JON SOLO TSQ-IV BREAKDOWN (PLUS HAUGAARD TRANSLATION)

The Fourth Story, In Which Appear a Prince and a Princess

And now we're on to Chapter Four. When was the last time I covered a short story on this channel? I really don't remember.
[···]
...all the ladies' gossip. ...recently saw a little boy walking through the forest that ..., but by now he's ... to be with the princess.
... to take ... to the princess' castle.
... to ask ... fiancée, because apparently she liked to hang out around the castle, and was better informed on such matters.
... that while ... definitely won't get into the entrance of the castle, there is a back door that leads to a stairwell that leads to the royal bedroom, and ... fiancée knows where the key is.
... sneak out into the property, meet up with the fiancée, who already has the key, and enter the stairwell. They pass by several corridors before reaching the royal bedroom, where the mysterious princess and prince are sleeping in white and red lilies, respectively.

(At this point, Jon Solo puts the image above of a bouquet of white and red lilies.)

... up to the prince's bed and shrieked with excitement when ... . Only that shriek woke the prince up, and, when he opened his eyes, ... 

You might be thinking that ... are in for it now. They just trespassed on royal grounds, broke and entered the royal castle, and woke up the prince and princess from their slumber. 

But it turns out these royals aren't the typical evil king and queen that you see in fairytales (at this point, Jon Solo inserts a pic of Tenniel's King and Queen of Hearts!). They ask ... what ...'s doing there, ... . And not only does ... earn their sympathy; they actually reward ... for helping ... . They give them positions as royal court ..., ... . Pretty sweet deal.

The prince let ... sleep in his bed that night, and the next morning he and the princess helped ... prepare for ... journey ... . 

(At this point, Jon Solo inserts Wilhelm Pedersen's chapter heading illustration -the first one ever yet one where, to be fair, the prince and princess are nothing but white faceless silhouettes waving from the entrance of the castle, only vaguely sexed because the one on the proper right wears petticoats and the one on the proper left wears trousers!). 

(See what I mean? The royal castle and the prince and princess -framed in blue- are nothing but white vague outlines, while the fricking horses and coachman and postillion soldier -framed in red- get to be faaaar more detailed figures! It's not like these servants of the attelage are mere one-note redshirts used as flintlock fodder, right? ;) )

They gave ... new boots, a muff, and some warm clothes, a carriage of pure gold, and a coachman, as well as servants riding on the back, and two soldiers riding in front. (Out with the Pedersen drawing, and back to Jon Solo's face. Ps. Don't grow attached to the coachman, the servants riding on the back, or the two soldiers riding in front.)

Although they wanted ... to stay, the royal couple ... wished ... luck and saw ... off.

The Fifth Story, Which is About the Robber Girl

So this is kind o' awkward, but apparently travelling abroad with a golden carriage basically screams ROB ME (the message appears in all caps on screen as Jon says it out loud) to any ne'er-do-wells in your proximity.

(See what I mean?)

While ... was travelling at night, ... carriage was shining in the moonlight, and that attracted the attention of some nearby robbers. The group of miscreants attacked the carriage all at once, and dispatched of the soldiers, servants, and coachman. And by "dispatched," I mean (Pause) they killed them. 

[···]

The Seventh Story: What Happened in the Snow Queen's Palace and Afterward
The final chapter opens with a description of the ice queen's castle. ...
[···]
... asked her what happened to the royal couple ..., and she said the royal couple went travelling into foreign lands, ...


MY OWN HUMBLE OPINION:
There is a little critique I make on this Solo summary. The subplot on the royal couple was not really elaborated upon by Jon Solo - which is a shame since the princess in this tale is one of the first bluestockings in children's literature, and the closest thing to Portia I have heard of in children's fairytale; while the prince is one of the most sensitive and humane, not overly masculine male characters. Yes, Solo got the finale right... "that the royal couple went travelling into foreign lands," but it feels empty to me, for these are my favourite Andersen characters, upon listening to an account where nothing is told about her quest for a worthy spouse, and the fateful test-interview where he won her through his clever liveliness...



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PS. From the titles of the Stories, it appears that Jon Solo has been reading the translation by Erik Christian Haugaard (though in that version the chapter titles are in ALL CAPS), a praiseworthy version by a born and bred Dane, so let's take a peek at it!


