Ballad written by Villon upon a Subject proposed by Charles Duc d’Orleans
I DIE of thirst, although the spring's at hand;Hot as a fire, my teeth with cold do shake;In my own town, I'm in a foreign land ;Hard by a burning brazier do I quake;Clad like a king, yet naked as a snake.I laugh through tears, expect sans hope soe'erAnd comfort take amiddleward despair ;Glad, though I joy in nought beneath the sun,Potent am I, and yet as weak as air;Well entertained, rebuffed of every one.
Nought's dim to me save what I understand ;Uncertain things alone for sure I take;I doubt but facts that all unquestioned stand;I'm only wise by chance for a whim's sake ;'Give you good-night !' I say, whenas I wake;Lying at my length, of falling I beware;I've goods enough, yet not a crown to spare ;Leave off a loser, though I still have won ;Await bequests, although to none I'm heir;Well entertained, rebuffed of every one.
I care for nought, yet all my life I've plannedGoods to acquire, although I've none at stake;They speak me fairest, by whom most I'm banned,And truest, who most mock of me do make :He is my friend, who causes me mistakeBlack ravens for white swans and foul for fair;Who doth me hurt, I hold him debonair;'Twixt truth and lying difference see I none;Nought I conceive, yet all in mind I bear;Well entertained, rebuffed of every one.
Most clement Prince, I'd have you be awareThat I'm like all and yet apart and rare;Much understand, yet wit and knowledge shun:To have my wage again is all my care;Well entertained, rebuffed of every one.
Words in this poem
- brazier n.
- An artificer who works in brass. Franklin. [OE. brasiere, F. braise live coals. See Brass.]
- clad v.
- To clothe. Holland.
- expect v. t.
- To wait for; to await. [L. expectatum, to look out for, await, expect; ex + out spectare to look at. See Spectacle.]
- sans prep.
- Without; deprived or destitute of. Rarely used as an English word. [F., from L. sine without.]
- unquestioned a.
- Not called in question; not doubted.
- beware v. t.
- To avoid; to take care of; to have a care for.
- loser n.
- One who loses. South.
- await v. t.
- To watch for; to look out for. [OF. awaitier, agaitier; (L. ad) + waitier, gaitier to watch, F. guetter. See Wait.]
- debonair a.
- Characterized by courteousness, affability, or gentleness; of good appearance and manners; graceful; complaisant. [OE. debonere, OF. de bon aire, debonaire, of good descent or lineage, excellent, debonair, F. débonnaire debonair; de of (L. de) + bon good (L. bonus) + aire. S]
- wage v. i.
- To bind one's self; to engage.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Ballad written by Villon upon a Subject proposed by Charles Duc d’Orleans is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Poems of Master François Villon of Paris, now first done into English verse, in the original forms, with a biographical and critical introduction, by John Payne, Internet Archive, the John Payne translation; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: François Villon, Ballad written by Villon upon a Subject proposed by Charles Duc d’Orleans, in The Poems of Master François Villon of Paris (1892), text of Internet Archive, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/villon-poems/ballad-written-by-villon-upon-a-subject-proposed-by-charles-.html, id L27076.
Form and metre
Ballad written by Villon upon a Subject proposed by Charles Duc d’Orleans is 35 lines in 4 stanzas. The rhyme scheme is ABABBCCDCD, complete in 3 of its 4 stanzas. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 92%).
See other poems in iambic pentameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 ABABBCCDCD handA · shakeB · landA · quakeB · snakeB · soe'erC · despairC · sunD · airC · oneD
- 2 ABABBCCDCD understandA · takeB · standA · sakeB · wakeB · bewareC · spareC · wonD · heirC · oneD
- 3 ABABBCCDCD plannedA · stakeB · bannedA · makeB · mistakeB · fairC · debonairC · noneD · bearC · oneD
- 4 AABAB awareA · rareA · shunB · careA · oneB
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic pentameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| I DIE of thirst, although the spring's at hand; | 10 | ·········· |
| Hot as a fire, my teeth with cold do shake; | 10 | ···/······ |
| In my own town, I'm in a foreign land ; | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Hard by a burning brazier do I quake; | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| Clad like a king, yet naked as a snake. | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| I laugh through tears, expect sans hope soe'er | 9 | ····˘/··· |
| And comfort take amiddleward despair ; | 10 | ·/˘·····˘/ |
| Glad, though I joy in nought beneath the sun, | 10 | ·········· |
| Potent am I, and yet as weak as air; | 10 | /˘········ |
| Well entertained, rebuffed of every one. | 10 | ··˘/˘/·/˘· |
| Nought's dim to me save what I understand ; | 10 | ········˘/ |
| Uncertain things alone for sure I take; | 10 | ˘/˘·˘/···· |
| I doubt but facts that all unquestioned stand; | 10 | ······˘/˘· |
| I'm only wise by chance for a whim's sake ; | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| 'Give you good-night !' I say, whenas I wake; | 10 | ······/˘·· |
| Lying at my length, of falling I beware; | 11 | /˘····/˘·˘/ |
| I've goods enough, yet not a crown to spare ; | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| Leave off a loser, though I still have won ; | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Await bequests, although to none I'm heir; | 10 | ˘/˘/······ |
| Well entertained, rebuffed of every one. | 10 | ··˘/˘/·/˘· |
| I care for nought, yet all my life I've planned | 10 | ·········· |
| Goods to acquire, although I've none at stake; | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| They speak me fairest, by whom most I'm banned, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| And truest, who most mock of me do make : | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| He is my friend, who causes me mistake | 10 | ·····/˘·˘/ |
| Black ravens for white swans and foul for fair; | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Who doth me hurt, I hold him debonair; | 10 | ········˘/ |
| 'Twixt truth and lying difference see I none; | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| Nought I conceive, yet all in mind I bear; | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| Well entertained, rebuffed of every one. | 10 | ··˘/˘/·/˘· |
| Most clement Prince, I'd have you be aware | 10 | ·/˘·····˘/ |
| That I'm like all and yet apart and rare; | 10 | ······˘/·· |
| Much understand, yet wit and knowledge shun: | 10 | ··˘/···/˘· |
| To have my wage again is all my care; | 10 | ····˘/···· |
| Well entertained, rebuffed of every one. | 10 | ··˘/˘/·/˘· |
The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.