sweet, thy lips ! Our lips again Lo, in the meadow there the birds give song !
Ours be the love and Jealousy's the pain !
Ah God! Ah God! That dawn should come so
soon!
Sith sleepeth my child here Stay ye the branches.
Ya veis que no tengo Con que guardarlo,
O angeles santos
Que vais volando
For que duerme mi nino Tened los ramos!
SONG
thou thy dream
scorning, Love thou the wind
And here take warning
That dreams alone can truly be, For 't is in dream I come to thee.
48
LOVE
l base love Al
? PLANH FOR THE YOUNG ENGLISH KING THAT IS, PRINCE HENRY PLANTAGENET, ELDER
all the grief and woe and bitterness, IFAll dolour, ill and every evil chance
That ever came upon this grieving world Were set together, they would seem but light
Against the death of the young English King. Worth lieth riven and Youth dolorous,
The world o'ershadowed, soiled and overcast, Void of all joy and full of ire and sadness.
Grieving and sad and full of bitterness
Are left in teen the liegemen courteous,
The joglars supple and the troubadours.
O'er much hath ta'en Sir Death, that deadly warrior, In taking from them the young English King, Who made the freest hand seem covetous.
'Las ! Never was nor will be in this world
The balance for this loss in ire and sadness !
O skilful Death and full of bitterness,
Well mayst thou boast that thou the best chevalier That any folk e'er had, hast from us taken;
Sith nothing is that unto worth pertaineth
But had its life in the young English King,
And better were it, should God grant his pleasure That he should live than many a living dastard That doth but wound the good with ire and sadness.
49
BROTHER TO RICHARD "CCEUR DE LION
From the Provengal of Bertrans de Born, elk marrimen"
"
"
Si tuitli dolelhplor
? Planh for From this faint world, now full of bitterness EnJlisT* Love takes his wa^ and holds his J oy deceitful>
King
Sith no thing is but turneth unto anguish
And each to-day Vails less than yestere'en,
Let each man visage this young English King That was most valiant mid all worthiest men ! Gone is his body fine and amorous,
Whence have we grief, discord and deepest sadness.
Him, whom it pleased for our great bitterness To come to earth to draw us from misventure, Who drank of death for our salvacioun,
Him do we pray as to a Lord most righteous And humble eke, that the young English King He please to pardon, as true pardon is,
And bid go in with honoured companions
There where there is no grief, nor shall be sadness.
ALBA INNOMINATA From the Provencal.
FN a garden where the whitethorn spreads her r leaves
My lady hath her love lain close beside her,
Till the warder cries the dawn Ah dawn that
grieves !
Ah God ! Ah God ! That dawn should come so
soon!
50
? " Please God that night, dear night, should never Alba In- nominata
cease,
Nor that my love should parted be from me,
Nor watch cry 'Dawn' Ah dawn that slayeth
peace!
Ah God ! Ah God ! That dawn should come so
soon!
"Fair friend and sweet, thy lips ! Our lips again Lo, in the meadow there the birds give song !
Ours be the love and Jealousy's the pain !
Ah God! Ah God! That dawn should come so
soon!
