Le Lai de la Fonteinne (Je ne cesse de prier) (Guillaume de Machaut)

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• (Posted 2018-12-21)  CPDL #52691:       

Editor: Raymond Nagem (submitted 2018-12-21).   Score information: Letter, 18 pages, 262 kB   Copyright: Personal

Edition notes: Edited from the text and music in Patricia A. Turcic, "Words and Music in Communion: An Analysis of Guillaume de Machaut's 'Le Lay de la Fonteinne' in Cultural Context" (M.A. diss., University of Maine, 2001), https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/etd/486/. Transposed up a perfect fourth for three equal voices. Barring, beaming, and musica ficta editorial. This is intended as a practical performing edition.

General Information

Title: Le Lai de la Fonteinne "Je ne cesse de prier"
Composer: Guillaume de Machaut
Lyricist: Guillaume de Machaut

Number of voices: 3/1vv   Voicing: 3 equal voices, odd verses unison or solo
Genre: Sacred, Lai, Canon

Language: French
Instruments: A cappella

First published:
Description: Lai in which monophonic odd verses alternate with three-part canons.

External websites:

• Turcic: "Words and Music in Communion

Original text and translations

French text Je ne cesse de prier A ma dame chiere Que mes maus veille aligier. Mais si se tient chiere Et tant la truis dure et fiere, Sans amolliier, Qu’adoucir de ma priere Ne puis son dangier. S’en veil une autre acointier Qui joie pleniere M’otriera de ligier Et a bonne chiere, Sans fin, sans amour legiere, Sans amenuisier; Ne joye qu’a li s’affiere Ne puet homs trier. Et où porroit on querir La joie qui amenrir Ne puet ne finer Et qui ne fait que doubler En joieus plaisir? Tout li mondes, sans mentir, N’en porroit finer, Sans la dame qui n’a per Amer et chierir. Mais ame ne puet perir N’a dampnation venir Qui son temps user En li servir et loer Vuet sans repentir; Car qui siens, sans retollir, Vuet tous demourer, En gloire l’estuet regner Qui ne puet faillir. C’est celle qui par ordonnance De Parole, et par la puissance D’Esperit Saint, qui ouvra en ce, Et par devine pourvëance Faite au commandement dou Pere, Conçut vierge, sans violence, Porta vierge, sans desplaisance, Enfanta vierge, sans grevance, Li Fil Dieu qui prist no semblance Pour nous tous getter de misere. Mais n’i ha point de difference, Car sil trois font toute une essence, Une vertus, une substance, Un pooïr, une sapience: Ci ha trop merveilleus mistere. Et si n’en fais nulle doubtance, Car c’est ma foy, c’est ma crëance, C’est ma vie et ma soustance, Par celle qui par excellance Est fille au Pere et dou Fil mere. Ces trois un a po de peinne, Assez prouver puis: Considere une fonteinne, Le ruissel, la duis; Ce sont trois, mais ces trois truis Tout un, soit petite ou pleinne, Soit par pintes ou par muis: Par tous ces conduis Est eaue d’un goust certeinne; Tous seurs un suis. He! Roÿne souvereinne, Qui seur toutes luis Plus cler que la tresmonteinne Es obscures nuis, Aussi l’iaue et li dous fruis De vie prist char humeinne Et fourme en tes costes vuis. S’est bien hors d’annuis Et de fortune mondeinne Cils que tu conduis. Et qui de ceste eaue prendroit Et la mettoit par un temps froit En un vaissel, elle prendroit Et jaleroit, si qu’on feroit De la glace une ymage; Mais ja son goust n’en perderoit Ne mueroit, qu’adès