Matteo da Perugia, Le greygnour bien (ballade)(ca. 1405)
Le greygnour bien, Modena MS alpha.M.5.24 (ModA), fol. 32
New London Consort, Philip Pickett, Director
Catherine Bott, soprano; Pavlo Beznosiuk, fiddle; Mark Levy, fiddle
from CD “Ars Subtilior”
© 1998 LINN
CKD 019
Le gregnour bien que nature
Fist a lo hume en ce folz monde
Fu le don dont pris faconde
Prist en ly sens et mensure.
Et pourtant quant unz n’a cure
Proasembler de sciences parfonde
Tretout cilz du pris en fonde
Metre ye n’ai en cuer ardure.
Mes il est grant desparanche
Quand hom pans’ en sa fumea
Plus estre qu’en apparanche.
Onques d’avoir renomea
En tres bons soit en speranche
S’il no im prent assoufisanche.
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The greatest good that nature
has given to man in this mad world
was the gift of sense and measurement,
through which he could acquire eloquence.
And yet, when one is not concerned
with using profound knowledge
to reach a universal truth,
then my heart is not moved.
Surely, a man demeans himself
when with his clouded vision he fancies
his renown to be greater than it really is.
He must never wish for
the fame of the great when
he has not yet attained perfection.
— Trans. Julia Becker
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