Quant vraie amour enflamee / O series summe rata / Super omnes speciosa, Motet 17

Triplum: Quant Vraie Amour enflamee [When True Love set ablaze] D’Ardant Desir engendree [Engendered by Burning Desire] Motetus: O Series summe rata [O Order perfectly proportioned] Regendo naturam [Who by governing Nature]

Triplum: Pucelete mestrie [Comes to master some maiden] Ou temps que doit estre amee [Just when it’s the right time she be loved] motetus: Uniformam per causata [Maintains a uniform bond]

Triplum: Se vrais amans l’en prie [If then a true lover begs her favour] Par foy de fait esprouvee [Pledging his troth, as his actions prove] Motetus: Tenens ligaturam [Through all that is generated]

Triplum: Tant que loiautez juree [With the result that his sworn loyalty] Fait qu’elle a li s’ottrie [Makes her give herself to him] Par si parfaite assamblee [In such a perfect act of union] Motetus: Argumentis demonstrata [Demonstrated by proofs] Non pati fracturam [Not to suffer breakage]

Triplum: Qu’en dui n’ont c’une vie [That the two of them share but one life] C’un cuer ne c’une pensee [One heart, one thought] Motetus: Cum sit Amor tui nata [Since Love is Thy daughter]

Triplum: C’est qu’en deduit ait duree [Then this happens to make pleasure endure] Leur amour commencie [Once their loving commences] Se puis vient autres qui bee [If another man then turns up, eager] Motetus: Spernatque mensuram [And scorns measure] Melle parens irrorata [Appearing sprinkled with honey]

Triplum: Qu’il en fera s’amie [To make her his beloved] Et celle dou tout li vee [And she utterly refuses him] Motetus: Post agens usturam [Afterward scorching]

Triplum: Pour ce qu’avant s’est donnee [Because she has given herself already] S’il par sa druerie [And if he in his lovesickness] Maintient qu’Amours soit faussee [Maintains that Love has played him false] Motetus: Dans quibus non est optata [Giving to those who do not desire it] Mitem creaturam [A gentle creature]

Triplum: Quant il n’i trueve mie [Because he finds in her nothing] Merci d’amant desiree [Of the lover’s reward he desires] Combien qu’il l’ait comparee [Though he has dearly paid for it] Motetus: Que sola sit michi grata [Who, alone, should be pleasing to me]

Triplum: Par moult dure hachie [With misery quite hard to bear] N’en doit estre Amour blasmee [Then Love should not be blamed for all this] Motetus: Michique tam duram [And is so hard on me]

Triplum: Mais de tant plus prisie [But all the more esteemed] Qu’elle ensieut, comme ordenee [For following, as was ordained] Nature, qui l’a formee [Nature, who formed Her] Motetus: Mirans queror mente strata [I complain, my mind confused]

Triplum: Sans estre en riens brisie [Without showing any break] Car qui .ij. fois vuet denree [For he who wants to have the same goods a second time] Le marcheant conchie [Fouls the merchant] Motetus: Talem genituram [Wondering at such a begetting]

[English: R Barton Palmer © 2025]