Ode à Cassandre - Pierre de Ronsard

Pierre de Ronsard was a famous French poet who was born at the Manoir de la Possonnière in Loir-et-Cher on 11 September 1524. Pierre de Ronsard was also known as “Prince des poètes et poète des princes“due to his great talent in poetry.

During his life, Pierre de Ronsard wrote many poems and books, among his main we can mention Odes, “Les Amours de Cassandre”,” Les Hymnes”, “ La Franciade” and” Discours sur les misères du temps”, Pierre died in 1585.

Poems in french

Ode à Cassandre

Mignonne, allons voir si la rose
Qui ce matin avait déclose
Sa robe de pourpre au soleil,
A point perdu cette vesprée
Les plis de sa robe pourprée,
Et son teint au vôtre pareil.

Las ! voyez comme en peu d'espace,
Mignonne, elle a dessus la place,
Las, las ses beautés laissé choir !
Ô vraiment marâtre Nature,
Puisqu'une telle fleur ne dure
Que du matin jusques au soir !

Donc, si vous me croyez, mignonne,
Tandis que votre âge fleuronne
En sa plus verte nouveauté,
Cueillez, cueillez votre jeunesse :
Comme à cette fleur, la vieillesse
Fera ternir votre beauté.

Pierre de Ronsard

Ode à Cassandre

Sweetheart, let's see if the rose
That this morning had open
Her crimson dress to the Sun,
This evening hasn't lost
The folds of her crimson dress,
And her complexion similar to yours.

Ah! See how in such short space.
My sweetheart, she has on this very spot
All her beauties lost!
O, so un-motherly Nature,
Since such a beautiful flower
Only last from dawn to dusk!

So if you believe me, my sweetheart,
While time still flowers for you,
In its freshest novelty,
Do take advantage of your youthful bloom:
As it did to this flower, the doom
Of age will blight your beauty.

Pierre de Ronsard