and to the world let it remain

English translation: and leave it to everyone else

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

English term or phrase:	and to the world let it remain
Selected answer:	and leave it to everyone else
Entered by:	Donata Rosca

17:55 Nov 6, 2017

English language (monolingual) [Non-PRO]
Art/Literary - Music / Renaissance Madrigal

English term or phrase: and to the world let it remain

This is a line from a madrigal of the late 16th or early 17th century.
Full lyrics:

"As I went a walking in the month of May,
Merrily talking, I thus began to say,
Where dwelleth Love, that lively boy,
How might I see his face,
that breedeth pain and bringeth joy,
that alt'reth ev'ry case:
then with a sigh I did refrain,
AND TO THE WORLD LET IT REMAIN."

I would like to know if the phrase "let it remain to the world" is an idiom / a figure of speech and if so what exactly it means.

Donata Rosca Not a translator KudoZ activity Questions: 6 (none open) (1 without valid answers) Answers: 0 Germany
Local time: 03:30

and leave it to everyone else

Explanation:
AFAIK not a specific idion, just poetic (and rather archaic) language.

I think Phil is right: the poet is saying that after seeing what Love does to people, they decide, with some regret, perhaps, to renounce the search for love and leave it for others... 'the world" meaning 'everyone else' and 'to let it remain' being a now-archaic way of saying 'to leave it'.

Selected response from:

Tony M
France
Local time: 03:30

Grading comment

4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED

4 +1

May we not lose it

B D Finch

and leave it to everyone else

Tony M

leaves it up to fate

Herbmione Granger

Discussion entries: 1

Answers

2 hrs confidence:

and leave it to everyone else

Tony M
France
Local time: 03:30
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 40

2 hrs confidence:

leaves it up to fate

Explanation:
In May, while I was walking,
Mindlessly talking, it occurred to me to say:
Wherever Eros/Amor is,
I've noticed,
there is pain and joy.
He infuses everything with
The possibility of love
But leaves its actualization up to Fate.

Herbmione Granger
Germany
Local time: 03:30
Native speaker of:

English

17 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

May we not lose it

Explanation:
then with a sigh I did refrain,
AND TO THE WORLD LET IT REMAIN.

Note the "sigh". As I read it, the author is hoping that the world will not lose Love.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 17 hrs (2017-11-07 11:53:12 GMT)
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I don't think that "the world" means "everybody else". I think it means the world as opposed to heaven. So, whatever the difficulties involved, the poet wishes love to remain a feature of life here and now, not just in the hereafter.

B D Finch
France
Local time: 03:30
Native speaker of: English

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)

agree

Tony M: Interesting take! I had assumed 'I' was the subject of both 'did refrain' and also 'let', but now you point it out, I can see how this would work too. I just though the 'sigh' sorted of implied resignation to being without love...

15 mins

-> Thanks Tony. "How might I see his face, that breedeth pain and bringeth joy," So, still hopeful.

neutral

philgoddard: I interpret "let" as the past tense, meaning "allowed". The whole thing is in the past tense, including "did" in the previous line.

1 hr

-> I interpret it as an imperative. "then with a sigh I did refrain, AND TO THE WORLD LET IT REMAIN." So the sigh and the poet's refrain happened in the past, but the refrain itself is not past tense and is in the imperative.

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English translation: and leave it to everyone else

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