THE MEDIEVAL TEXTS TRANSLATION PROJECT

THE MEDIEVAL TEXTS TRANSLATION PROJECT
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Le Petit Traitise de Nurture
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Original Text1
English Translation2
[I]ssi comence un petet tretis de norture.
Here begins a short treatise on nurture.
Ces sont les ensignemens
These are the teachings
Ke bons sont a toutes gens
That are good for all people
De vertuz et de curteysie;
of virtue and of courtesy;
Beau fiuz, ne les ubl[i]e mie.
Dear son, do not forget them.
Tes oilz sovent tornez
Set your eyes often
Vers celui ou qui vous mangez,
Upon him with whom you are eating,
E ton dos torner est deshonour,
For to turn your back while eating
A manger, a ton seignour.
Is dishonourable to your lord.
Ton pain que mors avez,
Do not put bread that you have
En ton potage ne le metez,
Chewed into your soup;
Ne giser ne lessez en nul manere
Nor should you in any way set down or
En t'esquele ta quilere;
Leave your spoon in your bowl;
Ne tant ne le chargez pas
Nor should you fill it so much
Ke partie chese sur vos dras;
That some spills onto your clothes:
Cil est tenu por enfant
He who stains his clothes while eating
Ke ces dras degoute en mangant.
Is thought of as a child by others.
Ne ta quilere puet servir
Nor is it proper for your spoon
A deu compaignons a pleysir.
To be used by two people.
Apres que mange en avez,
After you have eaten from it,
Sur la nape ta quilere suez.
Dry your spoon on the tablecloth.
Gardez que supes ne facez
Be sure not to take sips
En autri beyvre sanz congez,
From another drink without permission,
Ne viande demandez,
Nor to ask for meat;
The original text is taken from H. R. Parsons, ‘Anglo-Norman Books of Courtesy and Nurture’, PMLA, 44
(1929), pp.383-455.
2 This translation is the product of a trial of The Medieval Texts Translation Project. It is not for
commercial use. If you wish to use the translation please contact: [email protected].
Credit must be given to the The Medieval Texts Translation Project and the named translators involved in
this text. For more information, see https://medievaltexttranslations.wordpress.com/. Translators include
Edward Mills, Ségolène Gence, S. C. Kaplan, Fiona E. Whelan, and many other anonymous contributors.
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Mes ce que trovez, si le pernez.
But you may take that which you find.
Et de beivre ben vous paiez
And in drinking well should you pay
Tel cum vous dorra li botiliers;
The butlers, as you ought to do;
Ne autri table ne blamez
Nor should you speak ill of other tables
Les mangers que vous troverez,
Or of the food you come across;
Car vilanie est de blamer
For it is villainous to speak ill
Et cele chose pus manger.
And this may come back to bite you.
Ne ne devez encliner;
Nor should you slouch;
Tut droit subseez cum affeitez.
You should sit upright like well-mannered people.
Entur toi trop n'engardez,
Do not stare at what is around you;
Ke vos deis en broe ne lessez,
Do not leave your fingers dirty,
Ne l'esquele dont vous mangez
Nor should you wipe the plate that you are eating
De lesche de pain n'ensuez.
From with a slice of bread.
Vers ton seignur u ta dame
To quarrel with your lord or lady
Tei estriver si est blame,
Is truly a misdeed;
U envers eus escracher
To behave angrily towards them
Vilanie est, ou nes muscher.
Is boorish, as is blowing your nose.
A tes enfanz que sont petis
Do not give your small children
Ne donez beaus dras, si me creez,
Beautiful clothes, believe me,
Kar il ne les sevent garder
For they do not know how to wear them
Sanz seulleur ne sanz decirer.
Without soiling or tearing them.
Vos enfanz petis affaitez.
Train your small children.
Curtoysie leur apernez,
Teach them courtesy;
A la fiez les bates
Beat them sometimes
E par parole les chastiez.
And chastise them by your words.
A manger juer de cotel
Playing with the knife and the spoon
E de quilere n'est pas bel,
While eating is not courteous.
Ne vos deis pas escouez
And do not shake off your fingers
Utre l'esquele dont vous mangez.
Above the dish you are eating from.
Pain et char assez trenchez,
Cut enough bread and meat,
Mes trop grant morseus ne facez,
But do not make overly large pieces,
Mes menement, si me creez,
But moderately, take my word for it,
Les morseus mult bien trenchez,
Cut the pieces well,
E devant ton compaignoun les mettez,
And put them before your companion,
E pus ovec lui mangez.
