Conlang: Re: Cox (was: News about Futurese) (Joe, Aug 13 '02, 21:41)

> Adrian Morgan writes: > > Jan van Steenbergen wrote: > > > > > Reminds me of this nice piece of Middle English poetry: > > > > > > I HAVE A NOBLE COCK, he crows at break of day. > > > He makes me rise up early - my prayers for to say. > > > I HAVE A NOBLE COCK, the finest rooster yet. > > > His comb is of red coral. His tail - black as jet. > > > I HAVE A NOBLE COCK, he is a child of nature. > > > And when he sticks his neck out, and sings, it's quite a feature. > > > I HAVE A NOBLE COCK, his eyes can grow like amber. > > > And every night he perches in my lady's chamber! > > > > Actually I thought of the old limerick: "There was a (forgotten) / > > who had a remarkable ass. / 'Twas not rounded and pink / as you > > probably think / 'twas grey, had long ears and ate grass". > > > > I know of at least one example of the same sense of humour going > > back to the first millennium ... I'm thinking of the riddle about > > onions quoted in the book "The Year 1000" (I don't have the book > > - I have the cassette edition - but someone here almost certainly > > knows it). > > > > Well, I don't have that book, but I may have the same riddle. In the > book _The Anglo-Saxon World: An Anthology_ there's a chapter with 31 > riddles taken from the _Exeter Book_, bequeathed to the library of > that cathedral in 1072. Two of those given are "witty and obscene > double entendres", with an obvious obscene meaning and a less obvious > non-obscene meaning. I reproduce these two below. I've put the > solutions at the bottom, with enough space that they shouldn't show up > on anyone's screen before they get a chance to guess at the > non-obscene answer. > > (These are translations into Modern English, of course) > > 1 > > |I'm a strange creature, for I satisfy women, > |a service to the neighbours! No one suffers > |at my hands except my slayer. > |I grow very tall, erect in a bed, > |I'm hairy underneath. From time to time > |a beautiful girl, the brave daughter > |of some churl dares to hold me, > |grips my russet skin, robs me of my head > |and puts me in the pantry. At once that girl > |with plaited hair who has confined me > |remembers our meeting. Her eye moistens. > > 2 > > |A young man made for the corner > |where he knew she was standing; this strapping churl > |had walked some way - with his own hands > |he whipped up her dress, and under her girdle > |(as she stood there) thrust something stiff, > |worked his will; they both shook. > |This fellow quickened: one moment he was forceful, > |a first-rate servant, so strenuous > |that the next he was knocked up, quite > |blown by his exertion. Beneath the girdle > |a thing began to grow that upstanding men > |often think of, tenderly, and acquire.

From:	Joe <joe@...>
Date:	Tuesday, August 13, 2002, 21:41