Anguish Languish, The Wonders of English

[UrsulaLiz]

My go-to guy for this stuff is Willard R. Espey, and my sources are his two volumes An Almanac of Words at Play. Here is French from the first volume. (Read it very quickly in a French accent as bad as mine. I'm sorry about the lack of diacritical marks.)

~ from Mots d'Heures: Gousses, Rames by Luis d'Antin Van Rooten

Et Qui Rit Des Cures D'oc?

Et qui rit des cures d'Oc? *
De Meuse raines,** houp! de cloques.***
De quelles loques ce turque coin.****
Et ne d'anes ni rennes,
Ecuries des cures d'Oc.*****

*Oc (or Languedoc), ancient region of France, with its capital at Toulouse. Its monks and curates were, it seems, a singularly humble and holy group. This little poem is a graceful tribute to their virtues.
**Meuse, or Maas, River, 560 miles long, traversing France, Belgium, and the Netherlands; Raines, old French word for frogs (from the L., ranae)> Here is a beautiful example of Gothic imagery; He who laughs at the cures d'Oc will have frogs leap at him from the Meuse river and
***infect him wiht a scrofulous disease! This is particularly interesting when we consider the widesprad superstition in America that frogs and toads cause warts.
****"Turkish corners" were introduced into Western Europe by returning crusaders, among other luxuries and refinements of Oriental living. Our good monks made a concession tothe fashion, but N.B. their Turkish corner was made of rags! This affectation of interior decorating had a widespread revival in the U.S.A. at the turn of the century. Ah, the Tsar's bazaars' bizarre beaux-arts.
*****So strict were the monks that they didn't even indulge themselves in their arduous travels. No fancy mules nor reindeer in their stables. They just rode around on their plain French asses.

[hrhspence]

I love it. There's one on humpty dumpty, too.

[UrsulaLiz]

Spence, apparently he wrote a whole book of them. I have "Old Mother Hubbard," so I'll post it when I have more time. Do you have "Humpty Dumpty"? I'd love to see it!

[hrhspence]

Here is d’Antin’s version of “Humpty Dumpty”:

Un petit d’un petit S’étonne aux Halles Un petit d’un petit Ah! degrés te fallent Indolent qui ne sort cesse Indolent qui ne se mène Qu’importe un petit d’un petit Tout Gai de Reguennes.

And here is “Little Miss Muffet”:

Lit-elle messe, moffette, Satan ne te fête, Et digne somme coeurs et nouez. À longue qu’aime est-ce pailles d’Eure. Et ne Satan bise ailleurs Et ne fredonne messe. Moffette, ah, ouais!


and

Georgie Port-régie, peu digne en paille, Qui se dégeule sans mais. Dame craille. Où haine de bouées ce qu’ aime a tout pilé: Georgie Port-régie règne. Ohé.

[Aelith]

Port-régie : ???
porgie = fat

[UrsulaLiz]

"Oh, Les Mots D'Heureux Bardes"

Oh, les mots d'herueux bards
Ou en toutes heures que partent.*
Tous guetteurs pour dock a Beaune.**
Besoin gigot d'air
De que paroisse paire.***
Et ne pour dock, pet-de-nonne.****

* Minstrels were no doubt a happy lot, and it is not surprising that France, a cradle of wit and culture, could turn them out in such numbers that they came and went on an almost predictable schedule. As one came in by the portcullis another left by the oubliette.
** Beaune. Town in the Cote-d'Or, 11,000 pop., famed for its wines and mustard. It is not a port, therefore, why should eveyone watch its docks? Certainly it does not have any particular renown as a center of contraband.
*** This must refer to the Cote-d'Or, a peerless parish indeed. Rich in some of the finest vintages of France and, if we are to believe the previous line, a great lambing country.
**** Pet-de-nonne. An extremely light and fluffy pastry. Although any decent housewife would ask for them without hesitation at her favorite patisserie, delicacy forbids a direct translation here.

(Love WRE!)

[the mule]

Aelith re: port_regie, literally manager of the door, Georgie has a part time job as a head concierge which may account for his skin condition