Ci-gît

Old French is alive and well in a few Modern French contexts.  It is also alive in St. Martinville, Paroisse St. Martin, en Louisiane!  Ci-gît, here lies, from the verb gésir, on gravestones by l’église de St. Martin de Tours. Click on the photos to enlarge.

Narcisse

To get the ball rolling anew here at the FOOF blog, I present you with choice quotes from the Old French 12th century retelling of Narcisse.

Se maus l’en vient ne m’en mervel.

If evil comes to him I am not surprised. (line 2, nb: anacoluthon)

 

Speaking of Nature, créatrice de Narcisse:

Et a grant painne le pot faire

Tant com el en ot devisé

And was able to accomplish it

Just as she had conceived of him (lines 66-67)

 

On the consistent nature of Narcissus’ beauty:

Tés au soir con au matin.

Such he appears in the evening as in the morning. (line 104)

 

And the loose (joke) translation of this section:

Et par la face qui ot painte

Une color qui pas n’est fainte

These colors don’t run! (line 99-100)

Bienvenue!

Welcome to the blog of the resident Old French translating group au sein du Department of French and Italian at Tulane University.  Our proper title is Friends of Old French, however, we often answer to FOOF.  This blog seeks to share with past FOOFers and the Old French-inclined our weekly discoveries, etymological ou autre.