[.ca] The Poems of Francois Villon (ISBN 0874512360)

Villon:
I have always found Villon to be one of the most overlooked poets in history. In fact, it is likely that the casual reader would have heard only one line of his: "But where are the snows of yester-year?" There is more to Villon, however, than that. I have yet to decide if his life or his writings is more interesting. Breaking many rules of poetry, such as in "III - Ballade (of Small Talk)" in which all but one line starts with "I know," Villon broke as many rules in life. In 1455 he killed a priest and fled the country, where he was charged in multiple robberies, imprisoned, and condemned to be hanged. Mostly because the charges of murder were dropped in the name of self-defense, he was merely banished, whereafter history never sees him again. His way of living was his way of writing: he held nothing back. This earned him the title of "the Vagabond King," while inspiring such lines as "I know all, save myself." The lines I find most striking are from "The Testament" in which Villon is looking for "those laughing comrades that I was with in former days," only to find that "Some are dead and stiff--/nothing now remains of them;/may they find peace in Paradise,/and may God save the rest."