Question

Take a look at the lyrics of Machaut's Ma fin est mon commencement (My end is my beginning): 1. Ma fin est mon commencement 2. Et mon commencement ma fin 3. Est teneüre vraiement. 4. Ma fin est mon commencement. 5. Mes tiers chans trois fois seulement 6. Se retrograde et einsi fin. 7. Ma fin est mon commencement 8. Et mon commencement ma fin. 1. My end is my beginning 2. and my beginning my end 3. and true tenor. 4. My end is my beginning. 5. My third part three times only 6. moves backward and so ends. 7. My end is my beginning 8. and my beginning my end. The first two lines ("Ma fin..." and "Et mon...") are reused to end the poem. In what other line do you see the first line from the poem ("Ma fin...")?

Answer 1

Bonjour

Guillaume de Machaut was born in 1300 and died in 1377.

This medieval lyric/poem has been written around 1350/1270... . That's why the French words are not those you usually learn.

It's called a rondeau

Ma fin est mon commencement

Et mon commencement est ma fin

Both lines are repeated twice = lines 1-2 & lines 7-8

Ma fin est mon commencement is also repeated alone line 4

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