Tant que vivray (Claudin de Sermisy)

First published in 1527, this is one of about 175 chansons by Claudin de Sermisy, who gets a name-check in Rabelais’ Gargantua and Pantagruel.

Tant que vivray en âge florissant,	So long as I live at a flourishing age,
Je serviray d'amour le dieu puissant,	I will serve love's powerful god,
En faictz, et dictz, en chansons, et accords.	In actions and words, in songs and harmonies.
Par plusieurs fois m'a tenu languissant,	Many times (he) left me languishing,
Mais après dueil m'a faict réjouyssant,	But after mourning made me rejoice,
Car j'ay l'amour de la belle au gent corps.	Since I have the love of a beautiful woman with a fine body.
Son alliance	An alliance with her
C'est ma fiance:	That's my pledge:
Son cœur est mien,	Her heart is mine,
Le mien est sien:	Mine is hers:
Fi de tristesse,	Boo to sadness,
Vive lyesse,	Long live joy,
Puis qu'en amour a tant de bien.	Since in love there is so much good.
Quand je la veulx servir, et honorer,	When I want to serve her, and honour (her),
Quand par escripts veux son nom décorer,	When with fine scripts (I) want to decorate her name,
Quand je la veoy, et visite souvent,	When I see her, and visit her often,
Les envieux n'en font que murmurer,	Envious people just murmer about it
Mais notr'amour n'en sçaurait moins durer;	But our love won't therefore endure less;
Aultant ou plus en emporte le vent.	So far or further will the wind carry it.
Malgré envie	Despite envy
Toute ma vie	All my life
Je l'aimeray,	I will love her
Et chanteray,	And I will sing,
C'est la premiere,	“She is the first
C'est la derniere,	She is the last
Que j'ay servie, et serviray.	That I have served, and will serve”.

The french text is from our Editions Outremontaises edition, slightly different in places from CPDL.

I've based my translation on an anonymous one lent to me by friend and fellow-Cantabilean David Adshead which begins “While I am in my prime”. In most other contexts that would be better but in this blog I'm trying to be more literal and give singers a clue as to what the individual words mean.

La belle au gent corps. La belle is literally the beautiful (female), so she may be a bit younger than woman implies. Gent meant graceful or elegant, with overtones of being well-born. I'll lay good money that someone somewhere has translated this phrase as fair maid.

Fi de. Well yes, you could perhaps translate this as Fie upon. But I couldn't.