None Suffer is a modern English translation of Cantiga de Santa Maria 159, Non sofre Santa Maria. Please see my Original Work page for more translations of medieval and Renaissance works.
Resources:
Sheet Music with Lyrics (PDF)
Lyrics only (HTML)
MIDI file
Original lyrics
Worked from translation by the Martin Best Ensemble
Notes:
I started with a fairly close translation, but decided there was too much set-up for the story, and not enough dancing pork chop and thieving servant. Instead, I retell the story without adhering to a line-by-line translation.
The original refrain rhymed AA and the verses rhymed bbba, all the way through. I could not maintain that in English. The refrain is still AA, and the verses now go abcb defe. (I admit difficulty in trying to determine how the original text lined up with the original music; I have twice as many lines. Maybe my lines are half as long? Then they would rhyme bb ee.)
The normal speaking stress on the phrase "PORK chop" is reversed in a few places, into "pork CHOP." This is a known problem.
I prefer to perform it with the refrain sung to open and close the piece, but not after each verse. It seems already sufficiently long without adding the refrains. However, the original is in an estampie-like form, and the refrains should be sung for maximum authenticity.
Blog Posts:
Kick-off
First attempt at close translation
First attempt at free translation
Edits to first draft
Rewrite including edits
Debut performance
Preparing for concert
porkCHOP problem
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