You told me, Mistress, standing at the window,
Looking toward Montmartre and the surrounding fields:
The solitary life, and the desert stay
Are worth more than the Court, I would gladly be there.
Then my spirit would be master of my senses,
In fasting and prayers I would spend the day:
I would defy the darts and flames of Love
That cruel one could not feed on my blood.
When I answered you, You are mistaken to think
That a fire is not fire, because it covers itself with ash:
Over the sacred cloisters the flame can be seen passing:
Love in the deserts as in the cities is engendered.
Against a God so powerful, who can force the Gods,
Fasts nor prayers can defend themselves.
Pierre de Ronsard
Translation generated by Poésies 123 with assistance from the deepseek-chat artificial-intelligence model.
Text published on Poésies 123: https://www.poesies123.com/en/poem-you-told-me-mistress-standing-at-the-window-pierre-de-ronsard/
