Son carle et sa tocquante,
Et ses attaches de cé,
Son coulant et sa montante, [19]
Lonfa malura dondaine,
Et son combre galuché
Lonfa malura dondé.
Son coulant et sa montante
Et son combre galuché, [20]
Son frusque, aussi sa lisette, [21]
Lonfa malura dondaine,
Et ses tirants brodanchés, [22]
Lonfa malura dondé.
Son frasque, aussi sa lisette
Et ses tirants brodanchés.
Crompe, crompe, mercandière, [23]
Lonfa malura dondaine,
Car nous serions béquillés, [24]
Lonfa malura dondé.
Crompe, crompe, mercandière,
Car nous serions béquillés.
Sur la placarde de vergne, [25]
Lonfa malura dondaine,
II nous faudrait gambiller, [26]
Lonfa malura dondé.
Sur la placarde de vergne
Il nous faudrait gambiller,
Allumés de toutes ces largues, [27]
Lonfa malura dondaine,
Et du trèpe rassemblé, [28]
Lonfa malura dondé.
Allumés de toutes ces largues
Et du trèpe rassemblé;
Et de ces charlots bons drilles, [29]
Lonfa malura dondaine,
Tous aboulant goupiner. [30]
Lonfa malura dondé.
[1: Vergne, town.] [2: Goupiner, to steal.] [3: Mercandière, tradeswomen.] [4: Du pivois solisait, sold wine.] [5: Jaspine en bigorne, say in cant.] [6: Morfiller, to eat and drink.] [7: Chenu, good. Lance, water.] [8: Larton savonné, white bread.] [9: Lourde, door. Tournante, key.] [10: Pieu, bed. Roupiller, to sleep.] [11: J'enquille, I enter. Cambriole, room.] [12: Entifler, to marry.] [13: Rembroque, see. Rifle, fire.] [14: Mesisère man. Pionçait, as sleeping.] [15: Vallades, pockets.] [16: Carle, money. Pessigué, taken.] [17: Tocquante, watch.] [18: Attaches de ce, silver buckles.] [19: Coulant, chain. Montante, breeches.] [20: Combre galuché, laced hat.] [21: Frusque, coat. Lisette, waistcoat.] [22: Tirants brodanchés, embroidered stockings.] [23: Footnote: Crompe, run away.] [24: Béquilles, hanged.] [25: Placarde de vergne, public place.] [26: Gambiller, to dance.] [27: Allumés, stared at. Largues, women.] [28: Trèpe, crowd.] [29: Charlots bons drilles, jolly thieves.] [30: Aboulant, coming.]
Stanza XIII, line 5. Cotton, the ordinary at Newgate.
On the Prigging Lay
H. T. R., the English translator of Vidocq's Memoirs (4 vol., 1828-9), says of this and the following renderings from the French that they "with all their faults and all their errors, are to be added to the list of the translator's sins, who would apologise to the Muse did he but know which of the nine presides over Slang poetry." The original of "On the Prigging Lay" is as follows:—