Friday, March 25, 2016

Queen's Bard Project: Notes the fourth

I Have a Yong Suster (MS Sloane 2593. c. 1430)

I have a yong suster
Fer biyonde the see;
Peri meri dictum domnine
Manye be the druries
That she sente me.
Partum quartum pare dissentum,
peri meri dictum domine

She sente me the cherye
Withouten any stoon,
Peri meri dictum domine
And so she dide the dove
Withouten any boon.
Partum quartum pare dissentum,
peri meri dictum domine

She sente me the brere
Withouten any rinde;
Peri meri dictum domine
She bad me love my lemman
Withoute longinge.
Partum quartum pare dissentum,
peri meri dictum domine

How sholde any cherye
Be withoute stoon?
Peri meri dictum domine
And how sholde any dove
Be withoute boon?
Partum quartum pare dissentum,
peri meri dictum domine

How sholde any brere
Be withoute rinde?
Peri meri dictum domine
How sholde I love my lemman
Withoute longinge?
Partum quartum pare dissentum,
peri meri dictum domine

Whan the cherye was a flowr,
Thanne hadde it no stoon;
Peri meri dictum domine
Whan the dove was an ey,
Thanne hadde it no boon.
Partum quartum pare dissentum,
peri meri dictum domine

Whan the brere was unbred,
Thanne hadde it no rinde;
Peri meri dictum domine
Whan the maiden hath that she loveth,
She is withoute longinge.
Partum quartum pare dissentum,
peri meri dictum domine

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alys's own translation to modern American English, with fiddling

(I likely will perform the song in Middle English, but I'd like to make the song easily accessible for others to try)

I have a young sister
Far beyond the sea
Peri meri dictum domnine
Many be the riddles[1]
That she sent to me.
Partum quartum pare dissentum,
peri meri dictum domine[2]

She sent me a cherry
Without any stone,
Peri meri dictum domine
And so she did a dove
Without any bone.
Partum quartum pare dissentum,
peri meri dictum domine

She sent me a briar[3]
Without any bark;
Peri meri dictum domine
She bade me love my lemman[4]
Without longing.
Partum quartum pare dissentum,
peri meri dictum domine

How shoule any cherry
Be without a stone?
Peri meri dictum domine
And how should any dove
Be without a bone?
Partum quartum pare dissentum,
peri meri dictum domine

How should any briar
Be without a bark?
Peri meri dictum domine
How should I love my lemman
Withoute longing?
Partum quartum pare dissentum,
peri meri dictum domine

When the cherry was a flower,
Then it had no stone;
Peri meri dictum domine
When the dove was an egg,
Then it had no bone.
Partum quartum pare dissentum,
peri meri dictum domine

Whan the briar was not grown,
Then it had no bark;
Peri meri dictum domine
When lovers have what they love,[5]
They are without longing.[6]
Partum quartum pare dissentum,

peri meri dictum domine


[1]  Druries really means "gifts," but "riddles" scans better with the melody and is in keeping with the them of the song.

[2]  These lyrics seem to be no more than nonsense pseudo-Latin gibberish.  Google Translate provides no end of hilarious "translations."

[3]  I wonder whether I should keep "rind" for the rhyme scheme and change "briar" to some sort of rinded fruit.

[4]  Lemman means "lover" and seems fairly gender-neutral, as I've seen it used for both men and women.

[5]  Changing this to the gender-neutral "lovers" in the plural to make it more accessible to any singer and to preserve the rhythm that is lost by changing to modern English.

[6]  Not liking how the rhythm works out here.


No comments:

Post a Comment