Showing posts with label Chaucer Parlement of Foules. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chaucer Parlement of Foules. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Qui bien aime a tard oublie

Qui bien aime a tard oublie
 
J'aime française
 
 
This line, Qui bien aime a tard oublie, comes from Chaucer's Parlement of Foules, line 679, which best translates as,

"Who loves well later forgets." Perhaps expressing the notion that all love is fleeting.

The 700 stanza poem is famous for the first recorded mention of card giving on St. Valentine's Day, lines 309 and 310. Notice the French y and ne.
For this was on seynt Valentynes day,
Whan every foul cometh ther to chese his make,

And in a launde (land), upon an hille of floures,
Was set this noble goddesse Nature;
Of braunches were hir (her) halles and hir boures (bowers),
Y-wrought (There wrought) after hir craft and hir mesure;
Ne ther nas foul that cometh of engendrure (engendered/created),
That they ne were prest(pressed) in hir presence,
To take hir doom and yeve (give) hir audience.

For this was on seynt Valentynes day, 
Whan every foul cometh ther to chese (choose) his make (mate),
Of every kinde, that men thenke may;
And that so huge a noyse gan they make,
That erthe and see, and tree, and every lake
So ful was, that unnethe(with difficulty) was ther space
For me to stonde (stand), so ful was al the place.

Et si vous ne connaissez pas, "I love you" in French is Je t'aime.