THE FOURTH STORY, IN WHICH APPEAR A PRINCE AND A PRINCESS

Now in this kingdom, where we are at present, there lives a princess who is immensely clever; she has read all the newspapers in the whole world and forgotten what was written in them and that is the part that proves how intelligent she is. A few weeks ago, while she was sitting on the throne--and that, people say, is not such an amusing place to sit--she happened to hum a song which has as its chorus line 'Why shouldn't I get married?' 'Why not, indeed?' thought the princess. 'But if I am to get married it must be to a man who can speak up for himself.' She didn't want anyone who just stood about looking distinguished, for such a fellow is boring. She called all her ladies in waiting and told them of her intention. They clapped their hands, and one of them said, 'Oh, how delightful. I had such an idea myself just the other day.' 

The newspapers were printed with a border of hearts and the princess' name on the front page. Inside there was a royal proclamation: any good-looking man, regardless of birth, could come to the castle and speak with the princess, and the one who seemed most at home there and spoke the best she would marry. That proclamation got people out of their houses. They came thick and fast, you have never seen such a crowd. But neither the first nor the second day did the princess find anyone who pleased her. They could all speak well enough as long as they were standing in the street; but as soon as they had entered the castle gates and saw the royal guards, in their silver uniforms, the young men lost their tongues. They didn't get them back, either, when they had to climb the marble stairs, lined with lackeys dressed in gold; or when they finally arrived in the grand hall with the great chandeliers and had to stand in front of the throne on which the princess sat. All they could do was repeat whatever she said; and that she didn't want to hear once more. One should think every one of them had had his tummy filled with snuff or had fallen into a trance. But as soon as they were down in the streets again they got their tongues back, and all they could do was talk. There was a queue, so long that it stretched from beyond the town gate all the way up to the castle. ... into town to have a look at it. Most of the men got both hungry and thirsty while they waited; the princess didn't even offer them a glass of lukewarm water. Some of the more clever ones had brought sandwiches, but they didn't offer any to their neighbours, for they thought: 'Let him look hungry and the princess won't take him.'

Did he stand in the queue too?

Now the third day a little fellow arrived, he didn't have a carriage nor did he come on horseback. No, he came walking straight up to the castle. He was poorly dressed but had bright shining eyes, and the most beautiful long hair.

He had a little knapsack on his back.

... or knapsack, it doesn't matter much. Didn't look too closely at him. But: when he entered the castle and saw the royal guards and all the lackeys, they didn't make him the least bit fainthearted. He nodded kindly to them and said, ‘It must be boring to spend your life waiting on the stairs, I think I will, go inside.' The big hall with its lighted candles, its servants carrying golden bowls, while courtiers stood around dressed in their very best was impressive enough to take away the courage of even the bravest--and, on top of all that, the young man's boots squeaked something wicked--but he did not seem to notice either the elegant hall or his noisy boots.

Well, squeak they did. But he walked right up to the princess, who was sitting on a pearl as big as a spinning wheel. Behind her stood all her ladies in waiting with their maids and their maids' maids; and all the gentlemen of the court with their servants and their servants' servants, each of whom, in turn, kept a boy for a valet. And the servant's servant's boy-valet, who stood next to the door, always wore slippers and was so proud that one hardly dared look at him!

It must have been horrible! But he got the princess anyway?

He talks as well as ... He said that he hadn't come to propose marriage but only to find out whether she was as clever as everybody said she was. He was satisfied that what he heard was true; and the princess was satisfied with him.

"... to get into the castle."

"... in the kitchen where them is bread enough, ... It is quite impossible for ... to enter the castle. ... the guards in their silver uniforms and the lackeys in their golden ones won't allow it. ... My fiancée knows where the key is kept to the back stairs, and they lead right up to the royal bedchamber."

They entered the royal garden and watched the lights in the castle being extinguished, one by one. At last ... led her to a little door in the rear of the castle that was half open.

... whether it was ...  who had won the princess. ...  saw his lively, clever eyes, his long hair; he was smiling as he did ...

They had reached the stairs; a little lamp burned on a chest. In the middle of the floor stood ...

"I think someone is coming," There was a whirling, rushing sound; and on the wall were strange shadows of horses with flying manes, dogs and falcons, servants and hunters.

"Oh, they are only dreams. They have come to fetch their royal masters. That is only lucky for us; the easier it will be for one to have a good look at them while they are sleeping. But remember, when you gain honor and position, to be grateful and not forget those who helped you get it."

