Christine de Pisan (1363?-1431?)

One of the brightest figures of the Middle Ages, Christine de Pisan was born in Venice and lived much of her life in France.  Her works include light poems and serious treatments of historical and moral subjects.  Among other works, she wrote a chronicle  of the deeds of the French king and hero of the Hundreds Years War, Charles V, as well a poetic homage to Joan of Arc, whom she likely preceded in death by only a short time.  The short " ballade"  below was written after the death of the poet's husband in 1389.

See also these links: CHRISTINE DE PISAN  ;  Christine de Pizan  ;  Florilège Christine de Pisan  ;  Christine de Pisan  

Seulete sui. . . 
(Alone am I)

Seulete sui et seulete vueil estre,
Seulete m'a mon douz ami laissiee;
Seulete sui, sanz compaignon ne maistre
Seulete sui, dolente et courrouciee,
Seulete sui, en langueur mesaisiee,
Seulete sui, plus que nulle esgaree,
Seulete sui, sanz ami demouree.

Seulete sui a uis ou a fenestre,
Seulete sui en un anglet muciee,
Seulete sui pour moi de pleurs repaistre,
Seulete sui, dolente ou apisiee;
Seulete sui, rien n'est qui tant messiee;
Seulete suis, en ma chambre enserree,
Seulete sui, sanz ami demouree.

Seulete sui partout et en tout estre;
Seulete sui, ou je voise ou je siee;
Seulete sui plus qu'aultre riens terrestre,
Seulete sui, de chascun delaissiee,
Seulete sui durement abaissiee,
Seulete sui, souvent toute esplouree,
Seulete sui, sanz ami demouree.

Prince, or est ma douleur commenciee:
Seulete sui, de tout deuil manaciee,
Seulete sui, plus teinte que moree:
Seulete sui, sanz ami demouree.

Braunschvig, Marcel, ed.  Notre Littérature étudiée dans les textes.  Tome I.  Paris: Armand Colin, 1923.  p. 73.

Alone am I and alone I wish to be,
Alone my gentle friend has left me,
Alone am I, with neither master nor companion,
Alone am I, in bitterness and in pain,
Alone am I in tormented lamentation,
Alone am I much more than any wandering soul,
Alone am I and without a friend remain.

Alone am I at door or at the window,
Alone am I when huddled in the corner,
Alone am I and have shed my fill of tears,
Alone am I, whether mourning or consoled,
Alone am I,--and nothing suits me so--
Alone am I shut up inside my chamber,
Alone am I and without a friend remain.

Alone am I in every place and state,
Alone am I, where e'er I go or sit,
Alone am I much more than any earthly thing,
Alone am I, by one and all forsaken,
Alone am I and deeply down am sunk,
Alone am I and so often drowned in tears,
Alone am I and without a friend remain.

Prince, now is my pain begun.
Alone am I, as every grief afflicts me,
Alone am I, by darkness overtaken,
Alone am I and without a friend remain.

Traduction de Michael Lastinger.