Comme les Bestes autrefois
Parloient mieux latin que françois,
Le Coq, de loin voyant le faict,
S'écria: Christus natus est;
Le Bœuf, d'un air tout ébaubi,
Demande: Ubi, ubi, ubi?
La Chèvre, se torchant le groin,
Respond que c'est à Bethleem;
Maistre Baudet, curiosus
De l'aller voir, dit: Eamus;
Et, droit sur ses pattes, le Veau
Beugle deux fois: Volo, volo.[203]
And again, in Italian, Bolza, Canzoni popolari comasche, p. 654, No 30:
Il Gallo. È nato Gesù!
Il Bue. In dôva?
La Pecora. Betlèm! Betlèm!
L'Asino. Andèm! Andèm! Andèm!
A little Greek ballad, 'The Taking of Constantinople,' only seven lines long, relates a miracle entirely like that of the cock, which was operated for the conviction of incredulity. A nun, frying fish, hears a voice from above, saying, Cease your frying, the city will fall into the hands of the Turks. "When the fish fly out of the pan alive," she says, "then shall the Turks take the city." The fish fly out of the pan alive, and the Turkish admiraud comes riding into the city. Zambelios, p. 600, No 2; Passow, p. 147, No 197. (Liebrecht, Volkskunde, p. 179.)
With Herod's questions and Stephen's answers in stanzas 5-8, we may compare a passage in some of the Greek ballads cited under No 17, p. 199.
[a] Σκλαβε, πανας; σκλαβε, διψας; μη το ψωμι σου λειρει;]
[a] Σκλαβε, πανας; σκλαβε, διψας; σκλαβε, κρασιν σου λειπει;]
Lakkyt þe eyþer mete or drynk?
[a] Μητε πεινω, μητε διψω, μητε ψωμι [κρασιν] μου λειπει].
Lakit me neyþer mete ne drynk.
Jeannaraki, p. 203, No 265:
Sakellarios, p. 37, No 13.
[a] Σκλαβε, πεινας; σκλαβε, διψας; σκλαβε, ῥογα σου λειπει;]
[a] Σκλαβε, πεινας; σκλαβε, διψας; σκλαβε μου ῥουχα θελεις;]
Lakkyt þe eyþer gold or fe,
Or ony ryche wede?
[a] Ουτε πεινω, ουτε διψω, ουτε ῥογα μου λειπει.]
[a] Μητε πεινω, μητε διψω, μητε και ῥουχα θελω.]
Lakyt me neyþer gold ne fe,
Ne non ryche wede.
Tommaseo, III, 154; Passow, p. 330, No 449:
Tommaseo, III, 152; Zambelios, p. 678, No 103; Passow, No 448.
A Danish translation of the English ballad is printed in Dansk Kirketidende for 1852, p. 254 (Grundtvig). Danish A is translated by Dr Prior, I, 398.