[Ads-l] Every fool is not a poet =?UTF-8?Q?=E2=80=93_?=French translation request

[Tim Stewart]

Introductory phrase:

It is said about the poet Theophilus
that he was once at the house of a great lord
where there was a man who was said to be a fool,
and thus a poet.
And Theophilus devised this impromptu verse.

Here's a rather free translation of the quatrain:

Let me tell you:
All poets are fools.
But having met you, I have to add:
Not all fools are poets.

Here's a stricter translation of the quatrain:

I avow to you
That all poets are fools;
But having to come to know you,
Not all fools are poets.

Tim "high school French plus Google" Stewart



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Read excerpts from the forthcoming *Dictionary of Christianese
<http://www.dictionaryofchristianese.com/>*


On Wed, Nov 2, 2016 at 2:55 PM, ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com
> wrote:

> References such as the "Oxford Dictionary of Humorous Quotations" and
> "The Yale Book of Quotations" list the following poem under Alexander
> Pope's name:
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> Sir, I admit your gen’ral rule
> That every poet is a fool:
> But you yourself may serve to show it,
> That every fool is not a poet.
> ‘"Epigram from the French" (1732)
> [End excerpt]
>
> Here is an earlier instance in French ascribed to "Theophile". Perhaps
> the referent was Théophile de Viau who died much earlier in 1626.
>
> [ref] 1715, Le Passe-Tems Agreable, ou Noveaux Choix de Bons-Mots, de
> Pensees Ingenieuses, de Rencontres Plaisantes, Third Edition, Quote
> Page 267, Jean Hofhout, Rotterdam. (Google Books Full View) link
> [/ref]
>
> https://books.google.com/books?id=4Q8QsYJ9_oAC&q=%22fous+ne%22#v=snippet&
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> On rapporte du Poête Theophile,
> qu étant allé chez un grand Seigneur, il y avoit
> un homme qu'on disoit fou, & par conséquent
> Poête, & que Théophile fit cèt inpromptu.
>
> J'Avoûera avec vous
> Que tous les Poëtes sont fous;
> Mais sachant ce que vous êtes,
> Tous les fous ne sont pas Poëtes.
> [End excerpt]
>
> If you wish to be helpful please share a translation of the passage
> above. I am particularly interested in the introductory words. Follow
> the link to see the original page image. The spelling is odd.
>
> Thanks, Garson
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org