Je vis, je Meurs - Louise Labé

Louise Labé was one of the most famous female French poets, who was born in Lyon in 1522. Due to her beauty, she was also known as “La Belle Cordiere” that means The Beautiful Ropemaker, Louise Labé was the daughter of prosperous rope-maker, a member of the Lyon bourgeoisie. She wrote many poems during her life, some of the most known are: Debat de Folie, et d'Amour and El Debat. Luise Labé died on 25 April 1566.

Poems in french

Je vis, je Meurs

Je vis, je meurs: je me brûle et me noie,
J'ai chaud extrême en endurant froidure;
La vie m'est et trop molle et trop dure,
J'ai grands ennuis entremélés de joie.

Tout en un coup je ris et je larmoie,
Et en plaisir maint grief tourment j'endure,
Mon bien s'en va, et à jamais il dure,
Tout en un coup je sèche et je verdoie.

Ainsi Amour inconstamment me mène
Et, quand je pense avoir plus de douleur,
Sans y penser je me trouve hors de peine.

Puis, quand je crois ma joie être certaine,
Et être en haut de mon désiré heur,
Il me remet en mon premier malheur.

Louise Labé

I live, I die

I live, I die: I drown and I burn,
I endure at once extreme heat and cold;
Life is at once too soft and too hard,
I feel boredom mingled with joys.

At the same time, I laugh and I cry,
And I endure many torments of pleasures,
My fortune fades away, and lasts forever,
At the same time, I wither and I Bloom.

Thus I suffer love’s inconstancies
And when I believe I will suffer more,
Without knowing, I find myself at peace.

Then, when I feel my joy is certain,
And I am on top of what I could wish right now,
Love casts me back into my former grief.

Louise Labé