Can vei la lauzeta

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkp2GHBRUiQ&feature=youtu.be


When I see the lark beat his wings 
for joy against the sun's ray,
until he forgets to fly and plummets down,
for the sheer delight which goes to his heart,
alas, great envy comes to me
of those whom I see filled with happiness,
and I marvel that my heart
does not instantly melt from desire.

Alas, I thought I knew so much about love,
and really I know so little,
for I cannot keep myself from loving her
from whom I shall have no favor.
She has stolen from me my heart, myself,
herself, and all the world.
When she took herself from me, she left me nothing
but desire and a longing heart.

Never have I been in control of myself or even belonged to myself from the hour that she let me gaze into her eyes- that mirror that pleases me so greatly. Mirror, since I saw myself reflected in you, deep sighs have been killing me. I have lost myself, just as handsome Narcissus lost himself in the fountain.   I despair of women, no more will I trust them, and just as I used to defend them, now I shall denounce them. Since I see that none aids me against her who destroys and confounds me, I fear and distrust them all for I know well they are all alike.   In this my lady certainly shows herself to be a woman, and for it I reproach her, for she wants not that which one ought to want, and what is forbidden, she does. I have fallen out of favor and have behaved like the fool on the bridge; and I don't know why it happened except because I tried to climb too high.   Mercy is lost, in truth, though I never received it, for she who should possess it most has none, so where shall I seek it? Ah, one who sees her would scarcely guess that she just leaves this passionate wretch (who will have no good without her) to die, and gives no aid.   Since with my lady neither prayers nor mercy nor my rights avail me, and since she is not pleased that I love her, I will never speak of it to her again. Thus I part from her, and leave; she has killed me, and by death I respond, since she does not retain me, I depart, wretched, into exile, I don't know where.   Tristan, you will have nothing from me, for I depart, wretched, I don't know where. I quit and leave off singing and withdraw from joy and love.

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De las domnas me dezesper; Ja mais en lor no.m fiarai; C'aissi com las solh chaptener, Enaissi las deschaptenrai. I despair of all women; Never again shall I trust them; As much as I was formerly their protector I shall now neglect them

Bernart de Ventadorn: can vei la lauzeta mover

 

Can vei la lauzeta mover
de joi sas alas contra.l rai,
que s'oblid' e.s laissa chazer
per la doussor c'al cor li vai,
ai! tan grans enveya m'en ve
de cui qu'eu veya jauzion,
meravilhas ai, car desse
lo cor de desirer no.m fon.

Ai las! tan cuidava saber
d'amor, e tan petit en sai,
car eu d'amar no.m posc tener
celeis don ja pro non aurai.
Tout m'a mo cor, e tout m'a me,
e se mezeis e tot lo mon;
e can se.m tolc, no.m laisset re
mas dezirer e cor volon.

Anc non agui de me poder
ni no fui meus de l'or' en sai
que.m laisset en sos olhs vezer
en un miralh que mout me plai.
Miralhs, pus me mirei en te,
m'an mort li sospir de preon,
c'aissi.m perdei com perdet se
lo bels Narcisus en la fon.

De las domnas me desesper
ja mais en lor no.m fiarai;
c'aissi com las solh chaptener,
enaissi las deschaptenrai.
Pois vei c'una pro no m'en te
vas leis que.m destrui e.m cofon
totas las dopt'e las mescre,
car be sai c'atretals se son.

D'aisso's fa be femna parer
ma domna, per qu'e.lh o retrai,
car no vol so c'om deu voler,
e so c'om li deveda, fai.
Chazutz sui en mala merce,
et ai be fai co.l fols en pon;
e no sai per que m'esdeve,
mas car trop puyei contra mon.

Pus ab midons no.m pot valer
precs ni merces ni.l dreiz qu'eu ai,
ni a leis no ven a plazer
qu'eu l'am, ja mais no.lh o dirai,
aissi.m part de leis e.m recre;
mort m'a, e per mort li respon,
e vau m'en, pus ilh no.m rete,
chaitius, en issilh, no sai on.

Tristans, ges no.n auretz de me,
qu'em m'en vau, chaitius, no sai on.
De chantar me gie e.m recre,
e de joi e d'amor m'escon.

Vedo l’allodola muove

gioia e ali verso i raggi,

si lascia cadere e oblia

per dolcezza che al cuor le va,

ah! grande invidia mi viene

del godimento che vedo,

mi stupisco che il mio cuore

non desìderi fondere.

Tanto volevo sapere

d’amore, ah ne so poco,

non giova amare sincero

dove nulla può giovare.

Tutto prese il mio cuore e me

con lei stessa e tutto il mondo;

si tolse al cuore non lasciò

che desiderio e insanità.

Su di me non ho potere

né fui più mio da allora in poi,

e mi mostrò nei suoi occhi

uno specchio che mi incantò.

O specchio, vidi me in te,

e mi uccisero i sospiri,

mi persi come perse sé

in fonte Narciso bello.

Delle donne mi dispero

ormai non mi fiderò più;

se finora le difesi,

ora non le difenderò.

Una non mi solleverà

dal disonore in cui caddi

tutte ora le disprezzo

so che una vale l’altra.

Fedele lei alle donne

abbia disapprovazione,

disprezza il dovere, fiera

diventa di ogni vergogna.

Ora ho perso il suo favore,

mi dice idiota la gente.

Come fu non saprei dire,

forse è che troppo volli.

Non vale ora a miadonna

preghiera o grazia che io abbia,

né a lei andrà mai a genio

che io la ami, mai lo dirà,

così mi separo da lei;

morte mi diede e con morte

rispondo e vado in esilio

come volle, dove non so.

Signora, non avrai altro.

Vado nessuno sa dove.

Prendo congedo dal cantare

senza gioia in cerca di aria.

When I behold the skylark lift
his wings adance against the dawn,
and fall forgetfully adrift
for all the joy his heart has won,
oh envy eats at me to see
how he rejoices in the ray.
I marvel that the heart in me
does anything but melt away.

What is this thing I thought I knew?
this love that I know nothing of:
the foolishness of being true
to one who will not hear of love,
who took my heart away and me,
and took herself and took the rest,
and left me full of memory,
and left a mania in my breast.

My mind beyond all mastery,
I wasn’t mine a single night
since in her eyes she let me see
a mirror spellbinding my sight.
O mirror I saw me in you,
and read what only grief can tell,
perdition in a single view,
Narcissus ruined at the well.

I have no faith, from this day hence,
in women as I did before.
Though I once stood in their defense,
I cannot stand them anymore.
For none can lift me from my fall
when she has cast me out to shame.
Now I distrust them one and all,
and know too well they're all the same.

And so milady’s proven true
to womanhood, and is to blame,
despising what she ought to do
and taking pride in every shame.
I’ve fallen out of favor now,
“Fool on a bridge” the people sigh.
I couldn’t guess at why or how:
except I tried to climb too high.

Her scorn is heaped upon on my worth
and my appeals to sympathy,
she treats my love with vacant mirth
and so she’ll have no more from me.
I’ll pack my love away and go;
now dead, with death I answer her.
I’m going, since she wills it so,
in exile- nobody knows where.

Lady, you’ll have no more from me.
I’m going nobody knows where.
I’m taking leave of poetry
to quest for loveless, joyless air.



translated into English by A.Z. Foreman