Ballade
François Villon 1431 (Paris) – 1463
I know flies in milk
I know the man by his clothes
I know fair weather from foul
I know the apple by the tree
I know the tree when I see the sap
I know when all is one
I know who labors and who loafs
I know everything but myself.
I know the coat by the collar
I know the monk by the cowl
I know the master by the servant
I know the nun by the veil
I know when a hustler rattles on
I know fools raised on whipped cream
I know the wine by the barrel
I know everything but myself.
I know the horse and the mule
I know their loads and their limits
I know Beatrice and Belle
I know the beads that count and add
I know nightmare and sleep
I know the Bohemians' error
I know the power of Rome
I know everything but myself.
Prince I know all things
I know the rosy-cheeked and the pale
I know death who devours all
I know everything but myself.
Trans. by Galway Kinnell
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 29, 2023
- 54 sec read
- 167 Views
Quick analysis:
| Scheme | xxaxxxxB caxdxxeB xxxxxcxB xdxB e |
|---|---|
| Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
| Characters | 841 |
| Words | 183 |
| Stanzas | 5 |
| Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 4, 1 |
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"Ballade" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 24 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/13663/ballade>.
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