A story about how everyone just wants to go to the party.
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Al hayl myn frende. Dinen gan.
What now, alle. Dinen gan
Whi nat ete?
Heren Osbert, whi nat ete?
Mmm!
I eate, y fayth!
Gode, gode!
I eate, y fayth!
Gode, gode!
Henne! What how!
In myn stomak!
Feste, feste. O! in myn stomak.
Chese! What how!
In myne stomak!
Feste, feste. O! in myn stomak.
Jus! What how!
In myn stomak!
What how!
þis feste is ine myne stomak.
So gode, so gode.
Now, þis feste is ine myne stomak.
So gode, so gode, gode.
Al hayl! þis feste is ine myne stomak.
So gode, so gode.
Now, þis feste is ine myne stomak.
So gode, so gode, gode.
Good, good.
Welylawey!
Cryestow?
We wod mak feste in thyn stomak,
thilke feste in thyn stomak
Mores wolde festen in myn stomak?
Yis!
O! Grene benes wolde festen in myn stomak?
Yis!
A ye! Wenden doun!
Mores! Al hayl!
In myn stomak!
Feste, feste.
O! Ine myn stomak.
Grene benes! Al hayl!
Ine myn stomak!
Feste, feste.
O! Ine myn stomak.
þis feste is ine myn stomak.
So gode, so gode.
Now, þis feste is ine myn stomak.
So gode, so gode, gode.
Now, þis feste is ine myn stomak.
So gode, so gode.
So, þis feste is ine myn stomak.
So gode, so gode, gode.
Now, þis feste is ine myne stomak.
So gode, so gode, gode.
Now, þis feste is ine myne stomak.
So gode, so gode, gode.
I love þis feste is ine myn stomak!
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So of course, this is a challenge to make the Yo Gabba Gabba “Party in my stomach” song into Middle English. (You may all thank Master Angus Pembridge for the throw-down.)
HOWEVER as with many things, it has proved (and is proving) a delightful challenge. A somewhat informed translation of this relatively simple piece has been hilarious. Many of these words don’t exist in Middle English so getting the idea of them without losing the humor has been a great challenge. It’s also, naturally, been a better teacher for me about Middle English than many projects have been, because I had to consider “I” and “my” and “your” and what carrots would have been called. It took me far past “forsoothly” and into the realm of Chaucer’s works, dictionaries, and a paper on exclamations in Chaucer’s writings. I have deep respect for translators.
I’ll probably learn more about this, and I’m sure there are corrections, but it’s a solid work in progress I think.
Next I have to set it to appropriate period music. Middle English Chanson is the challenge. It will not resemble this in structure I think, but it will in spirit.
The process is below, with some links to some of the more helpful sources I used.
Hello, friends.It’s lunchtime.Hey, everyone.It’s lunchtime.Time to eat!Here you go, Brobee.
Time to eat! Mmm! |
All hail my friends.Go dine!What now all.Go dine.Why not eat?Here you go Osbert.
Why not eat? Mmm! |
Al hayl myn frenden.Dinen gan. What now alle.Dinen gan.Whi nat ete?Heren Osbert.
Whi nat ete? Mmm! |
I’m gonna eat, yeah.Yummy, yummy.Gonna eat, yeah!Yummy, yummy. | I eat, by faith!Good, good!I eat, ey!Good, good. | I eate, y fayth!Gode, gode!I eate, ey!Gode, gode! |
Chicken! (Yeah!) In my tummy.Party, party.(Yeah!) In my tummy.Cheese! (Yeah!) In my tummy.Party, party.(Yeah!) In my tummy | Hen! What how! In my stomach!Feast, feast!Oh! In my stomach.Cheese! What how! In my stomach.Feast, feast.Oh! In my stomach | Henne! What how! In myn stomak!Feste, feste.O! in myn stomak.Chese! What how! In myne stomak!Feste, feste.O! in myn stomak. |
Juice! (Yeah!)In my tummy.Yeah! | Broth! What how!In my stomach.Oh. | Jus! What how!In myn stomakO |
There’s a party in my tummy.(So yummy. So yummy.)Now, there’s a party in my tummy.(So yummy. So yummy, yummy.)Hey, there’s a party in my tummy.(So yummy. So yummy.)Now, there’s a party in my tummy.(So yummy. So yummy, yummy.)Yummy, yummy! | This feast is in my stomach.So good, so goodNow there is a feast in my stomach.So good, so good, good.All hail! There is a feast in my stomach.So good, so good.Now there is a feast in my stomach.So good, so good, good.Good, good. | þis feste is ine myne stomak.So gode, so gode.Now, þis feste is ine myne stomak.So gode, so gode, gode.Al hayl! þis feste is ine myne stomak.So gode, so godeNow, þis feste is ine myne stomak.So gode, so gode, gode.Good, good. |
(CRYING)Why are you sad?(We want to go to the party, the party in your tummy.)Carrots want to go to the party in my tummy?(Yeah!)Oh! Well, do green beans want to go to the party in my tummy?(Yeah!)Well, okay! Let’s go! | (Exclamation, sad.)Why do you cry?We would make feast in your stomach, the feast in your stomach.Carrots want to feast in my stomach?Yes!Oh! Green beans would feast in my stomach?Yes!A ye! Let’s go down! | Welylawey!Cryestow?We wod mak feste in thyn stomak, thilke feste in thyn stomakMores wolde festen in myn stomak?Yis!O! Grene benes wolde festen in myn stomak?Yis!A ye! Wenden dounn |
Carrots! (Yeah!)In my tummy.Party, party.(Yeah!)In my tummy.Green beans! (Yeah!)In my tummy.Party, party. (Yeah!)In my tummy. | Carrots! All hail!In my stomach.Feast, feast!Oh! In my stomach.Green beans! All hail! In my stomach.Feast, feast. Oh!In my stomach | Mores! Al hayl!In myn stomak!Feste, feste.O! in myn stomak.Grene benes! Al hayl!In myn stomak!Feste, feste.O! in myn stomak. |
There’s a party in my tummy.(So yummy. So yummy.)Now, there’s a party in my tummy.(So yummy. So yummy, yummy.)Now, there’s a party in my tummy.(So yummy. So yummy.)So, there’s a party in my tummy.(So yummy. So yummy, yummy.)Now, there’s a party in my tummy.
(So yummy. So yummy.) Now, there’s a party in my tummy. (So yummy. So yummy, yummy.) Yummy, yummy! I love the party in my tummy!
|
This feast is in my stomach.So good, so good.Now there is a feast in my stomach.So good, so good, good.All hail! There is a feast in my stomach.So good, so good.So there is a feast in my stomach.So good, so good, good.Now, this feast is in my stomach.So good, so good
Now there is a feast in my stomach. So good, so good, good Good, good! I love this feast in my stomac
|
þis feste is ine myne stomak.So gode, so gode.Now, þis feste is ine myne stomak.So gode, so gode, gode.Now, þis feste is ine myne stomak.So gode, so gode.So, þis feste is ine myne stomak.So gode, so gode, gode.Now, þis feste is ine myn stomakSo gode, so gode.
Now, þis feste is ine myn stomak. So gode, so gode, gode. Gode, gode! I love þis feste is ine myne stomak! |
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Category:Middle_English_parts_of_speech
http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/teams/tmsmenu.htm#w
http://www.nativlang.com/middle-english/middle-english-grammar.php
http://www.frathwiki.com/Middle_English
http://archive.org/stream/middleenglishdic00stra/middleenglishdic00stra_djvu.txt