Wordnik.com: Poetrie: Ballade of Good Doctrine to Those of Evil Life

Wordnik.com: Poetrie: Ballade of Good Doctrine to Those of Evil Life http://www.wordnik.com/lists/poetrie-ballade-of-good-doctrine-to-those-of-evil-life.xml Four translations of Villon's "Ballade de bonne doctrine a ceux de mauvaise vie" (~1461) Ballad of Good Doctrine To Those of Evil Life (H. De Vere stacpoole, 1914) Ye who be smugglers of papal bulls, Or cheaters at dice, whatever be ye -- Coiners who risk life and limb like fools, Then boil in hot oil for their felony, Traitors disloyal -- ye know who ye be -- Stealers of jewels, of perfume and pearls: So where goes it all, that ye get in fee? All to the taverns and to the girls. Rhyming and jesting, cymbals and lutes -- Don ye these emblems of minstrelsy. Farce and imbroglio, music of flutes -- Try these in hamlets or Gay Paree. Go mumming in masque or mystery, Win money at cards, or at ninepin hurls. But 'tis of no use1 It'll flow, hear ye me, All to the taverns and to the girls. Ye shrink before such a hard-knocks school -- Play safe, then, with honester husbandry: Of horses be grooms, go tend to a mule, Plow ye the fields, here and there plant a tree. And should ye be short on Latinity, As lowly in learning as poor pleasant churls, Just work, lest your hard-earned pennies flee All to the taverns and to the girls. Envoi: Your stockings and doublets, your fine drapery, Every last rag that around ye furls, Ere ye be done, will have slipped, ye shall see, All to the taverns and to the girls. V's Straight Tip to all Cross Coves (W.E. Henley, late 19th century) Suppose you screeve? or go cheap-jack? Or fake the broads? Or fig a nag? Or thimble-rig? Or knap a yack? Or pitch a snide? or smash a rag? Suppose you duff? or nose and lag? Or get the straight, and land your pot? How do you melt the multy swag? Booze and the blowens cop the lot. Fiddle, or fence, or mace, or mack; Or moskeneer, or flash the drag; Dead-lurk a crib, or do a crack; Pad with a slang, or chuck a fag; Bonnet, or tout, or mump and gag; Rattle the tats, or mark the spot; You cannot bank a single stag; Booze and the blowens cop the lot. Suppose you try a different tack, And on the square you flash your flag? At penny-a-lining make your whack, Or with the mummers mug and gag? For nix, for nix the dibbs you bag! At any graft, no matter what, Your merry goblins soon stravag: Booze and the blowens cop the lot. The Moral: It's up the spout and Charley Wag with wipes and tickers and what not. Until the squeezer nips your scrag, Booze and the blowens cop the lot. Explanations of the slang terms appearing in the translation above may be found at this link: cant BALLAD OF GOOD DOCTRINE TO THOSE OF ILL LIFE. John Payne SMUGGLE indulgences, as you may: Cog the dice for your cheating throws. Try if counterfeit coin will pay, At the risk of losing your ears and nose : Deal but in treason, lie and glose, Rob and ravish : what profits it ? Where do you think the money goes ? Taverns and wenches, every whit. Flute and juggle and cymbals play : Follow the mountebanks and their shows : Along with the strolling players stray, That wander whither God onlv knows : Act mysteries, farces, imbroglios : Gain money by cards or a lucky hit At the pins : however if s got, it goes : Taverns and wenches, every whit. Turn from your evil courses, I pray. That smell so foul in a decent nose : Earn your bread in some honest way. If you have no letters, nor verse nor prose, Plough or groom horses for food and clothes. Enough shall you have if you stick to it: But throw not your wage to each wind that blows : Taverns and wenches, every whit. ENVOI. Doublets, pourpoints and silken hose, Gowns and linen, woven or knit, Ere your wede's worn, away it goes : Taverns and wenches, every whit. A BUG IN THE EAR TO ALL CHILDREN OF DARKNESS Peter Dale Whether you counterfeit your brass and end so oiled you boil and bake; traitors whose credit wouldn't pass; or peddle pardons; learn to shake the loaded dice; or maybe take to filching in and out of doors - where does it go, the money you make? All to the taverns and the whores. Rhyme or rail or clash your brass, like shameless fools that always fake; mime, mum, or try some magic pass; or if in towns and cities, make miracles, mysteries, jigs; or take a trick or two or skittle scores - soon gained, soon gone! (You still awake?) All to the taverns and the whores. If depths like these are not your class, then plough up fields or drive a rake; or turn to doctoring horse and ass. But only if you cannot take to book and pen. A crust you'll make. Yet if you've slaved at prison chores you haven't lifted loot to take all to the taverns and the whores. Envoi Before you do much worse then, take trousers and shoes and all that's yours, gowns and the silks for your own sake all to the taverns and the whores. The challenges of translating this poem are beautifully discussed in Chapter 7 of Douglas Hofstadter's book on translation "Le Ton beau de Marot". All but the Payne translation are taken from that book. http://www.wordnik.com mountebank http://www.wordnik.com/words/mountebank Fri, 02 Nov 2007 07:38:04 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/mountebank minstrelsy http://www.wordnik.com/words/minstrelsy Fri, 02 Nov 2007 07:37:23 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/minstrelsy pourpoint http://www.wordnik.com/words/pourpoint Fri, 02 Nov 2007 07:37:15 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/pourpoint wede http://www.wordnik.com/words/wede Fri, 02 Nov 2007 07:37:04 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/wede nip your scrag http://www.wordnik.com/words/nip your scrag Tue, 13 Mar 2007 07:26:43 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/nip your scrag squeezer http://www.wordnik.com/words/squeezer Tue, 13 Mar 2007 07:26:33 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/squeezer tickers http://www.wordnik.com/words/tickers Tue, 13 Mar 2007 07:26:19 