Mors de la Pomme, Young woman

Young woman

Zimmern, handwriting from 1520.

Emmetten: Noblewoman

The two last lines of the chambermaid's speech and the Latin quote are missing in BnF Français 17001 and have been taken from the Ambrosiana-manuscript.

Mirrors were a popular metaphor in the Middle Ages (e.g.: Le miroir des dames et damoiselles and Miroer Salutaire).

It was equally popular in the dances of death, where Death shows the (vain) women what will happen to their beauty.

Death

Take a good look in the mirror and you will see
what your beautiful face will be.
As I am you will become,
360 because so must he face himself.

Once again we have an "equivocal rhyme", where "face" (a face) rhymes with "face" (to face), It is not clear, who "he" is that must face himself. Maybe it's every man?

Young woman
La mort Mirez vous bien et vous verrez Quele sera vo belle face Teles que je suys deuenrez 360 Car ainsi fault il quil se face Homo vanitati similis factus est La demoyselle Je suys dolante et esperdue Quant en moy morant je regarde Ma beaute qui sera perdue 364 Las! hemy! trop pou y preng garde Domine in voluntate tua prestitisti decori meo virtutem La chambriere Ce miroir cy est exemplaire A tout homme qui est mortel [Bien peut pourfiter et sans plaire] 368 [A chil ky pense estre mort tel.] [Et defecerunt in vanitate dies eorum]

Young woman

La mort

Mirez vous bien et vous verrez
Quele sera vo belle face
Teles que je suys deuenrez
360 Car ainsi fault il quil se face
Homo vanitati similis factus est

La demoyselle

Je suys dolante et esperdue
Quant en moy morant je regarde
Ma beaute qui sera perdue
364 Las! hemy! trop pou y preng garde
Domine in voluntate tua prestitisti decori meo virtutem

La chambriere

Ce miroir cy est exemplaire
A tout homme qui est mortel
[Bien peut pourfiter et sans plaire]
368 [A chil ky pense estre mort tel.]
[Et defecerunt in vanitate dies eorum]