seroit Eaue et nature d’eaue aroit. Chascuns le voit et aperçcoit Par le temps yvernage. L’eaue de vie einsi venoit Et descendoit en tes flans droit, Que Sains Esperis amenoit Et conduisoit, dont il formoit Le bel, le bon, le sage, Qui Fils de Dieu le Pere estoit, Qui consentoit et qui voloit Que forme et char humeinne aroit Et qu'il morroit et getteroit D'enfer l'umein lignage. Mais ceste Trinité est en eternité, En possibilite et en toute autre chose, En sens, en qualité, en gloire, en verité, Une seule unité en Dieu le Pere enclose, Qui par douce pité, par vraie humilité Nous ha tous respité, quant en toy, douce Rose, Prist nostre humanité le Fils par amité. Ce nous ha tous getté, dont Sathans ne repose. De la duis le Pere nomme, De la fonteinne le Fil Qui vient dou Pere et fu homme, Dou ruissel cler et gentil Saint Esperit; c'est la somme. Dout Pere et dou Fil vient il. Ces siz sont trois, qui bien somme A entendement soutil. Mais mieus vorroit estre a Romme Ou outre mer in esil Ou getés dedens la Somme, En flun Jourdain ou en Nil Que croire riens que preudomme Ne puist croire sans peril; Car tout vaut il une pomme Sans Dieu? Je di que nenil. Et pour ce di que cil troy De no foy Te firent droit fondement, Quant li Fils se ist en toy. Car j'en voy Parfait le Vieil Testament Et fait le Saint Sacrement. Ce m'aprent Que la duis de nostre loy Y es et de no sauvement Proprement La fonteinne, einsi le croy, Ou chascuns boit qui ha soy, Sans anoy: Et qui pardurablement Vuet vivre aveuc le grant roy Lave soy En ruissel qui en descent. C'est ta frace vraiement Qui s'estent A tous ceux qui en recoy Pleurent et plaignent souvent Tendrement De leur pechiés le desroy. Pour ce pri, Vierge, oÿ mon depri, Car po cri, Po descri, Po pleur les pechiés Qui sont en mi, Vieil et endormi. S'en fremi, Car emmi Mon cuer sont fichiés. M'ame t'otri Et doing sans detri, Et te tri. Seut tot tri. Or soyés mes chiés Et aveuc mi Contre l'anemi, Car ami Ne demi N'ay en mes meschiés. Mais de tel confort Com de plourer fort Petit me confort, Vierge, se ne me fais fort Qu'apaiseras l'ire De ton Fil, qu'au fort Homs n'a si grant tort Qui n'en soit ressort, Quar a toy vie ne mort Ne scet escondire. Las! Or sui au port De tout desconfort, Quant mes maus recort; Et si fort me desconfort Que ne le puis dire, Car pechiés me mort; Anemies ne dort, Ens fait son effort Qu'en livre de mort, moy mort, Me puist faire escrire. He! fonteinne de concorde, La duis de misericorde, Ruissaus qui leve econcorde Meins pecheurs, fluns de douçour, Oÿ ma clamour: Fais que pechiés ne me morde, Si qu'anemis ne m'encorde De ses craus et de sa corde, Car en toy sont tuit mi tour Et me retour. Fais tant que de li m'estorde; Car il n'a maison ne borde Qui vils, sale, obscure et orde Ne soit, pleinne de puour Et de laidour; Et mes cuers vuet et t'acorde Que ton dous salut recorde, Tant que de li naisse et sorde Une fonteinne de plour Et de tristour, Pour laver et nettoier En telle maniere Les vices qui de pechier Me donnent matiere. Vierge, que ta grace acquiere, Si que trebuchier Ne me puist en sa chaudiere Sathans n'accrochier. Encore te vueil supplier, Roÿne et lumiere Des angles, qu'a ton Fil chier Ta douceur requiere Que son ire ne nous fiere Au jour darrenier, Et la joie qu'est entiere Nous vueille ottroier.

