The two ballades following are printed in
Appendix A of Timothy Husband, The Wild Man. Medieval Myth and Symbolism
(The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1980); and they are discussed by the
author on pp.130-131, to explain the iconography of four loose-leaf
illuminations of the 15th century depicting the four conditions of society: the
poor, the working, the noble, and the wild man. (Husband reproduces in color
the illumination of the wild man and his family, and, in black and white, the
illuminations of the poor, the working, and the noble, colorplate X, fig. 80,
fig. 81, and fig.82.; H G-G has slides of these illuminations.) Husband points
out that the ballades are found in a manuscript fragment, of four folios only,
dating from 1500 or so, and now in the Bibliotehque Nationale, Paris (Ms. fr.
2374.) On the opening folio is a pen and ink drawing of the craftsman at his
woodworking bench, similar to the loose-leaf illumination of "the
working", which is accompanied by a 28 line poem entitled "le
travail" (translation below). Another pen and ink drawing on folio 3 verso
depicts a family of wild folk, again similar to the loose-leaf illumination of
"the wild man", and it is also accompanied by a ballade of four
stanzas of 8 lines each, followed by a stanza of four lines and a tag couplet.
The ballades, the two drawings to which they are attached, and the four
loose-leaf illuminations of "the four conditions of society" appear
to be statements of social disillusionment.
I have seen what fortune is
Which gives men riches or poverty.
I have seen some in timely triumph,
In worldly happiness and prosperity,
I have also seen men in great misery,
Those who live without a single joy;
But as I have come to know it all,
There is none better than the middle way.
I have seen men live without misfortune
Respected, honored, and acclaimed.
I have also seen men without power
Fall to dependence on charity.
I have seen the overlords of great cities,
I have also seen those plagued by distress.
But, to tell the truth,
There is none better than the middle way.
As for me I have no envy and bear no grudge,
I find my happiness in my trade.
Great houses I have not a single one,
No riches have I inherited.
I work out of necessity,
My wife spins, and so God provides for us
And by these means we live an honest life.
There is none better than the middle way.
So, lords, take heed of what I say,
The more one spends, the more one needs.
And so, to live truly equitably,
There is none better than the middle way.
I live according to what Nature has taught me--
Free from worry, always joyously.
For mighty castles, grand palaces I do not care.
In a hollow tree I make my home.
I do not delight in fancy food
Or in strong drink.
I live upon fresh fruit alone,
And so I have, thank God, enough.
I drink clear water, fresh and pure,
Just when I'm thirsty, never otherwise.
I amuse myself by day and when night falls
I quite wisely eat my evening meal.
So I have no cause to fear
That anyone would do me harm, since I have
wronged
Not a single creature under heaven.
And because of that, I have, thank God, enough.
I have no need for fancy clothes.
My hairy coat protects me well enough
So that I fear neither heat nor cold.
I don't want to sleep in a soft bed,
Because I learned all during childhood
To lie down simply in a patch of grass.
And so I have, thank God, enough.
When the weather turns to rain
And the wind blows hard
I tell myself it can't go on
To long like this,
And thus I rise above it.
I comfort myself and live in hope
That soon the sun will shine again,
And because of that, I have, thank God, enough.
Prince, what good is it to live so proudly
And to plunder just to lead a pompous life,
When at the moment of one's death
A shroud alone will be enough.
Nature gero modum respice
Paucis (..?..) nes que contentata est.