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rymenhildMy Old French is out of practice, which makes me sad, because the printed translation of the thirteenth-century satirical poem I am currently reading has been expurgated. Therefore, while I am finding some of the anus jokes in the Song of the Peace with England, I may be missing many more of them!
According to the editor/translator, Thomas Wright, the poem "seems to have been written on the occasion of the intermediation of Louis IX. of France, between the contending parties [i.e. the royalist party supporting King Henry III and the reform party more or less led by Simon de Montfort] in England, in the beginning of the year 1264. Much of its point consists in a rather gross play on words which cannot always be translated." Yes, actually, they can.
Where the Earl of Winchester proclaims to King Henry that he can defeat the King of France in single combat if je porrai mon lance desus cul poier, Wright's translation "I can strike him with my lance behind" is short on nuance. Cul is 'anus', and the line reads, "I can stick my lance in his ass."
Simon de Montfort disagrees, however. A dit à rai Inglais, "Par le cors saint Anel!" / Lessiez or cesti chos: —François n'est mi anel." Wright translates, "Says he [Simon de Montfort] to the English king, 'By the body of the holy Lamb!—now let this thing alone; the Frenchman is not a lamb.'" But the second use of the word anel means 'anus', not 'lamb', and Wright's skipped a personal pronoun. Simon's saying, "The Frenchman is not my asshole." Simon, paraphrased: "It's probably not a good idea to, er, lance Louis IX while you're screwing me."
But I love Thomas Wright anyway for introducing me to this poem and to the next poem in the anthology. The Song against the King of Almaigne, from the great trilingual manuscript Harley 2253, accuses King Henry's brother, Richard of Cornwall, the elected King of Germany, of treachery and misusing his income. Richard of Alemaigne, whil that he wes kyng, / He spend al is tresour opon swyvyng. (Wright translates, "Richard of Almaigne, while he was king,—he spent all his treasure upon luxury." 'Luxury' is not, in fact, an accurate gloss of swiving.) There's also an amazing bit where the poem mocks Richard for hiding in a windmill after he loses the Battle of Lewes:
The Kyng of Alemaigne wende do ful wel,
He saisede the mulne for a castel,
With hare sharpe swerdes he grounde the stel,
He wende that the sayles were mangonel...
(My translation: "The King of Germany planned to do very well. He seized the mill for a castle. With his* sharp swords he ground the steel. He thought that the sails were mangonels."
*Or "their"; hare should be plural, but early Middle English pronouns are unreliable, and I can't find a plural antecedent.
(For these poems and more medieval satirical verse, see Thomas Wright, Political Songs of England: From the Reign of John to That of Edward II. Peter Coss, ed. Original publication, Camden Society: 1839. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996.
According to the editor/translator, Thomas Wright, the poem "seems to have been written on the occasion of the intermediation of Louis IX. of France, between the contending parties [i.e. the royalist party supporting King Henry III and the reform party more or less led by Simon de Montfort] in England, in the beginning of the year 1264. Much of its point consists in a rather gross play on words which cannot always be translated." Yes, actually, they can.
Where the Earl of Winchester proclaims to King Henry that he can defeat the King of France in single combat if je porrai mon lance desus cul poier, Wright's translation "I can strike him with my lance behind" is short on nuance. Cul is 'anus', and the line reads, "I can stick my lance in his ass."
Simon de Montfort disagrees, however. A dit à rai Inglais, "Par le cors saint Anel!" / Lessiez or cesti chos: —François n'est mi anel." Wright translates, "Says he [Simon de Montfort] to the English king, 'By the body of the holy Lamb!—now let this thing alone; the Frenchman is not a lamb.'" But the second use of the word anel means 'anus', not 'lamb', and Wright's skipped a personal pronoun. Simon's saying, "The Frenchman is not my asshole." Simon, paraphrased: "It's probably not a good idea to, er, lance Louis IX while you're screwing me."
But I love Thomas Wright anyway for introducing me to this poem and to the next poem in the anthology. The Song against the King of Almaigne, from the great trilingual manuscript Harley 2253, accuses King Henry's brother, Richard of Cornwall, the elected King of Germany, of treachery and misusing his income. Richard of Alemaigne, whil that he wes kyng, / He spend al is tresour opon swyvyng. (Wright translates, "Richard of Almaigne, while he was king,—he spent all his treasure upon luxury." 'Luxury' is not, in fact, an accurate gloss of swiving.) There's also an amazing bit where the poem mocks Richard for hiding in a windmill after he loses the Battle of Lewes:
The Kyng of Alemaigne wende do ful wel,
He saisede the mulne for a castel,
With hare sharpe swerdes he grounde the stel,
He wende that the sayles were mangonel...
(My translation: "The King of Germany planned to do very well. He seized the mill for a castle. With his* sharp swords he ground the steel. He thought that the sails were mangonels."
*Or "their"; hare should be plural, but early Middle English pronouns are unreliable, and I can't find a plural antecedent.
(For these poems and more medieval satirical verse, see Thomas Wright, Political Songs of England: From the Reign of John to That of Edward II. Peter Coss, ed. Original publication, Camden Society: 1839. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996.
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Date: 2010-05-28 12:25 am (UTC)LOL, poor Simon. He wants commitment! Long walks on the beach! Exclusivity! He clearly bottoms from the top, is what I'm saying.
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Date: 2010-05-28 12:28 am (UTC)Or tops from the bottom? I think all the Montforts did... *g*
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Date: 2010-05-28 12:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-28 12:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-28 12:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-28 12:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-28 12:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-28 12:33 am (UTC)This is BRILLIANT.
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Date: 2010-05-28 12:35 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-28 12:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-28 12:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-28 02:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-28 02:22 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-28 01:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-28 01:12 am (UTC)Simon de Montfort can do no wrong in my eyes. I will admit that my fangirly admiration for him is perhaps based slightly more on historical novels than it should be.
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Date: 2010-05-28 01:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-28 01:38 am (UTC)Okay, I take it back. He can do wrong. I'd forgotten that, if I knew it. *sigh* I'm a history fangirl, not a historian, and I should probably keep quiet when I don't know what I'm talking about. But-- but-- it's all so shiny!
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Date: 2010-05-28 01:47 am (UTC)But I apologize for puncturing your fangirly admiration! I don't want to be the harsher of squee.
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Date: 2010-05-28 02:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-28 01:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-28 01:42 am (UTC)*The existence of a searchable Anglo-Norman Dictionary online fills me with joy.
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Date: 2010-05-28 07:12 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-28 03:50 pm (UTC)(Also, "holy mother of pearl" is a fantastic oath. I may borrow it.)
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Date: 2010-05-28 03:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-29 12:43 am (UTC);)
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Date: 2010-05-29 01:30 am (UTC)