More information about "La rosée du joli mois de mai" / "La rousée du joly mois de may", Geoff's post, 2 posts above.    Link to LA ROSÉE DU JOLI MOIS DE MAI posted above     &    Link to JOLI MOIS DE MAI posted above

LA ROSÉE DU JOLI MOIS DE MAI

This piece was first written and composed by Jean Planson (c.1559 -c.1611). You'll find the original sheet music with score and lyrics at the BNF. The lines in italics in the text below don't show on it.
The tune you can hear sung by The Toronto Consort, Angelo Branduardi among others is by Emmanuel Adrianssen (c. 1554-1604), a Flemish lutenist. It was published in "Pratum musicum…", you'll find a pdf copy of it there. The piece is #54 on page 134 of the pdf.
The lyrics can also be found at the BNF in this 1600 book ("La fleur des chansons amoureuses où sont comprins tous les airs de court recueillis aux cabinets des plus rares poëtes de ce temps, A Rouen, chez Adrian de Launay, devant le Palais, au Compas d'Or -M.DC. Avec privilège du ROY" -yes, with this spelling!)

Below are the lyrics in modern French spelling with a quite literal translation. Some French wordings feel clumsy, I suppose they feel even clumsier once translated.

LA ROSÉE DU JOLI MOIS DE MAI

La rosée du joli mois de mai
A mouillé ma mie et moi.

Ce fut alors que l'aurore
Commençait à se lever
Qu'avec celle que j'adore
M'en allais au bois jouer

Dessus l'herbette perlée
Au lieu le plus gracieux
Sans crainte de la rosée
Nous nous assîmes tous deux

Où, au flair* des fleurs fleurantes
Au chant de cent mille oiseaux
Au doux bruit des eaux coulantes
Je lui raconte mes maux

Je lui conte le martyre
Que j'ai souffert en l'aimant
Elle m'écoutant, soupire
Puis me conte son tourment.

Ainsi qu'elle, je soupire
Puis fondant tous deux en pleurs,
Muets, nous ne pouvons dire
Sinon, baisez-moi je meurs.

Lors je l'accole et la serre,
Elle m'embrasse et contraint
Non moins fort que le lierre
La muraille qui l'étreint.

Un million lui en donne
Pour son deuil récompenser
Elle autant m'en abandonne
Pour mon tourment effacer

Mille baisers je lui pille
Elle m'en dérobe autant
Je lui en prête cent mille
Elle les rend tout comptant.

Folâtre ores je baisote
Son sein beau et argentin
Ores friand, je suçote
La fraise de son tétin.

Ha ! Mon mignon, ce dit-elle,
C'est assez, vous avez tort,
Et cependant, mon oreille,
Elle baise et puis la mord.

Ha ! Vous me mordez, mignarde,
Lui dis-je, vous le paierez,
Je sais bien que je vous garde
Ça, ça vraiment vous l'aurez.

Lors, je lui dis quelque chose,
Mais quoi, je n'en dirai rien,
Car de le dire je n'ose
Et si vous m'entendez bien.

Ô, trop heureuse journée
Je ne voudrais être un roi,
Et que si douce rosée
N'eût mouillé ma mie et moi.

Je ne voudrais un empire
Échanger à mes amours :
J'aime trop mieux pouvoir dire
Maintenant et à toujours.

* Variant: "En cueillant des fleurs fleurantes" (Picking fragrant flowers)

THE DEW OF THE PRETTY MONTH OF MAY

The dew of the pretty month of May
Has made my sweetheart and me wet.

It was when the dawn
Started to rise
That with the one I adore,
I went to the wood to play

On the beaded grass
On the most gracious place,
Without fearing the dew,
The two of us sat.

There, in the fragrance of fragrant flowers,
In the singing of a hundred thousand birds,
In the sweet noise of the flowing waters,
I tell her my aches.

I tell her the martyrdom
I suffered through loving her,
She, listening to me, sighs,
Then tells me her torment.

Like her, I sigh,
Then, both bursting into tears,
Dumb, we can only say,
"Kiss me, I'm dying."

Then I hug her and squeeze her,
She embraces me and crushes me,
Not less tight than the ivy
Does the wall it clutches to.

A million [kisses] I give her
To reward her grief (lit. mourning)
She abandons as many to me
To erase my torment.

I steal her a thousand kisses,
She robs as many from me,
I lend her a hundred thousand,
She gives them back outright.

Now, frisky, I kiss repeatedly
Her beautiful and silver-white breast,
Now, greedy, I suck
The strawberry of her nipple.

"Ha! Sweetheart", she says now,
"It's enough, you're wrong,"
And nevertheless, she kisses
My ear and then bites it.

"Ha! You bite me, you cutie,"
I tell her, you'll pay for it,
"I know that I keep you,
That, that, for sure you'll get it."**

Then, I tell her something,
But what? I'll say nothing of it,
For I don't dare to say it
And yes, you do understand me.

Oh, too happy day.
I wouldn't want to be a king
If such a sweet dew
Wouldn't have moistened my sweetheart and me.

I wouldn't want to exchange
An empire for my love.
I love much better to be able to say
Now and forever.

** I take it to mean "I know that I keep you [I won't let you go], / That [the fact that you bit me], that [repeated], you'll get it ["it" = "my revenge"]. I don't think it means "I guard/watch you".