Wednesday, December 05, 2012

François Villon (1431-1466?)was a strange fellow, a brilliant poet and a low criminal. He was once sentenced to death for the murder of a priest and wrote a poem "Ballad of the Hanged Men", about that experience. While his fellow truands were topped François appears to have claimed Benefit of Clergy and been reprieved. Anybody who could rattle off a line or two of Latin had a fair chance of avoiding the ultimate sanction. This is the origin of the term "patter" in English; if you could say the Paternoster, you had the patter. Later François left Paris and disappeared from history.
This poem takes the form of a prayer to the Mother of Jesus as it would be recited by a woman. It was said to have been written for his mother at her request. The envoi has an acrostic of the name Villon, plus an E which may be added as a feminine ending. It's in medieval French, which is tough, because I can't translate it, and I've never seen an English language version. But it is to me a beautiful poem, regardless of my opinion of religions.

BALLADE POUR PRIER NOTRE DAME
(François Villon)

Dame des cieulx, régente terrienne
Empérière des infernaux paluz,
Recevez moy, vostre humble chrestienne,
Que comprinse soye entre vos esleuz,
Ce non obstant qu’oncques rien ne valuz.
Les biens de vous, ma dame et ma maistresse
Sont trop plus grans que ne suis pécheresse,
Sans lesquels biens ame ne peut mérir
N’avoir les cieulx, je n’en suis jengleresse.
En ceste foy je vueil vivre et mourir.

À vostre Filz dictes que je suis sienne;
De luy soyent mes péchiez absoluz:
Pardonne moy comme a l’Egipcienne,
Ou comme il feist au clerc Théophilus,
Lequel par vous fut quitte et absoluz,
Combien qu’il eust au diable fait promesse.
Préservez moy, que ne face jamais ce,
Vierge portant, sans rompure encourir,
Le sacrement qu’on célèbre a la messe
En ceste foy je vueil vivre et mourir.

Femme je suis, povrette et ancienne,
Qui rien ne sçay ; oncques lettre ne leuz;
Au moustier voy dont suis paroissienne
Pâradis painct, où sont harpes et luz,
Et ung enfer où damnez sont boulluz:
L’ung me fait paour, l’autre joye et liesse.
La joye avoir fais moy, haulte Déesse,
A qui pécheurs doivent tous recourir,
Comblez de foy, sans faincte ne paresse.
En ceste foy je vueil vivre et mourir.

ENVOI

Vous portastes, digne Vierge, princesse,
Iésus régnant, qui n’a ne fin ne cesse.
Le Tout-Puissant, prenant nostre foiblesse,
Laissa les cieulx et nous vint secourir,
Offrir à mort sa très chière jeunesse.
Nostre Seigneur tel est, tel le confesse.
En ceste foy je vueil vivre et mourir.

10 comments:

vza said...

HIS MOTHER'S SERVICE TO OUR LADY
(translated by Dante Gabriel Rossetti)

Lady of Heaven and earth, and therewithal
Crowned Empress of the nether clefts of Hell, -
I, thy poor Christian, on thy name do call,
Commending me to thee, with thee to dwell,
Albeit in nought I be commendable.
But all mine undeserving may not mar
Such mercies as thy sovereign mercies are;
Without the which (as true words testify)
No soul can reach thy Heaven so fair and far.
Even in this faith I choose to live and die.

Unto thy Son say thou that I am His,
And to me graceless make Him gracious.
Sad Mary of Egypt lacked not of that bliss,
Nor yet the sorrowful clerk Theophilus,
Whose bitter sins were set aside even thus
Though to the Fiend his bounden service was.
Oh help me, lest in vain for me should pass
(Sweet Virgin that shalt have no loss thereby!)
The blessed Host and sacring of the Mass.
Even in this faith I choose to live and die.

A pitiful poor woman, shrunk and old,
I am, and nothing learn'd in letter-lore.
Within my parish-cloister I behold
A painted Heaven where harps and lutes adore,
And eke an Hell whose damned folk seethe full sore:
One bringeth fear, the other joy to me.
That joy, great Goddess, make thou mine to be, -
Thou of whom all must ask it even as I;
And that which faith desires, that let it see.
For in this faith I choose to live and die.

O excellent Virgin Princess; thou didst bear
King Jesus, the most excellent comforter,
Who even of this our weakness craved a share
And for our sake stooped to us from on high,
Offering to death His young life sweet and fair.
Such as He is, Our Lord, I Him declare,
And in this faith I choose to live and die.

http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1009&context=honor_lectures

vza said...

Another translation found on pages 174-176


http://archive.org/stream/franoisvillonh00stacrich#page/176/mode/2up

thankgodimatheist said...

More familiar with 'La ballade des pendus' for having practiced it at Drama school. A most beautiful poem. Thanks for this one, unknown to me.

Jemmy Hope said...

Thanks for the translation, vza, and the other information. I did not know about D.G. Rossetti's version. I like it.
TG, I was thinking of posting Les Pendus with the little woodcut that usually accompanies it. Also, perhaps, some of his stuff in the underworld slang of his time. I do like a bit of unconventional language.

Jemmy Hope said...

What do you know? The Rossetti translation was in an old book on my shelf all the time, along with fifteen other versions of Villon poems. I found it when looking for a translation of the "Ballad of the Hanged Men".
I must try reading these books some day.

vza said...

Hollywood's take on Villon:


http://worldworthwatching.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/The-Beloved-Rogue.jpeg

Jemmy Hope said...

There's also a film called "If I were King", starring Ronald Colman as Villon; and a musical, "The Vagabond King". Both were based on a novel by Justin McCarthy.

vza said...

Perhaps one day some clever person will discover what happened to Villon after his banishment in 1463.
Fascinating!

I always enjoy your poetry season, Jemmy!

Jemmy Hope said...

Thanks, vza. There's a book called "Danse Macabre: poetry and murder in Medieval France", by one Aubrey Burl, which gives some details of Villon's life beyond the confines of Paris. I don't recall it shedding any light on his death though.

vza said...

Thanks, I'll look for it!