Now they entered the first of the great halls. The walls were covered with pink satin and decorated with artificial flowers. The shadows of the dreams reappeared, but they flew past so quickly that one did not even get a chance to see whether one was mounted on one of the horses. Each hall they passed through was more magnificent than the one before it. At last they came to the royal bedchamber. The ceiling looked like the top of a large palm tree with glass leaves; from the center of it eight ropes of pure gold hung down, attached to them were the two little beds that the royal couple slept in. Each bed was shaped like a lily; in the white lily slept the princess, and in the red lily the young man who had won her. ... peeped into it and saw a head of long brown hair. ... The dreams returned as fast as the wind and the young boy awoke. 

It was only the long brown hair they had in common, although he was young and handsome too. From the white lily bed the princess raised her head and asked what the commotion was about. 

"You poor thing!" said the prince. The princess said the same and they did not scold ... , on the contrary they praised them; although they warned them not to do it again. Still, they were to have a reward.

"Would you rather be free," asked the princess, "or receive permanent positions as royal court ... ?"

The prince got out of his bed and let ... sleep in it; he could hardly do more. ...  and thought, "How good all ... human beings are."

In the morning ... was dressed from head to toe in silk and velvet; and the little prince and princess begged ... to stay with them. But ... asked only for a little carriage and a horse and some boots, so that ... could continue on ... journey out in the wide world ...

... was given not only new boots but a muff as well, and good warm clothes. When ... was ready to leave, a fine carriage of the purest gold drove up in front of the castle. The coat of arms of the princess was on the door, and not only was there a coachman to drive ... , but a servant stood on the back of the carriage and two little soldiers rode in front. The prince and the princess themselves helped ... into the carriage and wished ... luck. ... The carriage was lined with candy, and on the seat across from ... was a basket of fruit.

"Good-by, good-by!" shouted the little prince and princess; and ... , for ... had grown fond of them, ... until ... could no longer see the carriage that glistened as though it were made of sunlight.


THE FIFTH STORY, WHICH IS ABOUT THE ROBBER GIRL

They were driving through a great dark forest, and the golden carriage shone like a flame right in the robbers' eyes, and they couldn't bear it.

"Gold! Gold!" they screamed as they came rushing out of the woods. They grabbed hold of the horses and killed the coachman, the servant, and the soldiers; ...


THE SEVENTH STORY: WHAT HAPPENED ... AFTERWARD

...  and asked her if she knew what had happened to the prince and the princess.

"They have gone traveling in foreign lands," answered the robber girl.

REELING AND WRITHING III: DISSES

REELING AND WRITHING
or,
Miss Dermark's 2015 Advent Calendar

DAY THREE

DISSES
or,
HOW TO DISS ONE'S OPPONENTS DERMARK STYLE

Today, we'll be looking at disses, showing you my Othello parody, a rap battle I have written, and one of my favourite Swedish songs done into English (by myself): Evert Taube's "Seventeenth Ballad", written in his youth as a bohemian... a caustic, Voltairian "take that" at Stockholm high society that has had an interesting history as a song.


First we'll look at Othello: the Shakespearean play, Charles Lamb's short story, Boito's libretto, Kalbeck's translation of said libretto into German, and my own parody, the Travesty. To see how Iago disses Cassio in all of these versions and how I manufactured my own Dermark brand of Iago's rant of disses to Cassio:

SHAKESPEARE:

A fellow almost damn'd in a fair life;

That never set a squadron in the field,

Nor the division of a battle knows

More than a spinster; unless the bookish theoric,

Wherein the toged consuls can propose

As masterly as he: mere prattle, without practise,

Is all his soldiership. But he, sir, had the election…

He, in good time, must his lieutenant be,

And I--God bless the mark!--His Moorship's ensign.

CHARLES LAMB:
This promotion gave great offence to Iago, an older officer who thought he had a better claim than Cassio, and would often ridicule Cassio as a fellow only for the company of ladies, and one that knew no more of the art of war or how to set an army in array for battle, than a girl. Iago hated Cassio, and he hated Othello as well for favouring Cassio, as for an unjust suspicion, which he had lightly taken up against Othello that the Moor was too fond of Iago’s wife Emilia.

BOITO:

Quell'azzimato capitano usurpa 
il grado mio, il grado mio che in cento 
ben pugnate battaglie ho meritato; 
tal fu il voler d'Otello, 
ed io rimango 
di sua Moresca Signoria.... l'alfiere! 

KALBECK:
das aufgestutzte Offizierchen, 
Verdrängte mich vom Platz, von meinem Platz, 
Den ich in hundert ehrlich geschlag'nen Schlachten 
Verdiente. Das war das Werk Othellos. 
Ich bin der Fähnrich seiner Mohrenschaft 
geblieben. 

