Tell me now in what hidden way is
Lady Flora the lovely Roman?
Where’s Hipparchia, and where is Thais,
Neither of them the fairer woman?
Where is Echo, beheld of no man,
Only heard on river and mere,-
She whose beauty was more than human?…
But where are the snows of yester-year?
Where’s H?loise, the learned nun,
For whose sake Abeillard, I ween,
Lost manhood and put priesthood on?
(From Love he won such dule and teen!)
And where, I pray you, is the Queen
Who willed that Buridan should steer
Sewed in a sack’s mouth down the Seine?…
But where are the snows of yester-year?
White Queen Blanche, like a queen of lilies,
With a voice like any mermaiden,-
Bertha Broadfoot, Beatrice, Alice,
And Ermengarde the lady of Maine,-
And that good Joan whom Englishmen
At Rouen doomed and burned her there,-
Mother of God, where are they then?…
But where are the snows of yester-year?
Nay, never ask this week, fair lord,
Where they are gone, nor yet this year,
Save with thus much for an overword,-
But where are the snows of yester-year?
~~~~
Original French
Ballade Des Dames De Temps Jadis
Dictes moy ou, n’en quel pays,
Est Flora la belle Rommaine,
Archipiades ne Tha?s,
Qui fut sa cousine germaine,
Echo parlant quant bruyt on maine
Dessus riviere ou sus estan,
Qui beault? ot trop plus q’humaine.
Mais ou sont les neiges d’antan?
Ou est la tres sage Hello?s,
Pour qui chastr? fut et puis moyne
Pierre Esbaillart a Saint Denis?
Pour son amour ot ceste essoyne.
Semblablement, ou est la royne
Qui commanda que Buridan
Fust get? en ung sac en Saine?
Mais ou sont les neiges d’antan?
La royne Blanche comme lis
Qui chantoit a voix de seraine,
Berte au grand pi?, Beatris, Alis,
Haremburgis qui tint le Maine,
Et Jehanne la bonne Lorraine
Qu’Englois brulerent a Rouan;
Ou sont ilz, ou, Vierge souvraine?
Mais ou sont les neiges d’antan?
Prince, n’enquerez de sepmaine
Ou elles sont, ne de cest an,
Qu’a ce reffrain ne vous remaine:
Mais ou sont les neiges d’antan?
(Francoise Villon)
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Based on Topics: Love Poems, Man Poems, God Poems, Fairness Poems, Kings & Queens Poems, Beauty Poems, Woman Poems, Mothers Poems, Teens PoemsBased on Keywords: denis, remaine, fut, dule, temps, fust, lorraine, elles, englishmen, très, pierre