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/tickers wipes http://www.wordnik.com/words/wipes Tue, 13 Mar 2007 07:26:13 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/wipes up the spout and charley wag http://www.wordnik.com/words/up the spout and charley wag Tue, 13 Mar 2007 07:25:59 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/up the spout and charley wag stravag http://www.wordnik.com/words/stravag Tue, 13 Mar 2007 07:25:44 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/stravag merry goblins http://www.wordnik.com/words/merry goblins Tue, 13 Mar 2007 07:25:35 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/merry goblins graft http://www.wordnik.com/words/graft Tue, 13 Mar 2007 07:25:18 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/graft dibbs http://www.wordnik.com/words/dibbs Tue, 13 Mar 2007 07:25:06 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/dibbs for nix http://www.wordnik.com/words/for nix Tue, 13 Mar 2007 07:24:59 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/for nix mummers http://www.wordnik.com/words/mummers Tue, 13 Mar 2007 07:24:46 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/mummers make your whack http://www.wordnik.com/words/make your whack Tue, 13 Mar 2007 07:24:37 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/make your whack penny-a-lining http://www.wordnik.com/words/penny-a-lining Tue, 13 Mar 2007 07:24:29 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/penny-a-lining flash your flag http://www.wordnik.com/words/flash your flag Tue, 13 Mar 2007 07:24:17 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/flash your flag bank a stag http://www.wordnik.com/words/bank a stag Tue, 13 Mar 2007 07:24:00 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/bank a stag mark the spot http://www.wordnik.com/words/mark the spot Tue, 13 Mar 2007 07:23:52 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/mark the spot rattle the tats http://www.wordnik.com/words/rattle the tats Tue, 13 Mar 2007 07:23:46 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/rattle the tats gag http://www.wordnik.com/words/gag Tue, 13 Mar 2007 07:23:39 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/gag mump http://www.wordnik.com/words/mump Tue, 13 Mar 2007 07:23:31 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/mump tout http://www.wordnik.com/words/tout Tue, 13 Mar 2007 07:23:26 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/tout bonnet http://www.wordnik.com/words/bonnet Tue, 13 Mar 2007 07:23:20 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/bonnet chuck a fag http://www.wordnik.com/words/chuck a fag Tue, 13 Mar 2007 07:23:14 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/chuck a fag pad with a slang http://www.wordnik.com/words/pad with a slang Tue, 13 Mar 2007 07:22:48 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/pad with a slang do a crack http://www.wordnik.com/words/do a crack Tue, 13 Mar 2007 07:22:41 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/do a crack dead-lurk a crib http://www.wordnik.com/words/dead-lurk a crib Tue, 13 Mar 2007 07:22:26 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/dead-lurk a crib flash the drag http://www.wordnik.com/words/flash the drag Tue, 13 Mar 2007 07:22:15 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/flash the drag moskeneer http://www.wordnik.com/words/moskeneer Tue, 13 Mar 2007 07:22:06 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/moskeneer mack http://www.wordnik.com/words/mack Tue, 13 Mar 2007 07:22:00 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/mack mace http://www.wordnik.com/words/mace Tue, 13 Mar 2007 07:21:55 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/mace fence http://www.wordnik.com/words/fence Tue, 13 Mar 2007 07:21:52 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/fence fiddle http://www.wordnik.com/words/fiddle Tue, 13 Mar 2007 07:21:47 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/fiddle blowen http://www.wordnik.com/words/blowen Tue, 13 Mar 2007 07:21:36 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/blowen melt the multy swag http://www.wordnik.com/words/melt the multy swag Tue, 13 Mar 2007 07:21:20 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/melt the multy swag land your pot http://www.wordnik.com/words/land your pot Tue, 13 Mar 2007 07:21:07 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/land your pot get the straight http://www.wordnik.com/words/get the straight Tue, 13 Mar 2007 07:20:48 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/get the straight nose and lag http://www.wordnik.com/words/nose and lag Tue, 13 Mar 2007 07:20:33 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/nose and lag duff http://www.wordnik.com/words/duff Tue, 13 Mar 2007 07:20:26 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/duff smash a rag http://www.wordnik.com/words/smash a rag Tue, 13 Mar 2007 07:20:17 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/smash a rag pitch a snide http://www.wordnik.com/words/pitch a snide Tue, 13 Mar 2007 07:20:10 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/pitch a snide knap a yack http://www.wordnik.com/words/knap a yack Tue, 13 Mar 2007 07:19:51 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/knap a yack thimble-rig http://www.wordnik.com/words/thimble-rig Tue, 13 Mar 2007 07:19:41 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/thimble-rig fig a nag http://www.wordnik.com/words/fig a nag Tue, 13 Mar 2007 07:19:26 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/fig a nag fake the broads http://www.wordnik.com/words/fake the broads Tue, 13 Mar 2007 07:19:14 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/fake the broads go cheap-jack http://www.wordnik.com/words/go cheap-jack Tue, 13 Mar 2007 07:19:01 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/go cheap-jack screeve http://www.wordnik.com/words/screeve Tue, 13 Mar 2007 07:18:41 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/screeve