To the Tune of Je ne suis né ni Roi ni Prince.
Votre beauté, grande Princesse,
Porte les traits dont l’Amour blesse,
Jusques aux plus sauvages dieux:
L’Afrique avec vous capitule,
Et les conquétes de vos yeux
Vont plus loin que celles d’Hercule.
S’il est bien vrai qu’il vous adore,
Que je plains ce pauvre Roi Maure,
D’être sensible à vos appas!
En vain envers vous il s’explique;
La France ne donnera pas
Son Ange au Diable de l’Afrique.
Which may be thus English’d,
Your Beauty, Great Princess,
Carries Love’s killing Shafts
To Nations the most savage;
Afric with you capitulates,
And the Conquests of your Eyes
Even those of Hercules surmount.
If it be true that he adores you,
How do I pity the poor Negro King,
Who is so smitten with your Charms!
In vain he makes his Passion known to you;
For sure France will never give
Her Angel to the Devil of Africa.
[53] ’Tis a Letter from a Gentleman retir’d from the World, to a Friend of his, wherein he celebrates the happy Innocence, and the Freedom of his tranquil Retreat, in a Style that cannot but be pleasing to the Admirers of French Poetry; and for their Sakes we insert the Original, with only an English Paraphrase in the Margin.
Je vois regner sur ce rivage The Author begins with expressing L’Innocence et la Liberté. his Surprise at the Concurrence Que d’Objects dans ce paisage, of Objects of different Qualities Malgre leur contrarieté, in his Retirement; such as M’étonnent par leur Assémbláge! Abundance with Frugality, Abondante frugalité, Authority with Indulgence, Riches Autorité sans Esclaváge with Sobriety, Richesses sans Libertinagé, Charges, Noblesse, sans fuerté. Honours with Humility: And having Mon choix est fait, ce voisinage therefore fix’d on this Spot for Détermine ma volonté. his Residence, he implores the Bienfaisante Divinité, Sanction of the Divine Providence Ajoutez y votre suffrage. to his Choice.
Disciple de l’Adversité, Here he says, that having been Je viens faire dans le village train’d-up in the School of Le volontaire apprentissage Adversity, he prefers a voluntary D’une tardive obscurité. Obscurity in the Village; that he Aussi bien, de mon plus bel âge has experienc’d the Instability of J’apperçois l’instabilité. Youth; that he has seen the Return J’ai deja, de compte arrêté, of 40 Springs, which he regrets Quarante fois vu le feuillage that he has so ill improv’d; and Par le Zéphyr ressuscité. promises to make a better Use of Du Printems j’ai mal profité: the Summer of his Life. J’en ai regret; et de l’Eté Je veux faire un meilleur usage.
J’apporte dans mon Hermitage, He says he brings to his Hermitage Un cœur des longtems rebuté a Heart which has been for a long Du prompt et funeste esclavage, Time the fatal Slave of foolish Fruit de la folle vanité. Vanity; but that now he is become Paisan sans rusticité, a Peasant without Clownishness, a Hermite sans patelinage, Hermit without Bigotry; and that Mon but est la tranquillité. Tranquillity being his Aim, he Je veux pour unique partage, desires no other Portion in Life La paix d’un cœur qui se dégage but the Peace of his Mind, Des filets de la Volupté. disentangled from the Snares of Pleasure.