Eustache Deschamps studied under the tutelage of Guillaume de Marchault, traveled in Syria, Palestine, and Egypt-where he was said to have been made a slave-and eventually become recognized as one of the great French medieval poets. He was the first writer to dissociate lyric poetry from its musical setting and his witty perceptions comment on nearly all aspects of daily life: from women's underwear to gluttonous diners, from praise of famous writers to scorn for the unscrupulous of all ranks, from the delights of youth to the horrors of war. This volume provides facing-page, dual-language translations of Deschamps engaging, amusing, and accessible poems, gleaning from the mountains of verse the poems, gleaning from the mountains of verse the most edifying and historically relevant. Copious notes, glossaries, and a full bibliography enhance this elegant translation.
