II.  BALLADES FROM FRANÇOIS VILLON

47

BALLAD OF THE WOMEN OF PARIS.

I.

THOUGH fold deem women young and old
Of Venice and Genoa well eno’
Favoured with speech, both glib and bold,
    To carry messages to and fro;
    Savoyards, Florentines less or mo,
Romand and Lombards though folk renown,
    I, at my peril, I say no;
There’s no right speech out of Paris town.

II.

The Naples women (so we are told)
    Can school all comers in speech and show;
Prussians and Germans were still extolled
    For pleasant prattle of friend and foe;
    But hail they from Athens or Grand Cairo,
Castille or Hungary, black or brown,
    Greeks or Egyptians, high or low,
There’s no right speech out of Paris town.

III.

Switzers nor Bretons know how to scold,
    Nor Provence nor Gascony women: lo!
Twpo fishfags in Paris the bridge that hold
    Would slang them dumb in a minute or so.
48     Picardy, England, Lorraine, (heigho!
Enough of places have I set down?)
    Valenciennes, Calais, wherever you go,
There’s no right speech out of Paris town.

ENVOI.

Prince, to the Paris ladies, I trow,
    For pleasant parlance I yield the crown.
They may talk of Italians; but this I know,
    There’s no right speech out of Paris town.