Living
The Abbot of Cockaigne
Translated by John Addington Symonds (1884) · From Wine, Women, and Song (1884)
I am the Abbot of Cockaigne,
And this is my counsel with topers;
And in the sect of Decius (gamesters) this is my will;
And whoso shall seek me in taverns before noon;
After evensong shall he go forth naked,
And thus, stripped of raiment, shall lament him:
Wafna! wafna!
O Fate most foul, what hast thou done?
The joys of man beneath the sun
Thou hast stolen, every one!
Cite this poem
MLA
The Goliards (Wandering Scholars). “The Abbot of Cockaigne.” Translated by John Addington Symonds. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/goliards/54/.
Chicago
The Goliards (Wandering Scholars). “The Abbot of Cockaigne.” Translated by John Addington Symonds. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/goliards/54/.
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