Drink to me, Johnny | Drink to me, Johnny, turn and turn about

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by Pierre de Ronsard (1524 - 1585)

Translation © by David Wyatt

Bois Janin à moi tour à tour

Language: French (Français)

Our translations: ENG

Bois Janin à moi tour à tour
Et ne ressembles au vautour
Qui toujours tire la charogne,
Tu es un sot, un bon ivrogne,
Autant pour une noce vaut
Qu'un bon guerrier pour un assaut,
Car ce n'est moins entre les pots
D'enhardir par vineux propos
Un homme paresseux à boire
Que pour gagner une victoire,
Rendre à la bataille hardi
Un [capitaine]¹ accouardi.
Bois donc, ne fais plus le songeard.
Au vin gît la plus grande part
Du jeu d'amour et de la danse,
L'homme sot qui lave sa panse
D'autre breuvage que de vin
Meurt toujours de mauvaise fin.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

• F. Regnard

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)
¹ Regnard: "casanier"

Text Authorship:

by Pierre de Ronsard (1524 - 1585), no title [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

by François Regnard (c1530 - c1600), "Bois Janin à moi" [ sung text checked 1 time]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

ENG English (David Wyatt) , "Drink to me, Johnny", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: John Versmoren

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 18
Word count: 102

Drink to me, Johnny

Language: English after the French (Français)

Drink to me, Johnny, turn and turn about
And don't be like the vulture
Always hogging the carcase.
You are a sot, a real drunkard,
As useful for a wedding 
As a good warrior for the attack,
For it's no less of a job, among the cups,
To make with liquid courage
A lazy man bold to drink,
Than it is to win a victory
By sending into a tough battle
A cowardly [captain]¹.
So drink, don't be a dreamer.
In wine lives the greatest part
Of the game of love and of dancing,
The drunkard who wets his whistle
With any drink except wine
Comes always to a bad end.

View original text (without footnotes)
¹ Regnard: "stay-at-home"

Text Authorship:

Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2012 by David Wyatt, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
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Based on:

a text in French (Français) by Pierre de Ronsard (1524 - 1585), no title
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2012-05-22
Line count: 18
Word count: 113