English translation I never stop beseeching my dear lady to lighten my burden of woe, but she keeps herself so distant and I find her so harsh and proud, without bending, that with my pleading I cannot soften her resistance. And so I will go to another lady who fullness of joy will grant me easily and cheerfully, without end, without fickleness, without fading away; the only joy that one can choose is the joy that lies in her. And where can one seek this joy which cannot lessen and cannot end and which can only multiply in joyful pleasure? No one in the world, in truth, can achieve this without loving and cherishing this peerless lady. But no soul can perish or be damned which spends its time in serving and praising her with no change of heart, for whoever remains, without going back, entirely hers will abide in glory which cannot fail. It is she who, through the command of the Word, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, which worked in this way, and by divine providence at the decree of the Father, Conceived while a virgin, without blemish, bore a child as a virgin, without distress, gave birth as a virgin, without pain, to the Son of God who took our likeness to save us all from misery. But there is in fact no difference, because these three comprise one essence, one virtue, one substance, one power, one wisdom: this is truly a marvelous mystery. And if I have not the least doubt about it, this is because it is my faith; it is my belief, it is my life and my support, through her who by excellence is daughter to the Father and mother to the Son. These three with little difficulty I can prove to be one: consider a fountain, a stream, a source; these are three, but these three things are one, whether small or great, flowing by pints or by gallons: by each channel it is water, of one taste alone, and of this I am completely sure. Ah! sovereign Queen, who shines above all brighter than the Pole Star on dark nights: just like water, the sweet fruit of life took human flesh and shape in your empty womb. Indeed they are freed from trouble and worldly care who are guided by you. And if you took this water and put it, during cold weather, in a vessel, it would set and freeze, so that one could make of the ice a sculpture; But it would never lose its taste or change it, for henceforth it would be water, and have the nature of water; anyone can see this and observe it in winter time. Thus the water of life came and descended directly into your body, which the Holy Spirit guided and channeled, from which it formed the beautiful, the good, the wise man Who was the Son of God the Father, who consented and desired to take human form and flesh, and who died and released the human race from hell. But this Trinity is, in eternity, in power, and in every other thing, in sense, in quality, in glory, in truth, one single Unity in God the Father, Who through sweet pity, through true humility, has saved us all, when in you, sweet Rose, the Son took our humanity out of love for us. Thus we were all delivered, and Satan confounded. The source is called the Father; the fountain is the Son who came from the Father and was made man; the clear and gentle stream is the Holy Spirit; that is all. It proceeds from the Father and the Son. These six are three, which adds up by subtle thought. But I would rather be in Rome or overseas in exile or thrown into the Somme, into the River Jordan, or the Nile, than believe anything that a good person should not believe without risking his soul; for is anything worth a fig without God? I say certainly not. And so I say that these three made you the true foundation of our faith when the Son entered into you. For I see in this the Old Testament fulfilled and the Holy Sacrament accomplished. This teaches me that you are the source of our law and of our salvation; truly the fountain—thus I believe— Where everyone who is thirsty may drink without hindrance: and whoever wishes to live forever with the great King, let him be washed in the stream which descends from you. It is your grace, truly which extends to all those who, in receiving it, weep and bewail often bitterly the folly of their sins. For this reason I beg you, Virgin, hear my prayer, for I little acknowledge, little perceive, little lament the sins which are in me, old and slumbering. I shudder at them, for in the depths of my heart they are fixed. I offer you my soul, and give it to you without delay, and choose you. Above all I choose you. Now be my refuge and remain with me against the Devil, for no other friend or help do I have in my misery. But such comfort as weeping greatly comforts me but little, Virgin, if you do not assure me that you will appease the wrath of your Son, so that in the end one may not commit so great a sin that there be no remedy, for authority over life and death he will not deny to you. Alas! now I am at the mercy of every distress when I recall my sins: and so greatly do they torment me that I cannot express it, for sins are gnawing at me; the Devil does not sleep but rather puts forth every effort, so that into the Book of Death, at my own death, I will be written. Ah! fountain of concord, source of mercy, stream which raises and reconciles many sinners, river of sweetness, hear my crying: Grant that sins may not gnaw at me, that the Devil may not ensnare me with his hooks and his rope; for in you lies all my going out and my coming in. Grant that I escape from him; for there is no house or dwelling which is not vile, dirty, dark and horrid, full of stink and ugliness, And my heart desires and longs to remember your sweet grace, so that from me may grow and spring a fountain of tears and grief, To wash and cleanse in such a way the vices which give me cause to sin. Virgin, may I gain your grace, so that Satan may not topple me into his cauldron nor drag me there. Again I wish to beseech you, Queen and light of the angels, that, in your sweetness, you ask of your dear Son that his wrath may not smite us on the Day of Judgment, and that fullness of joy he may be willing to grant us.