þis feste is ine myn stomak – part the first

A story about how everyone just wants to go to the party.

Ian: "I doubt you could find the appropriate documentation for this song. And though the lyrics are simple and alliterative, I do not believe this could pass as a 14th Century Chanson." Monique: "Is that a....challenge?" Ian: "If you could translate this into middle English and put it to period music..."  Monique: "Accepted."
Ian: “I doubt you could find the appropriate documentation for this song. And though the lyrics are simple and alliterative, I do not believe this could pass as a 14th Century Chanson.”
Monique: “Is that a….challenge?”
Ian: “If you could translate this into middle English and put it to period music…”
Monique: “Accepted.”


________________________________________

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

http://www.lexilogos.com/english/english_middle.htm