And then eat with him.
Sur un trenchour les mettez,
Si tu veuz fere beaus morseus
Put them on a trencher,
If you want to make sensible morsels
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A long trenchez de cotels,
With long cuts of the knife,
E pus le cotel bel assuez,
And then wipe well the knife
Ke il ne soit de la char enbruez.
So that it is not stained by the meat.
Chaud pain devez depescer;
Warm bread should be broken;
Char de lievre ne devez trenchier,
Hare meat should not be carved,
Ne de aignel ne de conin,
Nor lamb nor rabbit,
Ne char fresche de purcelin.
Nor the young meat of pig.
Ne devez tes dens espelucher
You should not pick your teeth
De festu al manger,
With a straw at the table;
Mes si grant mestier en avez,
But if you have a great need to do so,
De la nape les essuez.
Wipe them with a napkin.
A vostre compaignon vous profrez
Offer to your companion
De vituban, si vous le avez,
toothpicks, if you have them,
Pur les dens espelucher;
For them to pick their teeth;
Par reson gre vous deit saver.
For pleasing reasons, you must know this.
Et de manger vous en gardez
And while eating keep an eye on
Tant cor boit ou ki vous mangez,
How much you drink and eat,
Ne trop sovent dire wassail
Do not say ‘Waissail’ too often
Saunz comandement, de mon consail,
Without permission, by my advice,
Ne trop aforcer de parler
Do not strive to talk too much
Tant cor en ta bouche est manger.
While you are also using your mouth to eat.
En ta bouche petis morseus metez,
Place small pieces in your mouth,
Kar sachez, quant vous mangez
Since, you know (that), when you eat
E ta viande bien maschiez,
And chew your food well,
Si trop grant morsel pernez,
If you take too large a morsel
Si vous soiet aresoné,
And you happen to be spoken to
De parole serrez desturbé.
You will struggle to speak.
A tout ne a moyte, gardez
Mind that you do not, in any way, drink
En nule manere ne bevez,
All or half of it at once,
Mes bevez entemprement,
But drink moderately,
Kar ceo est afaitement.
Indeed that is good manners.
Kant le porcel est vous offert,
When a portion is offered to you,
Tun sac seit meintenant overte
May your bag be immediately opened
Par aventure vous repenterez
For you risk regretting it later
Si vous reffusez en atendez.
If you refuse while waiting.
Si vous avez dun doné,
If you have given a gift,
Jamés ne soit reprové,
It should never be insulted,
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Et si vous avez dun receu,
And if you have received a gift,
Bien le remembrez, ce est vertue.
Remember it well, for that is a virtue.
Si seignour ou ton compaignoun
If your lord or your companion
Vous die rien en confessioun,
Says anything to you in confession,
Ben le celez, si frez cum sage,
Keep it well hidden, thus you will act wisely,
Kar ceo est manere de bon corage.
Because this is the appearance of good intentions.
Quant vous ceez au manger,
When you sit down to eat.
Ne vous acotez a oriler,
Do not rest your elbows on a pillow,
S'il ne soit pur maladie,
If not for the purpose of illness,
Kar sachez que ce est vilanie.
Since you know that is rudeness.
Cum devant ai dit, ne devez acoter
As I said before, you should not lean your elbows
A autri table au manger,
On another’s eating table
Mes a la vostre bien poez;
But you certainly can on your own;
Vous avez poer, si vous volez.
You have the authority, if you wish to.
Une autre chose vous voil aprendre;
I want to teach you something else;
Ne soiez trop hastif le hanap prendre,
Don’t be too hasty to take the glass,
Ne trop longes ne Ie tenez,
Nor hold it too long,
Ne trop utre ne parlez.
Nor continue to speak.
Si ton hoste, ceo sachez,
If your host, know this,
Vous dit: "Bel amy, bevez,"
Says to you, “Good friend, drink,”
Ceo qu'il dit, ceo facez.
So as he says, so shall you do.
A autre de lui le hanap bailez,
Hand over the glass to someone else
Se il ne die: "A moy bevez,"
If he doesn’t say, “Drink to me”.
E si il offre ou beau semblant,
And if he offers courteously
Dire ne devez: "Bevez avant."
You should not say: “You drink first.”
Si rien vous conte, bien l'escotez,
If he tells you something, listen carefully to him,
En oiant en pes seez;
While listening, be quiet
E si respondre en devez,
And if you must reply
Chef et meins en pes tenez.