THE TRAVESTY:
IAGO (to himself): I have fought by his side in countless battles, on the frontline itself, risking life and limb by his side, and yet... (Pause.) That frilly little upstart... that stripling of this new kind of "educated officers", who knows as much of tactics as a novice in a nunnery... has just usurped the rank which is mine by right! He should rather die! Er... Why not? (He gives the audience a mean death glare)

And there you have it. The Shakespearean mention of Cassio as a book-learned officer without the field experience Iago has, scare-quoted for irony; the "frilly little (officer)" from Kalbeck's translation; the word "stripling" for a young man, especially a slender and/or feminine seeming one, which I learned from a Joyce story (used to describe English artiste Weathers, one of my favourite Joyce characters); and "upstart", which, referring to Cassio as a newcomer suddenly risen to power, has all the connotations of a slur. How eclectic a combination! As for Cassio's field experience... Shakespeare compares it to an old maid's, Lamb's to a young girl's, while my Iago goes the extra mile by comparing it to a novice nun's, quoting à propos a verse from the Modern Major General Song in The Pirates of Penzance. The climax, the jewel of the crown, comes from Iago saying Cassio "has usurped the rank which is mine by right." the use of "usurp", a pretty loaded verb, is from Boito's libretto, while Iago's entitlement and defense of his claim recall Stannis Baratheon's attitude towards his brother Renly ("The Iron Throne is mine by right."). There you have my version of the lieutenancy rant, an eclectic, intertextual, intelligent, ironic, and savvy rant so typical of the Travesty Iago.


Now on to the next example: Joffrey "Baratheon" vs. Dellinger.

Honestly, rap battles haven't been my cup of tea until, a month ago, I saw Romeo and Juliet vs. Bonnie and Clyde. Then came Julius Caesar vs. Shaka Zulu, Marilyn Monroe vs. Cleopatra, Asian philosophers vs. Western philosophers, Shakespeare vs. Doctor Seuss, Gandalf vs. Dumbledore, Rasputin vs. Stalin (feat. Lenin, Gorbachov, and Putin), Donald Trump vs. Ebenezer Scrooge (feat. J.P. Morgan as the Ghost of Xmas Past, Kanye West as Xmas Present, and the Grim Reaper as Xmas Future), Mrs. Claus vs. Mary Poppins (feat. Santa and Bert), Maleficent vs. Daenerys, and most recently Hermione vs. Katniss.

Why I chose Joffrey and Dellinger? Because they're uncannily similar and yet foils to one another. Both of them are arrogant blond male teenage sociopaths, yet there are contrasting differences: Joff is the fruit of twincest, while Dellinger is half-human (and half-fishman). Joff had a tough childhood with his dysfunctional royal family, while Dellinger was happily adopted since early infancy by a pirate crew/syndicate. Joff is always sharply dressed, while Dellinger wears pretty eccentric attire (a baseball cap, a turtleneck, shorts, and... stiletto heels?). Joff sticks to gender roles, while Dellinger was raised as a girl and, though identifying himself as male, is pretty effeminate. Moreover: Dellinger's pumps are purple just like Joffrey's wedding, and he's got an attack called Decapitation High Heel, which can reference the fate of Ned Stark (for revealing Joff's true parentage)... and Dellinger is horned, while Joff wears a crown of antlers (referring to his "Baratheon" heritage, but also subtly to his own bastardry and "los cuernos" Cersei put on Robert). Also, Dellinger is bull-horned like the helmet of Joffrey's blacksmith stepbrother Gendry (who may be, in turn, a reference to the Cretan Minotaur), who is a royal bastard though on Robert's side instead of Cersei's.
With all of this in mind, no surprise that I wrote the rap battle...


(Before you continue: this rap battle contains SPOILERS for the Dressrosa arc of One Piece, and EVEN MORE SPOILERS for A Storm of Swords and Game of Thrones Season 4. If you wish not to have any of these stories spoiled, skip the rap battle entirely and go on to the next reference.)


EPIC RAP BATTLES OF MISS DERMARK!

JOFFREY BARATHEON!
VERSUS!
DELLINGER!

BEGIN!

Joffrey:

Hehehe, I get the feels, a fop clad in stiletto heels.
So come at me, you fairy boy, face to face...
Bend the knee before His Grace!

