Pen wrote:Looking for something completely different, I came upon a Ship of Fools woodcut,
Of Nightly Serenades:
"He who covets Minstrel's ways/And serenades at night before women's doors/Also invites the frost to sting."
Is it possible, I wonder, that the Tarot de Paris Moon card was based on this woodcut from Das Narrenschiff?
The Narrenschiff illustration is from Brian Williams'
Book of Fools.
If the artist had used the Ship of Fools woodcut to copy loosely from, this would explain the reversal of the image.
Pen
Hi Pen,
This is a lovely find. Thank you.
I tried to find more about the image, and found the Project Gutenberg translation that certainly puts a very particular meaning on this depiction:
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/20179/20 ... h.htm#p296
Of nyght watchers and beters of the stretes playnge by nyght on instrumentes and vsynge lyke Folyes whan tyme is to rest.
He is a Fole that wandreth by nyght
In felde or towne, in company or alone
Playnge at his lemmans dore withouten lyght
Tyll all his body be colde as lede or stone
These folys knockynge tyll the nyght be gone
At that season thoughe that they fele no colde
Shall it repent and fele whan they be olde.
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Nowe wolde I of my boke haue made an ende
And with my shyp drawen to some hauen or porte
Stryken my sayle, and all my folys sende
Vnto the londe, a whyle them selfe to sporte
But this my purpose is lettyd by a sorte
Of frantyke folys, wandrynge about by nyght
For often all yll doers hatyth the day lyght
Whyle (man) beste and euery lyuely creature
Refresshe theyr myndes and bodyes with rest
And slepe: without the whiche none can endure
And whyle all byrdes drawe them to theyr nest
These dronken bandes of Folys than doth Jest
About the stretis, with rumour noyse and cry
Syngynge theyr folysshe songes of rybawdry
The furyes ferefull spronge of the flodes of hell
Vexith these vagabundes in theyr myndes so
That by no mean can they abyde ne dwell
Within theyr howsys, but out they nede must go
More wyldly wandrynge than outher bucke or doo
Some with theyr harpis another with his lute
Another with his bagpype or a folysshe flute
Than mesure they theyr songes of melody
Before the dores of theyr lemman dere
Yowlynge with theyr folysshe songe and cry
So that theyr lemman may theyr great foly here
And tyll the yordan make them stande arere
Cast on theyr hede, or tyll the stonys fle
They nat depart, but couet there styll to be
But yet more ouer these Folys ar so vnwyse
That in colde wynter they vse the same madnes
Whan all the howsys ar lade with snowe and yse
O mad men amasyd vnstabyll and wytles
What pleasour take ye in this your folysshenes
What ioy haue ye to wander thus by nyght
Saue that yll doers alway hate the lyght
But folysshe youth doth nat alone this vse
Come of lowe byrth and sympyll of degre
But also statis them selfe therein abuse
With some yonge folys of the spiritualte
The folysshe pype without all grauyte
Doth eche degre call to this frantyke game
The darkenes of nyght expellyth fere of shame
One barkyth another bletyth lyke a shepe
Some rore, some countre, some theyr balades fayne
Another from syngynge gyueth hym to wepe
Whan his souerayne lady hath of hym dysdayne
Or shyttyth hym out, and to be short and playne
Who that of this sort best can play the knaue
Lokyth of the other the maystery to haue
The folysshe husbonde oft of this sort is one
With wanton youth wandrynge by nyght also
Leuynge his wyfe at home in bed alone
And gyueth hyr occasyon often to mysdo
So that whyle he after the owle doth go
Fedynge the Couko, his wyfe hir tyme doth watche
Receyuynge another whose egges she doth hatche.
Therfore ye folys that knowe you of this sort
To gyue occasyon of synne vnto your wyues
And all other: I you pray and exort
Of this your foly to amende your lyues
For longe nyght watches seldome tymes thryues
But if it be in labour: good to wyn
Therfore kepe your dorys: els abyde within
Thoughe I have touchyd of this enormyte
In englysshe tunge: yet is it nat so vsed
In this Royalme as it is beyonde the se
Yet moche we vse whiche ought to be refusyd
Of great nyght watchynge we may nat be excusyd
But our watchynge is in drunken glotony
More than in syngynge or other meledy
Whan it is nyght and eche shulde drawe to rest
Many of our folys great payne and watchynge take
To proue maystryes and se who may drynke best
Outher at the Tauerne of wyne, or the ale stake
Other all nyght watchyth for theyr lemmans sake
Standynge in corners lyke as it were a spye
Whether that the weder be, hote, colde, wete, or dry
Some other Folys range about by nyght
Prowdely Jettynge as men myndeles or wode
To seke occasyon with pacyent men to fyght
Delytynge them in shedynge mennys blode
Outher els in spoylynge of other mennys gode
Let these folys with suche lyke and semblable
Drawe to this barge, here shall they here a bable
Ye folys that put your bodyes vnto payne
By nyghtly watchynge, voyde of auauntage
Leue of your foly or els ye shall complayne
And mourne it sore if ye lyue vnto age
For though ye thynke that this your blynde outrage
Is vnto you no hurte nor preiudyce
It doth your body and goodes great dammage
And great cause both to you and yours of vyce.
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I also found a slightly clearer version, supposedly this is by Durer?
So, not a romantic scene at all, rather, a very strict warning about going out at night, singing, drinking, dancing and making music. You'll regret it. If not because of what your wife is up to in your absence, then in your old age when the cold gets you.
I love tarot history.