Queen and Duchess
Queen and Duchess
|
| śLa mort
Noble royne de beau corsaige
Gente et ioyeuse a laduenant
Iay de par le grant maistre charge
De vous en mener maintenant.
Et comme bien chose aduenant.
Ceste danse commenceres
Faictes deuoir au remenant
Vous qui viuez ainsi feres
śLa royne
Ceste danse mest bien nouuelle
Et en ay le cueur bien surprins
He dieu: quelle dure nouuelle
A gens qui ne lont pas aprins
Las en la mort est tout comprins
Royne. dame. grant ou petite
Les plus grans sont les premiers prins
Contre la mort na point de fuyte
|
The original mural in St. Innocents cemetery
had 30 male dancers.
In Guy Marchant's book from 1486, Miroer Salutaire,
the dance was expanded with ten more male participants
and a new series of female dancers: 34 women, although there was only a woodcut of the queen and duchess,
viz. the picture above.
There is a linguistic finesse in that the men have had a dialogue with "le mort",
meaning the dead man, whereas the women now have their dialogue with "la morte" i.e. the dead woman.
The text to the left says "La mort" without the final "e" because it's quoted from the 1491-edition
(see the next page).
Whether "le mort", "la morte" or "la mort", the above picture doesn't portray Death as particularly feminine.
In the woodcuts that were added in 1491 (see the following pages) the cadavers have long, stringy hair.
| śLa mort
Apres ma dame la duchesse
Vous vien querir et pourchasser
Ne pensez plus a la richesse
A biens ne ioyaulx amasser
Auiourduy vous fault trespasser
Pourquoy de vostre vie est fait
Folie est de tant embrasser
On nemporte que le bienfait
śLa duchesse.
Ie nay pas encore trente ans
Helas: a leure que commence
A scauoir que cest de bon temps
Mort me vient tollir ma plaisance
Iay des amis: et grant cheuance
Soulas. esbas. gens a deuis
Pourquoy moins me plait ceste danse
Gens aises si meurent enuis
|
Various Artists
Dances of death
Danse macabre
Women
Queen and duchess
