Se mesdisans en acort
Sont pour moy grever a tort,
C’est par leur envie,
Car desservi ne l’ay mie.
Pour ce de leur janglerie
Bien me reconfort.

Mais pour eaus mettre en esmay
Plus que ne sueil je seray
Joieuse et jolie.
Et si aray le cuer gay,
Et sagement me tenrai,
Sans faire folie.
Einsi feray leur deport
Muer en grant desconfort,
Et s’ay de m’aÿe
Bonne volenté et lie,
Et loyauté dont garnie
Sui jusqu’a la mort.

Se mesdisans [en acort
Sont pour moy grever a tort,
C’est par leur envie,
Car desservi ne l’ay mie.
Pour ce de leur janglerie
Bien me reconfort.]

Einsi me deporteray
De tout ce que dire orray,
N’en merencolie
Ja mon cuer n’en metteray
Pour ce que pure me say
De leur tricherie;
Ne cuers qui est de bon port
Ne doit doubter leur rapport
Plein de felonnie.
N’onques en jour de ma vie
Ma pensee en villonnie
Ne prist son ressort.

Se mesdisans en acort
[Sont pour moy grever a tort,
C’est par leur envie,
Car desservi ne l’ay mie.
Pour ce de leur janglerie
Bien me reconfort.]

Pour ce de riens ne m’esmay
Qu’en loyauté fiance ay,
Et, quoy que nuls die,
Tant com mon devoir feray,
Leur parler ne doubteray,
Que pas ne deffie,
Et en derrier point et mort.
Mais quant leur jangle plus fort
Seur moy se deslie,
Tant suis je plus envoisie,
Car, Diex scet, ou je me fie,
Comment je me port.

Se mesdisans en acort
[Sont pour moy grever a tort,
C’est par leur envie,
Car desservi ne l’ay mie.
Pour ce de leur janglerie
Bien me reconfort.]

Guillaume de Machaut (c1300-1377)

If evil gossipers are in agreement
About wrongly plaguing me,
It’s because of their envy,
For this I have in no way deserved.
And so I steel myself
Against the lies they utter.

And so in order to shake them up
I will be more cheerful
And happy than has been my custom.
And my heart will be light,
And with wisdom will I act,
Doing nothing foolish.
And thus will I transform
Their pleasure into great distress,
And to assist me in this I’ll have
A good and positive will,
Loyalty too, with which I will be graced
Until my death.

If evil gossipers are in agreement
About wrongly plaguing me,
It’s because of their envy,
For this I have in no way deserved.
And so I steel myself
Against the lies they utter.

And so I will find a lark
All I have heard said,
Nor into melancholy
Will I ever sink my heart
Because I know myself without fault
As regards their calumny;
Nor should any heart
With a moral compass fear their quite evil
Carrying on.
Nor on any day of my life
Will my thoughts
Turn to villainy.

If evil gossipers are in agreement
About wrongly plaguing me,
It’s because of their envy,
For this I have in no way deserved.
And so I steel myself
Against the lies they utter.

And so nothing at all troubles me
Because I trust to loyalty,
And, no matter what anyone might say,
As long as I do what I should,
I will not fear their talk,
Which poses no threat,
Their back-biting and hurtful comments.
For when their gossiping
Most violently cuts loose on me,
It increases the joy I feel,
For known to God, in whom I trust,
Is how I have lived my life.

If evil gossipers are in agreement
About wrongly plaguing me,
It’s because of their envy,
For this I have in no way deserved.
And so I steel myself
Against the lies they utter.

English: R Barton Palmer © 2016

Se mesdisans en acort
Sont pour moy grever a tort,
C’est par leur enie,
Car deservi ne l’ay mie;
Pour ce de leur genglerie
Bien me reconfort.

Mais pour eus mettre en esmay,
Plus que ne sueil je seray
Joieuse et jolie,

Et si aray le cuer gay
Et sagement me tenray
Sans faire folie.

Einsi feray leur deport
Muer en grant desconfort,
Et s’ay de m’amie
Bonne volenté et lie
Et loyauté dont garnie
Sui jusqu’a la mort.

Einsi me deporteray
De tout ce que dire orray,
N’en melancolie

Ja mon cuer n’en meteray,
Pour ce que pure me sçay
De leur tricherie;

Ne cuers qui est de bon port
Ne doibt doubter leur rapport
Plein de felonnie.
N’onques en jour de ma vie
Ma pensee en vilonnie
Ne prist son ressort.

Pour ce de riens ne m’esmay
Qu’en loyauté fiance ay,
Et, quoy que nulz die,

Tant com mon devoir feray,
Leur parler ne doubteray,
Que pas ne deffie

Et en derrier point et mort.
Mais quant leur gengle plus fort
Seur moy ne deslie,
Tant sui je plus envoisie,
Car Dieus scet, ou je me fie,
Comment je me port.

Guillaume de Machaut (c1300-1377)

If slanderers are agreed
to wound me unjustly,
it is because of their own chagrin;
for I have not deserved it in the least,
and so I delight
in their prattling.

But, to confound them,
I shall be more happy and amorous
than is my custom,

and I will have a happy heart
and conduct myself wisely
without any indiscretion.

Thus I will change their amusement
into great discomfort,
and so from my friend
I have good friendship and good will,
and loyalty with which
I am adorned until death.

Thus I will make light
of everything I hear them say,
and I shall never let my heart

fall into melancholy,
because I know that I am innocent
of what they allege.

Nor should a noble heart
fear their gossip
which is full of treachery.
Never in my life
has my thought
been inspired by wickedness.

Thus I am not dismayed
for I put my trust in loyalty,
and, whatever anyone may say,

as long as I behave correctly
I shall not fear their speech
which insidiously

bites and stings from behind;
but when their prattle
falls loudest upon me
I am so much the happier,
for God, in whom I trust,
knows how I conduct myself.