povb4022

FOLHETA, VOS MI PREJATZ
QUE EU CHAN ...

FOLHETA, YOU WANT ME TO
SING FOR YOU ...

Bertrans de Born

trans. James H. Donalson
(from Provençal)

Folheta, vos mi prejatz que eu chan,
Pero non ai ni senhor ni vezi
D'aquest afar aia coy ni talan
Ni volha ges qu'eu chantan to chasti,

Mas vos o tenetz a joia,

Anta ab pro mais que onor ab dan,
E avetz mal chausit al meu semblan.

La raucha votz, don cridatz en chantan,
E·l megre corps don semblatz Sarazi,
E·l paubre mot que dizetz en comtan,
E quar flairatz sap e gema e pi

Com avols gens de Savoia,

E quar etz lait garnitz e malestan,
Ab que·us n'anetz farai vostre coman.

Ara parra de pretz quals l'a plus gran
De totz aquels que·s leveron mati:
Messers Conratz l'a plus fi sens enjan
Ques defen lai a Sur d'en Saladi

E de sa maisnada croia.

Deus l'acora, quel socors vai tarzan:
Sol aural pretz, pois sols sofre l'afan.

Messers Conratz, a Jesu vos coman,
Qu'eu fora lai ab vos, so vos afi,
Mas laissei m'en quan vi que li plus gran
Se tarzavan, li rei e li princi;

Pois vi mi donz bela e bloia,

Per que mos cors mi vai afrevolan;
Lai fora ab vos s'eu en saubes aitan.

De n'Oc-e-No no·m vauc ara doptan
Quar pesa li si nula rei chasti;
El reis frances vai si trop apriman
E ai paor que venha sobre mi.

Mas anc al setje de Troia

Non ac tan duc, prince ni amiran
Com eu n'ai mes, per chantar, a mon dan.

E
A mon Isembart part Troia
Vai, sirventes, e di li·m, qu'eu lo·lh man,
Qu'als reis crozatz es anta quar no van.

Folheta, you want me to sing for you,
but I don't have a lord or neighbor now
who is at all inclined to this affair,
nor do they want to be chastised in song:

you seem to think that it's a joy,

a shame with profit, not honor with harm;
it seems to me that they have chosen wrong.

Your voice is hoarse, you shout when you should sing,
your body's blacker than a Saracen,
the words you use are poor for telling tales,
you smell of firtrees, resin and the pine,

like common folk down in Savoy,

because you're poorly dressed and looking bad,
if you'll just go, I'll do as you command.

Soon we will see who has the greatest fame
of all those who got out of bed this morn,
Lord Conrad is the best, and without tricks,
defending, down in Tyre, from Saladin,

and from his evil company;

God help him, for his succor is delayed;
his all the fame, for his is all the zeal.

Lord Conrad, I commend you to Jesu,
would I were there and also pledged with you,
but I held back when I saw that the great
ones all delayed, the kings and princes too;

and then I saw my beauteous blonde,

for whom my heart turns weaker by the hour:
I'd be with you, if only I knew how.

Of Yea-and-Nay, I'll be no more afraid:
it bothers him to have no reprimand;
the King of France is quick to rush ahead
and I'm afraid he'll.fall all over me.

But even at the siege of Troy

they didn't have a prince, emir or duke
such as the ones I've sung, and to my harm.

E
Go to my Isembart in Troyes,
now, sirventes, and say I send it on:
shame to crusader-kings who don't move on.

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