SAILORS LOVE A BEAUTIFUL DAY

Sailors love a fine day
When, full of hope, they go off in search of fortune,
And of the beauties that Love has made us,
In these low places I adore only one.

The Cyprians adore only Venus,
When they had affected the soul with love:
And my two eyes having become in tears,
Adore nothing here below but my saint.

Prisoners seek freedom
To put an end to their cruel sentence:
I, however, enjoy my captivity
In the bonds of so fair a lady.

The Portuguese envies valour
And the colour of the pearl of India.
And I can love no other whiteness
Than that of the hand that binds me.

Venus, the day and the sun of the heavens,
Freedom, and the Indian pearl
Are worth nothing to me compared to her lovely eyes,
No beauty is equal to hers.

— Didier Le Blanc

French and German versions available on pages 42-43 of the booklet [PDF].