À une damoyselle malade (in ASL) 2007-05-31

À une damoyselle malade

An interpretation of À une Damoyselle malade by Clément Marot

On reading Le Ton Beau de Marot, I felt I should attempt to render it in ASL, as AFAIK of all Hofstadter's versions of it, he lacks one that is signed.

The constraints, per LTBdM, as applied to ASL:

  1. The poem is 28 lines long.
  2. Each line consists of three syllables
    each 'line' is one sign
  3. Each line's main stress falls on its final syllable.
    not applicable
  4. The poem is a string of rhyming couplets: AA, BB, CC, ...
    Rhyme is with handshapes (traditional for ASL poetry) - indicated as [handshape] at end of transcription.
  5. Midway, the tone changes from formal ("vous") to informal ("tu").
  6. The poem's opening line is echoed precisely at the very bottom.
  7. The poet puts his own name directly into his poem.
  8. The semantic and rhyming couplets are asynchronous.


FrenchRough ASL
À une Damoyselle malade

Ma mignonne,
Je vous donne
Le bon jour;
Le séjour
C'est prison.
Guérison
Recouvrez,
Puis ouvrez
Votre porte
Et qu'on sorte
Vitement,
Car Clément
Le vous mande.
Va, friande
De ta bouche,
Qui se couche
En danger
Pour manger
Confitures;
Si tu dures
Trop malade,
Couleur fade
Tu prendras,
Et perdras
L'embonpoint.
Dieu te doint
Santé bonne,
Ma mignonne
for girl sick

beautiful [B->S]
give-to-you(formal) [B]
greeting/invitation [B]
(brow) rest [B]
(shake. brow down) prison [V]
health [H (~= V)]
recover [4->S]
open [S]
door [B]
exit [B]
quick [S->A]
Sai [S]
order [D]
go [D]
get-up [V]
(brow) lie-down(durative) [V]
danger [A] 
(lean forward conspiratorily) grab-a-lot [A]
candy [D]
(brow up) frequent [D]
(...) sick [8]
(brow down) sympathy (~= "awww") [8]
(shake, brow up [= if you don't]) eat [O]
(head back) lose [O->4]
(smile) fat [4]
bless-you [A->4]
recover [4->S]
beauty/beautiful [B->S]