1. Dellinger:
   Look in my eyes, 'Your Majesty',
   Sure, you go 'Westeros, that's me!'
   We rule Dressrosa,
   live la vida loca,
   it's all Art Nouveau like in Catalonia!
   Though we shoot SAD,
   we always SMILE,
   it's the brand new drug with style!
   Kyahahahaha!
2. Joffrey:
   Give me, missy, give me your fruit:
   I don't give a Dornish freaking hoot!
   No matter if you're seeing red, you creep,
   I'll have my Kingsguard lock you in the Red Keep!
   Oodles of sharp teeth, but no swag? Come on!
   Mine is the Fury, Baratheon!
3. Dellinger:
   "Ba-ra-the-on"? So bring it on!
   Was adopted by Doffy and Corazón,
   never knew my parents, but was adored
   by the loving motley family of a great lord!
   To you, Father's Day must be a real pain...
   do you know who your dad is, if you have a brain?
   Here's a clue
   for you:
   he wasn't that fat bearded arse who beat you and drank himself to death!
   I will reveal your true heritage ere your royal lungs draw their last breath!
   Lannister!
4. Joffrey:
   Dellinger!
   Well, I don't believe that one-liner!
   If I am truly inbred, I am no fighter dancing through the fire!
   Champion! Hear me roar!
   Rising even higher than before!
   At least my blood is purer than yours,
   spawn of interracial two-back-beasting, called the kettle black, of course!
   Untermensch, half-human vermin, you would better say farewell!
   I will keep your head as trophy for my bride, Margie Tyrell!
5. Dellinger:
   The bride not chosen by love, chosen by the State!
   She is pleased with you and you with her, or so I heard relate!
   Had you been raised not by dysfunctionals, you'd have chosen well...
   but Grandad has to pay his debts, and thus, you'll wed a Tyrell!
   Don't you think she's too good to be true?
   Well, here are a few words of caution for you!
   In the ways of love, I take no chance,
   thus, I've spared revenge and a bad romance!
   I love my sweetie like a sister,
   and, when we've parted, freaking missed her!
   Take a lesson from me and my blueberry,
   don't get fooled by the looks or the wit of your Du Barry!
   My sweet teddy bear is sugar; yours is sharp, bitter strychnine,
   and you're unaware till you have drunk her Reach-pressed Arbour wine!
   So Joff the Toff, what do you think?
   We all know that you can't hold your drink...
6. Joffrey:
   Sugar... ooh ooh, honey honey,
   bet your candy girl costs a lot of money,
   And besides, she's below the age of consent!
   At least, Sansa was nubile, and thus, I am more than a gent!
   Sibling love, you feel for a child...I make all the ladies at court go wild!
   Though your Sugar baby's too young for me, I just love pain,
   I don't care what future maesters will say about my reign!
7. Dellinger:
   What do I hear? His Grace hard on gals?
   Do you have the guts to face your spear-side pals?
   For picking on women is a sign of a coward,
   maybe as retaliation for the stepchild who once cowered!
   I know Lannisters shit gold, but not at the other end!
   You're a spoiled royal brat without a single friend!
   We Donquixotes are family,
   I've got all my nakama and me,
   more than friends, though not bound by blood ties,
   dreaded through the New World and Paradise!
   All you Lannisters are literally fucked up! See what inbreeding has wrought! This receding at court,
   losing all that you sought!
   That whole story's kind of corny,
   but you'll see how I get horny!
   Puny mock antlers on your crown: it is clear
   your golden mane can't make you pass for a Baratheon deer (/dear)!
   Oh, that's so see-through!
   Wait till I'm done with you!
   These horns do grow on this head so fair,
   and they're meant for goring royals Gods know where!
8. Joffrey:
   This crossbow is loaded, and the trigger is to move!
   Surely, today His Grace will his marksmanship skill prove!
   I'm not going to kill you, for I need a new Clegane
   to replace the stray that left us at Blackwater Bay!
   Only when I have grown weary, I'll go "off with his head!"
   Send you to Ilyn Payne ---not before tortures and dread---
   "Fighting fish..." I will set your severed dome on a pike,
   and besides, I'm sure that my drink they'll never spike.
   And my Tyrell wife and me'll behold the head of a traitor,
   like I once showed Sansa Stark. So bend the knee, agitator!
9. Dellinger:
   Joff, you toff, you keep me seeing red!
   I swear that soon, Your Grace, you will fall heels over head!
   Kyahahaha!
   My high heels will decapitate you like Lord Ned!
   The North remembers its fallen, and your karma lies ahead!
   Ere you pull that trigger and fire that dart into my chest,
   my stilettos kick like pistols, and you'll get that needed rest!
   Pumps purple as your wedding will bring on your beheading...
   (Pause.)
   For these pumps are made for walking, and that is what they'll do!
   Today, Your Grace, these pumps are gonna walk all over you!
10. Dellinger:
    Kyahahaha!
    Joffrey:
    So the sissy grew a fin, that he kept under his skin,
    symbol of that painful sin not caused by our breeding in!
    Oh, treason of the blood! And, speaking of blood,
    heard the crimson liquid makes you fill with dread. Oh, Seven Gods!
    While I sip my Arbour red, without fear of dropping dead,
    thinking of on which pike of the Keep I'll fix your head!
11. Dellinger:
    This preposterous young royal keeps on so smug and secure,
    upon facing an opponent who's equally immature.
    I may be afraid of blood, and I acknowledge this flaw,
    but, Lannister, you've just met your Trafalgar D. Water-Law!
    Now guess who's the real me, and who's the replicate!
    Probability decreases, if you find out, it will be too late!
    Kyahahaha!
    I will dodge your every shot, with these eyes glowing red hot,
    riddling your chest with stiletto holes ere you get to tie the knot!
    Guess your wedding won't pay the debts of Lord Tywin,
    when I slap your lifeless pale face, just like the Imp, and roar "I win!"
    
