Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Fausse beauté, qui tant me couste chier
References
Images
François Villon
Britannica AI Icon

Fausse beauté, qui tant me couste chier

poem by Villon
Also known as: “Faulce beaulte”, “Fausse beaute”
Written by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last updated

Quick Summary

François Villon
François Villon Portrait of François Villon, woodcut from the first edition of Villon's works published by Pierre Levet, 1489; the ballade “Faulce beaulte” (“Fausse beaute”), printed below the portrait, is an acrostic, i.e., the initial letter of each line read top to bottom forms the poet's first name, Francoys.

"Fausse beaut\u00e9, qui tant me couste chier" is a ballade by Fran\u00e7ois Villon, a renowned French lyric poet of the 15th century. The poem, which translates to "False beauty, for which I pay so dear a price," is addressed to a friend who was a prostitute. It is notable for its technical skill, serving as both a double rhyme and an acrostic, with the first letters of its lines spelling out the names "Fran\u00e7oys" and "Marthe." Villon's work often blends personal experience with traditional themes, marked by a blend of irony, satire, and profound emotion, particularly concerning regret for lost youth and the fear of death.1

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
3 Britannica Sources
  1. François Villon
  2. French literature - Villon and his contemporaries
  3. Le Testament

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.