Chaucerian Translation

Corona Del Diablo contains a lot of Middle English.  Most of which is cod I guess but as an exercise it was interesting.  However, since it suffers badly from gross obscurantism I deemed it useful to explain myself here stanza by stanza, albeit partially:

In ard of the bert and the strawbery-wyse

In the gairding of plesaunt hauene.  Liese

Disclaundre figure-wronged clepyng, leuen

The meyre losengere to poraille umhillen.

His fallyng helle mu, he-arme georran no wider wardes

Wowen confessor no one mester.  His sheppendes

Belt azeode of al-Andalus.  Wel dede neuer

Sed this derk aungel lifes todie auere!

In Madrid's Buen Retiro Park there is a statue of Satan, the only one in the world.  He is screaming, although no-one hears; but his existence, which is set in stone, means that he is alive as anything else is which can be represented.

The neynd rynge his stalle liuien from quhyle waken.

Hir aness uair now is foule quod, “blesseth hir al solne taken.”

And Laocoön quod, “carefullich of walshe and hir sonde.”

Then trien lugen this devel to thral and bonde,

To Helle wel atake and yet baundoun sets hir bi-tellen

Undeedli hir adlen bythought hir dwellyng.

And Judecca namoore mithen this mixe

As formes make wol alle men azankes swiche.

Lacoon achieved a level of success taking this devil down to the deepest well, an idea repeated in The Inferno but all men are capable of disguise and deception where their true nature is covert and converted.

In the cynope wike of gret hous venus riseth

In wrigteleslike stewe and schamefastnesse feith.

In oother wro, a renk with segge bely-naked semely

A gladiator repellens blazen Sackvile-West and duyti.

Neither can swiche sexe, unyliche Orlando, cors in stone

Certes quyk, Shoures soote as alle men azriuen.

Yet azer two semen, in discipline fast,

Ful feiydegful to monesten tai last.

In the entrance to Knole House in Sevenoaks there are two other statues: a gladiator and a young maiden bathing.  They have been set such that neither gaze falls on each other therefore lustful feelings cannot rise.  They will remain resolute and chaste.

So in Seouenaca oure tale doth certes wexen.

In Knole dede Tereus foule dede execucioun.

On-come Philomel lowe to naked lykhame burde.

Slaueren with luste hym lecchour entente.

This somnour comnen and crepen through contree.

Spieth her ars and her secrenesse wopne.

Hym fuluste and hym moost in rase.

Rapeliche in a randoun atake chaste.

As part of the plot Terry King sees Philomena at her toilet having being 'caught short.'

Hire laytin lady, wlite in dark after sonne, quod,

Ful semely aposen, “Nou goth soone under wode?”

Mawe twichand at agrounde herberwe

Awayward, ablenden her bisynesse privetee.

Bi-standen Kyng gropien virginal chaste

“My ioly body,” yarme Philomel.  “Thou! Thee!”

Stoure and a strangeled by Kyng, the beest devel.

Holden her crul heer and fille her purs with wlatsome ale.

She returns to her botanical studies but he attacks her, raping her - an obvious continuation of the Philomena Myth.

Ferforth hir stokess hir kisse an her bare buttokes

Bleuen her biwepen, wo la wo, wrong lyves.

“Fader,” she cries drenchen in teares stonge

“Namoore daliance, namoore … falt mi tunge.”

In hoker of losengerye Giovanna Baccelli

Her ars toft naked and her sanyt a−liri.

Her lyves worne and soule greve, O faire Philomel.

The feend ycrepen, as to Phionissa dide Samuel.

Upon culmination he places one last degrading kiss on her exposed bottom.  She, once again as per the myth, loses her voice.  Finally, there is in Knole House a statue of Giovanna Baccelli who is in a similar pose to Philomena.

Philomena becomes as a statue.