Chansons

PAUVRE RUTEBEUF

Famous poem from a thirteenth century writer

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NANA MOUSKOURI

Que sont mes amis devenus
Que j'avais de si près tenus
Et tant aimés ?
Ils ont été trop clairsemés,
Je crois le vent les a ôtés.
L'amour est morte.
Ce sont amis que vent emporte
Et il ventait devant ma porte
Les emporta

Avec le temps qu'arbre défeuille
Quand il ne reste en branche feuille
Qui n'aille à terre.
Avec pauvreté qui m'atterre
Qui de partout me fait la guerre.
L'amour est morte.
Ne convient pas que vous raconte
Comment je me suis mis à honte,
En quelle manière.

Que sont mes amis devenus
Que j'avais de si près tenus
Et tant aimés ?
Ils ont été trop clairsemés,
Je crois le vent les a ôtés.
L'amour est morte.
Le mal ne sait pas seul venir
Tout ce qui m'était à venir M'est advenu.

Pauvre sens et pauvre mémoire
M'a Dieu donné, le roi de gloire,
Et pauvre rente.
Et droit sur moi quand bise vente
Le vent me vient, le vent m'évente
L'amour est morte.
Ce sont amis que vent emporte
Et il ventait devant ma porte
Les emporta
Les emporta

* * * / / / * * *

Mot	Annotation
PAUVRE RUTEBEUF	Rutebeuf (1230 -1285) See Wikipedia. In the poem Complainte de Rutebeuf , written around 1260, the author details a series of misfortunes which have reduced him to abject destitution.
Famous poem from a thirteenth century writer
Click on the sound button to listen to the music
Please click on words you don't understand.
The printer icon in the left upper corner allows you to see
all of the lyrics with translations, which can also be printed.

NANA MOUSKOURI	See Wikipedia
Que sont mes amis devenus	what became of my friends ' devenus ' is at the end of the sentence because of the 13th century old French syntax.
Que j'avais de si près tenus	who I had held so close ' tenus ' is at the end of the sentence because of the 13th century old French syntax.
Et tant aimés ?	and loved somuch
Ils ont été	they became
trop clairsemés,	too scarce Usually, the adjective ' clairsemé ' is used to qualify hair (' cheveux clairsemés '= sparse hair ) or wooded area (' forêt clairsemée '= scattered woods).
Je crois le vent	I think the wind
les a ôtés.	took them away from me, chased them away
L'amour est morte.	love is dead, love is undone Usually, ' amour ' is masculine in the singular, and feminine in the plural. But here, in poetry, it is possible to use ' amour' in the feminine , in the singular.
Ce sont amis	these are friends The omission of the article LE in front of ' amis ' is allowed by the rules of poetry. It gives more fullness, more depth, to the meaning of the word.
que vent emporte	carried away by the wind The omission of the article LE in front of ' vent ' is allowed by the rules of poetry. It gives more fullness, more depth, to the meaning of the word.
Et il ventait	and the wind was blowing
devant ma porte	in my doorstep
Les emporta	( et il ) les emporta = ( and it ) carried them, took them, blew them, away
Avec le temps	with time, with the weather In French poetry and songs, you can play on words, because 'temps' means both ' time ' and ' weather '.
qu'arbre défeuille	trees loose their foliage
Quand il ne reste en branche feuille	until there is no more leaves on branches
Qui n'aille à terre.	that does not fall on the ground
Avec pauvreté	with poverty
qui m'atterre	dragging me down
Qui de partout	from everywhere
me fait la guerre.	overwhelming me
L'amour est morte.	love is dead, love is undone Usually, ' amour ' is masculine in the singular, and feminine in the plural. But in a poem, it is possible to use ' amour' in the feminine , in the singular.
Ne convient pas	(il) ne convient pas = it is not fitting, it is not proper
que vous raconte	que (je) vous raconte = for me to tell you
Comment je me suis mis à honte,	how I misbehaved, how I disgraced myself
En quelle manière.	in which manner, in which way
Que sont mes amis devenus	what became of my friends ' devenus ' is at the end of the sentence because of the 13th century old French syntax.
Que j'avais de si près tenus	who I had held so close ' tenus ' is at the end of the sentence because of the 13th century old French syntax.
Et tant aimés ?	and loved somuch
Ils ont été	they became
trop clairsemés,	too scarce
Je crois le vent	I think the wind
les a ôtés.	took them away from me, chased them away
L'amour est morte.	love is dead, love is undone Usually, ' amour ' is masculine in the singular, and feminine in the plural. But here, in poetry, it is possible to use ' amour' in the feminine , in the singular.
Le mal	a misfortune
ne sait pas seul venir	never comes alone
Tout ce qui m'était à venir	all I was fated to endure, all that was bound to happen to me
M'est advenu.	has befallen me, happened to me
Pauvre sens	little sense
et pauvre mémoire	and little memory
M'a Dieu donné,	Dieu m'a donné = God gave me
le roi de gloire,	the king of glory
Et pauvre rente.	and little wealth, little money the modern syntax would be: God, the king of glory, gave me little sense, little memory, and little wealth
Et droit sur moi	and straight at me the original lyrics say ' Et droit au cul ' (and straight to my back), which was not vulgar in the 13th century, but would be perceived like that in the 21st vocabulary.
quand bise vente	when the cold (winter) wind is blowing ' bise ' means , depending on context, either ' a kiss ', or ' a cold wind '.
Le vent me vient,	the wind comes
le vent m'évente	the wind blows
L'amour est morte.	love is dead, love is undone Usually, ' amour ' is masculine in the singular, and feminine in the plural. But here, in poetry, it is possible to use ' amour' in the feminine , in the singular.
Ce sont amis	these are friends
que vent emporte	carried away by the wind
Et il ventait	and the wind was blowing
devant ma porte	in my doorstep
Les emporta	( et il ) les emporta = ( and it ) carried them, took them, blew them, away
Les emporta	( et il ) les emporta = ( and it ) carried them, took them, blew them, away
* * * / / / * * *