Poems

La Question que feist Villon au clerc du guiche/Now What Do You Think of My Appeal?

218 the poems of françois villon 15 La Question que feist Villon au clerc du guichet Que vous semble de mon appel, Garnier? Feis je sens ou folye? Toute beste garde sa pel; Qui la contrainct, efforce, ou lye, 4 S’elle peut, elle se deslye. Or quant par plaisir voluntaire Chantee me fut ceste omelie, Estoit il lors temps de moy taire? 8 Se feusse des hoirs Hue Capel (Qui fut extraict de boucherie) On ne m’eust parmy ce drappel Fait boire en ceste escorcherie. 12 (Vous entendez bien joncherie.) Mais quant ceste peine arbitraire On me juga par tricherie, Estoit il lors temps de moy taire? 16 Cuidez vous que soubz mon capel N’eust autant de philosophie Comme de dire “J’en appel”? Oÿl, je le vous certiffie, 20 Si est il fol qui trop s’i fye. Quant on me dit, present notaire, “Pendu serez,” je vous affye, Estoit il lors temps de moy taire? 24 Prince, se j’eusse eu la pepye Pieça je fusse ou est Clotaire, Aux champs, debout comme une espye. Estoit il lors temps de moy taire? 28 shorter poems 219 15 Now What Do You Think of My Appeal? Now what do you think of my appeal, Garnier? Was it really such a bad idea? Any beast will try to save its skin and if in peril, trapped or trussed, 4 will wriggle free if it can. So when, at one man’s pleasure, I was sung that dire homily, was that the time to keep quiet? 8 If I were an heir of Hugh Capet (himself the scion of butchers!) they wouldn’t have served me my drink through a cloth in that slaughterhouse 12 (a cute little gag which you know well). But when that judicial misery was decreed for me unjustly, was that the time to keep quiet? 16 Did you think that under my cap there’s not enough philosophy to know how to say “I appeal”? Well, there is, I can assure you, 20 though only a fool would bet on it. When they said before the notary “You shall hang,” I have to ask, was that the time to keep quiet? 24 My Prince, if I’d had laryngitis I’d have ended up where Chlotar is, out in the field, upright, like a lookout. Was that the time to keep quiet? 28 ...