Eissament ai guerrejat ab amor By: Raimbaut de Vaqeiras

Editions

Singable Translation PDF By: Carol Anne Perry Lagemann (CC BY SA 4.0)

Info

Number of Voices: 1
Voicings: S , A , T , B
Date: 12th century
Language: Occitan
Tags: translation trobar canso

Lyrics

LyricsPoetic Translation
Eissamen ai gerreiat ab amorI've waged war on Love in the very way
Co.l francs vassals gerrei' ab mal seignor,Virtuous vassal brings loathsome lord mêlée
Qe.il tol sa terr' a tort, per que.l gerreia,Who loots his land as though to irk him idly;
E qan conois qe.il gerra pro no.il te,But when no satisfaction can he seize,
Pel sieu cobrar ven puois a sa merce.He sues for recent rights upon his knees.
Et eu ai tant de joi cobrar enveiaI long for laughter lost, so I contritely
C'ad amor qier merce del sieu pechatBeg Love forgive what Love itself has brought
E mon orgoill torn en humilitat.And pray my pride humility be taught.
Gauch ai cobrat, merce de la meillor,She restores the happiness gone astray,
Qe.m restaura la dan q'ai pres aillor,Pains impaling me elsewhere to repay,
E s'amistat per plaich d'amor m'autreiaAnd beautifully with friendship she delights me,
Ma bella dompn' e per sieu mi reteRetaining me in service with franchise,
E.m promet tant per qe.l reprovier creAnd I believe, by gorgeous guarantees,
Que ditz: "qui ben gerreia, ben plaideia";The words, "In mighty struggles, gains are mighty,"
Q'en chantan ai ab amor gerreiatBecause, in singing, Love I have so fought
Tant c'ab midonz n'ai meillor plait trobat.That with my lady I've improved my lot.
El mon non a rei ni emperadorAny king or prince in this world would pray
Q'en lieis amar non agues plaich d'onor,To love her and feel honored every day,
Car sa valors e sos pretz seignoreiaFor with her merit and her worth presides she
Sobre totas las pros dompnas c'om ve,Above all lovely ladies that one sees;
Car mieills s'enanss' e plus gen si capteShe holds herself more highly, with more ease,
E mieills acuoill e mieills parl' e dompneia,And keeps more courtly arts and speaks more brightly
E mostr' als pros son pretz e sa beutat,And shows the bold her beauty past all thought,
Salva s'onor, e reten de totz grat.And guards her honor, pleasing as she ought.
Dompna, ben sai, si merces no.m socor,Maybe, if no mercy with me will stay,
Qu'eu non vaill tant qe.us taign' ad amador,From what's fitting your lover I will stray;
Car tant valetz, per que mos cors feuneiaYou are so worthy that frustration smites me:
Car non puosc far tant rics faitz co.us coveI cannot manage what my mind agrees
A mi qe.us am; empero no.m recreYour friend must do, and yet I do not freeze
De vos amar, que vassals, puois derreia,My heart, just as a soldier wandering widely
Deu poigner tant tro fassa colp honrat,Must struggle 'til he strikes a noble shot:
Per q'ie.us enquis pois m'aguetz conseill dat.Thus, after you advised me, you I sought.
S'ieu non sui rics segon vostra ricorThat my birth was noble I cannot say,
Ni pro valens a vostra gran valor,Nor have I enough valor to convey;
Mon poder fatz, e sui cel qe.us merceiaI do my best, so pity please provide me,
E.us serv e.us blan e vos am mais que reAnd let me laud you, live by your decrees,
E.m gart de mal e m'esfortz de tot beAnd strive for good, as love from evil flees:
Per vostr' amor, e mieills mi par que deiaIt's all for you; I think a man who's knightly
Pros dompn' amar bon cavallier prezatA better man to love than him who's not:
Endreich d'amor c'un ric outracujat.A nobleman whose virtue can be bought.
Vostre beill huoill plazen, galiador,Yet your eyes deceit and delight display,
Rizon d'aisso don eu sospir e plor,And they laugh at what leads to my dismay;
E l'adreitz cors q'ades genss' e coindeiaYour upright figure, so refined and sprightly,
M'auci aman, tals enveia m'en ve!Will kill me, so impassioned are my pleas!
E si ab vos non trob amor e fe,If you with truest love do not appease,
Mais no.m creirai en ren c'auia ni veia,I'll never trust what I might hear or might see,
Ni.m fiarai en dompna d'aut barat,Nor hope a highborn lady will not plot,
Ni ja non vuoill c'autra.m don s'amistat.Nor find her friendship makes me so distraught.
Bels Cavalliers, vostr' amors mi guerreia,My Fairest Knight, your love in triumph fights me;
E prec merce e franc' humilitatI pray what real humility has wrought
C'aissi.us venssa cum vos m'avetz sobrat.May conquer you as quite as I was caught.
Na Beatritz, las melhors an enveyaDame Beatrice, all ladies envy rightly
De vostre pretz e de vostra beutat,Your worth and beauty, which without one blot
Que gensa vos e.l don de Monferrat.Adorn you and the Lord of Monferrat.
Raimbaut de VaqueirasCarol Anne Perry Lagemann

Direct Translation

See Leonardo Malcovati's work at Trobar.org.