| prosody | miscellaneous |
D'aisso laus Dieu E saint Andrieu C'om non es de major albir Qu'ieu sui, so·m cuig, E no·n fatz bruig E volrai vos lo per que dir. C'assatz es lait, S'intratz en plait Don non sabretz a lutz issir! E non es bo Digatz razo Si non la sabetz defenir. De gignos sens Sui si manens Que mout sui greus ad escarnir, Lo pan del fol Caudet e mol Manduc e lais lo mieu frezir. Tant quant li dur, Li pliu e·il jur C'om no·m puosca de lui partir! E quan li faill Mus e badaill E prenda del mieu lo dezir. Qu'ieu jutg'a drei Que fols follei E'l savis si gart al partir! Qu'a dobl'es fatz E dessenatz Qui·s laiss'a fol enfolletir. D'estoc breto Ni de basto No sab om plus ni d'escrimir! Qu'ieu fier autrui E·m gart de lui E no·is sap del mieu colp cobrir. En l'autrui broill Chatz cora·m voill E·i fatz mos dos canetz glatir! E·l tertz s'ahus Eis de rahus Bautz et aficatz per ferir. Mos alos es En tal deves Res mas ieu non s'en pot jauzir, Aissi l'ai claus De pens navaus Que nuills no lo·m pot envazir. De pluzors sens Sui ples e prens De cent colors per mieills chauzir! Fog porti sai Et aigua lai, Ab que sai la flam' escantir. Cascuns si gart, C'ab aital art M'er a viure o a morir! Qu'ieu sui l'auzels C'als estornels Fatz los mieus auzellos noirir. |
I thank God and St. Andrew that no one has more sense than me, I think. I do not fuss: I would like to tell you why. For it is rather ugly if you enter into a discussion where you don't know how to shed light on [the matter]; and it is not good if you speak about a subject if you can't quite define it. With cleverness I'm so endowed that I'm very difficult to baffle. The bread of the fool, hot and soft, I eat, and let my own cool. As long as that lasts, I plead and swear that nobody could part me from him; but, when it runs out, let him gape and wonder and long for mine. For I judge rightly that, if the fool acts foolishly, the wise should watch himself right away; for it is doubly crazy and senseless that he lets himself be turned into a fool by a fool. Breton rapier or quarterstaff or fencing: it doesn't matter, because I hit the other and avoid his blows and he can't protect himself from mine. In the woods of others I poach when I want and I make my two pooches bark while the third points, bold and set to bite. My stronghold is so well defended that no one, except for me, can enjoy it: I have sealed it so, with naval pitch, that nobody can invade it. Tricks galore I have and master, to choose among a hundred colours! Here, I bear fire and, there, water with which I can extinguish the flame. Everyone be careful because, with such talent, I have to live or die. For I am the bird who makes the starlings feed his fledglings. |