BALLAD OF GOOD DOCTRINE: Poetry, by François Villon

BALLAD OF GOOD DOCTRINE

Whether the bubbles around you bring, you are or who cheat cheat at dice, coiner of money, and you’ll burn like those that are blanched, cowardly perjury, faithless. You steal, take, perform robberies: where does the fruit, do not see it? All the taverns and the whores. Make rhymes’s wit, strumming, playing harpsichord and lute, abject fool. Make jokes and shenanigans, fife sings. In cities and towns go and play games and farces and morality. Win skittles, cards, to what end? So much! listen, then leaves everything to taverns and whores. You the discards such filth? Go to the fields and meadows to plow and harvest, care and governs horses and mules, if in any way do not know letters. If you settle, to live is given to you. But if curries hemp, finally, not by the job you sweat, all the taverns and the whores? And trousers, dresses, jackets precious, all your rags, at the end, before doing worse, bring everything to taverns and whores.

(François Villon)

http://www.amazon.com/Poems-Fran%C3%A7ois-Villon/dp/0810128780

http://www.amazon.it/Fran%C3%A7ois-Villon-Poesie-originale-fronte/dp/880782129X