Translation of the Weirdest MP Line.
Jim Vieira
>
> I've translated it from Polish...
>
> 13th episode, series 1.
> Sketch: A man with a complaining wife in a restaurant.
>
> suddenly, a druid-like-dressed-guy (Terry Gilliam) enters and says:
>
> Imagine-not that in these four walls there is a great and powerful tibetan
> eagle-owl, but next to him squated down beauty.
>
> Terry Jones: No, there isn't!
> Terry Gilliam: Oh, I'm sorry. (leaves)
>
> If some of you have the sketch, plz post it !!!!!
>
> John MacK.
>
> --
I have it on tape at home, and can give the exact text later, but I don't think you
have it correctly. I remember at the very least that Gilliam's line ended with
"beauty sits most closley to those it can construe" (or something like that), and
Jone's response was "No it DOESN'T", not "No there ISN't". I'll look back tonite
and if no one has given the EXACT text, I'll pop in my tape and type up the whole
scene. And remember, don't play with your food!!
BTW druid-like-dressed-guy? He looked like a greek philosopher to me! ;)
Jim V.
David Kurman
>jsu...@lb.ists.pwr.wroc.pl wrote:
>>
>> I've translated it from Polish...
>>
>> 13th episode, series 1.
>> Sketch: A man with a complaining wife in a restaurant.
>>
>> suddenly, a druid-like-dressed-guy (Terry Gilliam) enters and says:
>>
>> Imagine-not that in these four walls there is a great and powerful tibetan
>> eagle-owl, but next to him squated down beauty.
>>
>> Terry Jones: No, there isn't!
>> Terry Gilliam: Oh, I'm sorry. (leaves)
>>
>> If some of you have the sketch, plz post it !!!!!
>>
>> John MacK.
>>
>> --
>
>And it was Michael Palin (who still wets his bed), NOT Terry Jones!
jsu...@lb.ists.pwr.wroc.pl
13th episode, series 1.
Sketch: A man with a complaining wife in a restaurant.
suddenly, a druid-like-dressed-guy (Terry Gilliam) enters and says:
Imagine-not that in these four walls there is a great and powerful tibetan
eagle-owl, but next to him squated down beauty.
Terry Jones: No, there isn't!
Terry Gilliam: Oh, I'm sorry. (leaves)
If some of you have the sketch, plz post it !!!!!
John MacK.
--
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Nie wyobrazajcie sobie, ze w
::MAIL: jsu...@lb.ists.pwr.wroc.pl ::- tych czterech scianach znajduje
:: asto...@lo14.licea.wroc.pl ::- sie potezny tebanski puchacz,
::WWW: www.ists.pwr.wroc.pl/~jsuliga ::- bo moi panstwo, tuz obok niego
Edward Bornstein
>I've translated it from Polish...
>
>13th episode, series 1.
>Sketch: A man with a complaining wife in a restaurant.
>
>suddenly, a druid-like-dressed-guy (Terry Gilliam) enters and says:
>
>Imagine-not that in these four walls there is a great and powerful tibetan
>eagle-owl, but next to him squated down beauty.
>
>Terry Jones: No, there isn't!
>Terry Gilliam: Oh, I'm sorry. (leaves)
>
>If some of you have the sketch, plz post it !!!!!
In the original english (from memory):
TG (broadly and pretensiously, like a bad actor):
Imagine not that these four walls contain the Mighty Isle of Thebes.
For, Gentles All, Beauty sits most closely to them it doth construe.
TJ (low but emphatically): No It Doesn't!
TG (embarassed): Oh, sorry. (leaves)
Is this what you wanted? Or did you want the whole sketch?
Sorry I can't recite the entire thing. It is in the "All the Words"
books available here in the US.
TG's line appears to have gotten mangled in translation to Polish.
There is nothing about Tibet or eagle-owls. Thebes was a city in
ancient Egypt, and a different city in ancient Greece, important in
Greek history and mythology.
I have always taken that bit as a satire on ancient Greek theatre,
based on the reference to Thebes and TG's costume. My wife (who
studied Greek theatre in college) doesn't recognise it as any
paticular work, however.
In defense of the original translator, I will point out that the
line:
"For, Gentles All, Beauty sits most closely to them it doth construe."
doesn't make sense in any kind of real-world fashion. It is a poetic
metaphor, or just MP being Very Silly and nonsensical. But they'd
never do that. :-)
Well, I have to go in the back and commit suicide. Don't worry
it's not because of anything serious!
- Captain (Try me with some rice) Button
aka The Minister for Overseas Development
Chaya Branley
> If some of you have the sketch, plz post it !!!!!
If some of you have the sketch, plz *don't* post it. Plz (what the hell
is that, anyway? you're only saving three letters...) send it to John via
private email. It's a violation of common netiquette, not to mention the
fact that it's clearly stated in the FAQ as something *not* to do in this
newsgroup. Thank you darlings...
Chaya aka I think I'm getting snotty in my old age aka only 3 more weeks
till my birthday!!!
__
Chaya Branley **** ch...@u.washington.edu **** Queen of Planet Earth
You either get tired fighting for peace, or you die. --John Lennon
And the time will come when you see we're all one, and life flows on
within you and without you. --George Harrison
DOORWARDEN
On Sun, 24 Mar 1996, Chaya Branley wrote:
>
> If some of you have the sketch, plz *don't* post it. Plz (what the hell
> is that, anyway? you're only saving three letters...) send it to John via
> private email. It's a violation of common netiquette, not to mention the
> fact that it's clearly stated in the FAQ as something *not* to do in this
> newsgroup. Thank you darlings...
Bravo! Oooh . . . I like her!
And by the way, if any of you gits out there have a request that is not
answered within oh . .. 4 weeks of your posting it . . . cause yes,
sometimes omnipotent types do miss things . . . you do have an
alternative -- you can e-mail me, the official keeper of records of this
sort of thing at:
That's all there is to it & I'll see that your request is promptly
dis-ah-answered, that's it -- answered.
>
> Chaya aka I think I'm getting snotty in my old age aka only 3 more weeks
> till my birthday!!!
Lady Dave aka yes I'm still here -- well, most of the time -- well,
sometimes -- ok, not often but I'm here NOW
Happy B-Day Chaya
Chaya Branley
> Bravo! Oooh . . . I like her!
[fx: Chaya running out the door] They like me! They really like me! tee
hee. [fx: bashful grin]
> Lady Dave aka yes I'm still here -- well, most of the time -- well,
> sometimes -- ok, not often but I'm here NOW
[fx: big wave] Hi, Lady Dave! Where the hell have you been?
> Happy B-Day Chaya
Well, not *quite* yet. April 12. But thank you.
Chaya aka this has been yet another relatively pointless post from [fx:
drumroll] ME! aka at least I'm not whining about some mindless git aka
what was that about whining sh... on the webpage, Bonni?
Chaya Branley __ ch...@u.washington.edu
Disco Machine \/ Queen of Planet Earth
I need a big loan from the girl zone. Tori Amos.
Shirley Rollinson
>And by the way, if any of you gits out there have a request that is not
>answered within oh . .. 4 weeks of your posting it . . . cause yes,
>sometimes omnipotent types do miss things . . . you do have an
>alternative -- you can e-mail me, the official keeper of records of this
>sort of thing at:
>
>cc3...@cnsunix.albany.edu
>
>That's all there is to it & I'll see that your request is promptly
>dis-ah-answered, that's it -- answered.
>
"Plz" gimmi de FAQs, man, jus' de Fags (Ooops).
:-) Shirley R.