    WHO WON?
    WHO'S NEXT?
    
    YOU DECIDE.

Pay heed to the disses (though the swag is also worth the pain). The things both Joff and Dellinger spew at one another.

"The Seventeenth Ballad", Sjuttonde balladen, has a fascinating story to tell:
When Evert Taube was a young man recently arrived in the capital to seek his fortune as a bohemian poet, it did not last long from the time he found a sponsor that he began to receive society commissions for writing songs and poetry and performing them in public at high class events. Like the Art Professor at the University in the Wilde tale, and like most other Art Nouveau figureheads of the West, young Evert was an angry rebel who supported art for art's sake. To call a spade a spade and prove that he would not prostitute himself and execute commissions to earn money, but express himself freely, he wrote the seventeenth poem/song of his complete works as his own creed, full of caustic disses towards Stockholm high society. Indeed, he felt out of place in this context. And Taube never sang the song in public, recorded it, or published it in any book, to avoid controversy, during his own lifetime. In 1969, the year of the moon landing, at the height of the youth revolution and counterculture, singer-songwriter Cornelis Vreeswijk discovered the song and recorded it, and, ever since, other Swedish bands like the Hootenanny Singers (1974), Eldkvarn (1990)... in 2011, Evert's son Sven Bertil Taube performed the song live for the first time in his life on TV.
As a child, I was introduced to the Cornelis version of the Seventeenth Ballad when I was around 8-10, at the turn of the millennium, but my translation is far younger, in fact, it was planned and typed in Gothenburg in the summer of this year 2015.
Now note how caustic Evert Taube is against Stockholm high society (my translation captures the spirit of the original Swedish poem perfectly). Every stanza until the last one (on Evert's artist pride) is chock-full of disses...:

It's really hard, I confess, to agree,

with one who begs me to amuse him singing

and flatters me before th' auditory,

but whose backstabbing whispers I hear ringing.

It's really hard to accept and drink his wine...

I put the cup to my lips hesitating...

He boasts he's payed for all the celebrating,

and, behind my back, he calls me a swine!

But I am free, you old and wicked fox,

and you, Your Ladyship, with all your cackle...

I'm free to sing for you, old poppycocks.

With poetry, your balderdash I tackle.

I drink your health now with the gods, with all,

and bring the angel of peace down even quicker,

after I show you who has held her liquor,

and told you the truth, and saved my soul.

Because the truth is healthy, and it is true

that if one in this land defies tradition,

not chirping constantly like chicks like you,

like all the others in their superstition,

but walks one's own way, on one's own two feet,

forgetting common sense, worshipping beauty,

some old hen cackles always about duty

and about being dreadfully indiscrete.

But cackle you tomorrow! For today,

the chance is mine: I'll sing a louder din, nice:

"Cock-a-doodl-doo! Your Lordship, pleased you may!"

For you, I've put my life upon the thin ice.

Think more of happiness than wealth or gold,

for you've got many ways to stay elated...

E'en if that I've sung intoxicated

is as my eternal reputation told!

I stand alone, though in good company,

and that by right, since my own path I follow.

The light and the goal day by day I see,

far from all of these bottles that I swallow.

And thus, by tunes of silver cords amused,

by voices only known to poets' hearing,

I forget all small trifles and all jeering...

and, proud, drink to the health of my own Muse!