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

Wed Nov 23 23:45:23 UTC 2016

The Quote Investigator website now has an entry on this topic:

You Yourself May Serve To Show It, That Every Fool Is Not a Poet
http://quoteinvestigator.com/2016/11/23/fool-poet/

The prefatory words to the translation state:

[Begin excerpt]
Here is one possible English translation. The term “fous” has been
rendered as “fools”, although “lunatics” is also possible:
[End excerpt]

The acknowledgement included:

[Begin acknowledgement excerpt]
Special thanks to S. M. Colowick, Tim Stewart, Margaret Winters, and
Laurence Horn for their French translation knowledge. Any errors are
the responsibility of QI.
[End acknowledgement excerpt]

Garson

On Sun, Nov 6, 2016 at 6:11 PM, ADSGarson O'Toole
<adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:
> Intriguing. Thanks for sharing your valuable insight, Margaret.
> Garson
>
> On Sun, Nov 6, 2016 at 6:01 PM, Margaret Winters <mewinters at wayne.edu> wrote:
>> The one suggestion I'd make is that fou means 'mad', so all poets are mad but not all madmen are poets.  I've been traveling, hence my delay in throwing in my $.02.
>>
>>
>> best,
>>
>> Margaret
>>
>>
>> ----------------------------
>> MARGARET E WINTERS
>> On Leave
>> Office of the Provost
>> Wayne State University
>> Detroit, MI  48202
>>
>> mewinters at wayne.edu
>>
>>
>>
>> ________________________________
>> From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
>> Sent: Thursday, November 3, 2016 11:06 AM
>> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>> Subject: Re: Every fool is not a poet – French translation request
>>
>> Thanks for sharing your translation, Tim.
>> Garson
>>
>> On Wed, Nov 2, 2016 at 4:27 PM, Tim Stewart
>> <timoteostewart1977 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> Sorry, typo in the strict translation:
>>>
>>> Where it says:
>>>
>>> But having to come to know you,
>>>
>>>
>>> Please delete the first "to"
>>>
>>>
>>> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
>>> - - - - - - - - - - -
>>> Read excerpts from the forthcoming *Dictionary of Christianese
>>> <http://www.dictionaryofchristianese.com/>*
>> Dictionary of Christianese<http://www.dictionaryofchristianese.com/>
>> www.dictionaryofchristianese.com
>> The Dictionary of Christianese explains Christianese (i.e., church slang) so that anybody can understand it.
>>
>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Wed, Nov 2, 2016 at 3:25 PM, Tim Stewart <timoteostewart1977 at gmail.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> 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
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
>>>> - - - - - - - - - - - -
>>>> Read excerpts from the forthcoming *Dictionary of Christianese
>>>> <http://www.dictionaryofchristianese.com/>*
>> Dictionary of Christianese<http://www.dictionaryofchristianese.com/>
>> www.dictionaryofchristianese.com
>> The Dictionary of Christianese explains Christianese (i.e., church slang) so that anybody can understand it.
>>
>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> 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
>> American Dialect Society<http://www.americandialect.org/>
>> www.americandialect.org
>> The American Dialect Society, founded in 1889, is dedicated to the study of the English language in North America, and of other languages, or dialects of other ...
>>
>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>> American Dialect Society<http://www.americandialect.org/>
>> www.americandialect.org
>> The American Dialect Society, founded in 1889, is dedicated to the study of the English language in North America, and of other languages, or dialects of other ...
>>
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>> American Dialect Society<http://www.americandialect.org/>
>> www.americandialect.org
>> The American Dialect Society, founded in 1889, is dedicated to the study of the English language in North America, and of other languages, or dialects of other ...
>>
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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