![]()
The poem mentions, explicitly or implicitly fifteen known real and mythological figures. Among the thematic reductions we hear about this ballad, are that it is based on a list of famous women who have been worrisome or treacherous to men, and that they are mentioned in chronological order. In point of fact, their order is only roughly chronological. There is one man, who is feminized, and one woman who dresses in men's clothing in the group. Some of the females are not human or are women who have been deified. In one case, a nymph, who could only repeat the end of others' sentences, has wasted away to a mere voice because of her sorrow over being spurned by a half-human male. In another, the identity of the woman can only be inferred through association with the name of her male victim. The text I present is essentially that of manuscript C, except in three places where I find the readings are opaque, or run against an acknowledged historical truth, without adding anything genuinely in the spirit of Villon to the sense of the phrase. Rejected readings from manuscript C are explained below the text, and accompanied by a varia lectio, including significant variants from principal sources. I have hyper-linked the text with articles and notes on the famous people mentioned or the events they represent, some in the text, with a number of supplements in the right column. Other aids for use and study include a lightly annotated Middle French edition, with a facing Modern French translation. There are also available a number of different online English translations of this ballad, though, in some case the reader may have to search though other poems on a page. Translations by
Robert Chancellor Peter Dale Peter Dean Kathleen Garay and Madeleine Jeay Perez Goldman Florence Dujarric Willis Harcourt (imitation) A. S. Klein Ken Knabb & anonymous literal translation (2) Marcel Kopp Andrew Lang Christopher Logue Ted Neather [look for "Ballad of the ladies of old"] Dante Gabriel Rossetti Robin Shirley & anonymous (2 translations) Louis Simpson Martin Sorell (5 versions) Patricia Terry & Maurice Z. Shroder Anthony Weir
Dutch Esperanto Hungarian Icelandic Italian [look for "Ballata delle dame del tempo che fu" Japanese-1 Japanese-2 German Greek (last ballad on page) Polish [look for "BALLADA O PANIACH MINIONEGO CZASU"] Romanian-1 Romanian-2 Russian Spanish
http://www.utm.edu/staff/globeg/damesbibl.html Flesh of Snow, Words of Iron http://www.utm.edu/staff/globeg/snow.html Bibliography for "Flesh of Snow, Words of Iron..." http://www.utm.edu/staff/globeg/mythamorph.html | ||
Ballade Dictes-moy ou, n'en quel pays, Est Flora la belle Romaine, Archipiades, ne Thaÿs, Qui fut sa cousine germaine, Echo parlant quant bruyt on maine Dessus riviere ou sur estan, Qui beaulte ot trop plus qu'umaine; Mais ou sont les neiges d'anten ? Ou est la tres sage Esloÿs, Pour qui chastres [fut] et puis moyne Pierre Esbaillart a Saint-Denis? Pour son amour eust ceste essoyne. Semblablement, ou est la royne Qui commanda que Buriden Fut gecte en ung sac en Saine? Mais ou sont les neiges d'anten? La reine blanche comme liz Qui chantoit a voix de seraine, Berte au plat pie, Bietrix, Aliz, Haranburgis qui tint le Maine, Et Jehanne la bonne Lorraine Qu'Engloys brulerent a Rouen; Ou sont-ilz, ou, Vierge souveraine? Mais ou sont les neiges d'anten? Prince, n'enquerrez de sepmaine Ou elles sont, ne de cest an, Qu'a ce reffraing ne vous remaine: Mais ou sont les neiges d'anten? |
332 336 340 344 348 352 356 |
Flora2 Archipiades-2 Thaÿs-2 Echo-2 Esloÿs-2 Pierre Esbaillart-2 Buriden-2 Jehanne-2 Jehanne-3 |