Keep your head and hands still.
Coment pout cil respondre
How can he respond
Ke de cel vice ne se put defendre?
Who cannot defend himself from such a vice?
Leez ton seignour ne soiez mie
Do not sit alongside you lord
S'il ne te comande; ce est curteisye.
Unless he commands you; this is courtesy.
E si par aventure leez lui seez,
And if by chance you are seated next to him,
Kan il leve, si levez.
When he rises, you should stand up too.
Estrange ne devez aresoner
You should not talk too much with a stranger,
Au comencement del manger,
At the beginning of a meal.
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Ne trop de noveles lui demandez,
And do not ask him too many questions,
K'il ne ert de manger desturbez.
you will keep him from his dinner.
Apres manger, si vous volez,
If you like, you can ask after dinner,
Aventure et noveles demandez,
what has been happening and what the news is,
E sil respoyne curteisement
And if he should reply politely
E nent ne mente a escient.
And not at all lie purposely.
Ou a aser ou a lever
Either sit down or stand up
Wardez que ja ne seez per;
Refrain from both sitting and rising;
En une main ja fu ne portez,
Do not hold fire in one hand,
N'en l'autre eaue, si vous me creez.
And in the other water, if you believe me.3
Le manger devant ton seignour mys
While eating before your landed lord,
Doner ne devez, ne fere amys.
If you do not give, you will not make a friend.
Ta table ne devez a null veer,
You should not refuse anyone from your table,
Ne tes viandes propres loer.
Nor praise your own food.
L'enfant touz jours doute fu
The child should fear fire every day
Ke par arson l'ad un fez sentu.
from having been burnt just once.
Li fous put estre deceu sovent,
The fool can often be deceived,
Li sage par un fous touzjours le sent.
The wise man suffers only once.
Vous devez rire en bele manere,
You should laugh in a goodly fashion,
Ou douce semblant, ou bel chere;
And appear sweet, with a handsome expression.
Ne devez pas trop degetter,
You should not fidget too much
Ne de bouche trop eschiver.
Nor let your mouth grimace.
Si vos enfanz nurir voilez,
If you want to nourish your children,
Les fors beyvres leur atemprez,
Water down strong drinks for them,
Kar autrement les hoynerez;
Because otherwise you will have to scold them;
Les sens enfeblist et les pis,
It enfeebles the senses and the feet,4
E les sages fet forsaniz;
And makes wise men commit foolishness;
Mult i a folie en yvresse.
There are many foolish errors in drunkenness.
Ton hoste en sa meson
It is not right to contradict your
Contredire n'est pas reson
host in his own home.
Son comandement par dreiture,
Obey his rightful commandments,
Nunt pas ce que passe mesure.
But not that which is excessive.
Si vous par kas sur bank seez,
If you have to sit on a bench,
Le bank de talon ne batez.
Do not bang on the bench with your heel.
Leez les enfanz vous devez ser,
You should sit next to the children,
i.e. sit or stand, but do not sit on the fence.
i.e. causes mental and physical drunkenness.
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Tant corn vous estez leur per.
As if you were their peer.
Quant jeuenes estez et poy savez,
When you are young and know little,
Ou les juvencel seez.
Sit with other young men.
Quant vous serrez de grant age,
When you are of a great age,
Ou le viel seez et ou le sage.
Sit with other old and wise men.
Bien poez par dreiture
You certainly have the right
Avant manger lascher vostre seynture.
To loosen your belt before eating.
Qui est yveroyne et taverners,
He who is a drunkard and a tavern-goer
Tost avra gaste ses deners.
Will have soon wasted his money.
Si ou tes compaignouns juez,
If you are playing a game with your friends,
Gardez que vous ne les blessez,
Make sure you do not hurt them,
Ne cil qui ne volt ou tei juer,
Nor, if some do not wish to play with you,
Vous ne le devez aforcer.
Should you force them to do so.
Si vous avez grant baillie,
If you have great power,
Des losengers n'amez mie,
Do not entertain flatterers
Ke bel semblant font devant la gent;
Who put on a good show before others,
Derere poynent cum serpent.
Behind your back, they sting like serpents.
A ton seignour ne contez mie
Do not tell your lord any tales
De ton compaignoun vilanie,
Of your companion’s villany,
S'il ne tome a deshonour
If no dishonour nor detriment
E a damage ton seignour.
Should befall your Lord.