Val de Vire. Jean le Houx (1551-1616). Vire. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, ed. 1876-79. Poems of Places: An Anthology in 31 Volumes. France: Vols. IX-X

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Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, ed. Poems of Places: An Anthology in 31 Volumes.
France: Vols. IX–X. 1876–79.

Vire

Val de Vire

Jean le Houx (1551–1616)


Translated by James Patrick Muirhead SONG, wine, mirth, in olden days
Did our fathers cheer;
Basselin unwritten lays
Improvised by ear;
Vocal stanzas, very sweet,	5
Which they ever since repeat
In the Val de Vire,
O gay!
In the Val de Vire.

Cradled there, of yore, in sedge,	10
Was old Vaudevire;
Born beside the water’s edge,—
Cruel tale to hear!
But he all the better trolled
Love that ’s young, and wine that ’s old,	15
In the Val de Vire,
O gay!
In the Val de Vire.

With an artful fancy born,
Self-willed child was he;	20
He resolved to go, one morn,
Paris town to see;
He left off his Norman name,
One of noble rank to claim,
Maître Vaudeville,	25
O gay!
Maître Vaudeville.

There he of satiric sport
Caught the taste and style;
His fine talent town and court	30
Often would beguile,
And, with sharply pointed wit,
Frondeurs, Mazarins, would hit:
That good Vaudeville,
O gay!	35
That good Vaudeville.

Next the great King’s feats employ
His song’s plastic mould;
La Vallière and Villeroy,
Love and Fame he told;	40
All that stately age went past,
His peruke there dancing fast
To wine-music old,
O gay!
To wine-music old.	45

In La Pompadour’s sunshine,
Fashioned in her school,
France, of joy, and love, and wine,
Frantic, served the rule;
He, beneath the lively sway	50
Of the volatile Collé,
Played in song the fool,
O gay!
Played in song the fool.

But at Paris the grand thing	55
Is dramatic wit:
Going on the stage to sing,
He made quite a hit;
And, not fearing hiss or groan,
Stanzas in unfaltering tone	60
Spouted to a pit,
O gay!
Spouted to a pit.

All the theatre he had
Was La Foire awhile;	65
All the audience, folks glad
Just to drink and smile:
With Panard, in frankest ways,
He sang rustic roundelays,
Aping no fine style,	70
O gay!
Aping no fine style.

When a theatre his name
Owned, in times of late,
He retained his tone the same,	75
And changed not his state:
With Merle and Desaugiers,
And a host as good as they,
Quite regenerate,
O gay!	80
Quite regenerate.

True to early days, he trolled
Songs of love and fame,—
Sang of wines of vintage old,
And Love’s youngest flame.	85
To his deft Horatian stave
Violins sweet music gave,
Cruel girls to shame,
O gay!
Cruel girls to shame.	90

But at length did Scribe appear;
Master-mind was he
Higher the stage-tone to rear,
Erst too light and free.
On the next page you will learn	95
How he gave a novel turn
To old Vaudeville,
O gay!
To old Vaudeville.

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