Regent and Knight's Wife
Regent and Knight's Wife
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| śLa mort
Or ca ma dame la regente
Qui auez renom de bien dire
De danser: fringuer: estre gente
Sur toutes quon scauroit eslire
Vous soliez autres faire rire
Festier gens et ralier:
Or est il temps de vous reduire
La mort fait trestout oublier
śLa regente
Quant me souuient des tabourins
Nopces: festes: harpes: trompetes:
Menestrelx: doulcines: clarins:
Et des grans cheres que iay faictes
Ie congnois que telz entrefaictes
En temps de mort nont point de lieu
Mais tournent en poures emplaites
Tout se passe fors aymer dieu
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In his book from 1486 Guy Marchant expanded the dance
with a new series of female dancers: 34 women, of which only the queen and countess were illustrated.
In 1491 he published the Danse macabre des femmes separately, where the row of women
was expanded with the bigot woman and the female fool.
The corpse is no longer "le Mort" or "la Morte",
but "la Mort", i.e. Death incarnate.
In spite of this the new images show a female trait for all the corpses,
viz. the long, jutting stands of hair.
It's not very clear what "la regente" is supposed to govern / rule over.
A 'regent' could be the king's wife who has taken over governance of the country, while
the king is absent, for instance Catherine of Aragon served as a regent of England for
six months in 1513, while Henry VIII was in France.
A good candidate might have been Anne of France (or Anne de Beaujeu), who was a regent for her younger brother Charles VIII of France
between 1483 and 1491
during his minority, but this is slightly too late, since we have manuscripts older than this.
According to the conversation, this regent's duties have rather been that of a hostess at great parties.
| śLa mort
Gentille femme de cheualier
Que tant aymes deduit et chasse
Les engins vous fault habiller
Et suyure le train de ma trasse
Cest bien chasse quant on pourchasse
Chose a son ame meritoire
Car au derrain mort tout enchasse
Ceste vie est moult transitoire
śLa femme du cheualier
Pas si tost mourir ne cuidoye
Et comment dea: ie souppe hier
Sur lerbe verte a la saulsoye
Ou fis mon espreuier gayer
En riens plus ne se fault fier
Et quest ce des fais de ce monde
Huy rire demain lermoyer
La fin de ioye en dueil redonde
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Various Artists
Dances of death
Danse macabre
Women
Regent and knight's wife
