Sleeping Beauty remodeled the moat
And sold an easement through the forest;
Oh Loveliness, enchanting and remote —
L’ars florissant she sent back to the florist.
At least her fit of pique is on display
To add a note of valuable contempt,
For who ever heard of saints without dismay?
The perfect knight requires a sidekick unkempt.
Sans peur and sans reproche are out of stock,
And rarely will a dragon work for scale;
No wonder Blue Beard’s castle is for sale:
La Belle Dame Sans Merci hath thee in hock.
Sleeping Beauty is irritated when awakened,
So take her glamorousness and vanity —
Morality plays convey the divine and inanity —
Yes, take the bathroom fixtures and the vanity,
But leave the air of innocence unforsaken.
L’ars florissant – Old French for “flourishing Art” referring to “l’Ars Nova florissant,” a style of polyphonic music that developed in the 14th century.
Sans peur and sans reproche – “Sans peur et sans reproche” ‑ French for “without fear and beyond reproach,” used to define the epitome of chivalry, the fearless and faultless knight.
To work for scale – To work at the minimum wage as set by the actors’ unions.
La Belle Dame Sans Merci – French for “The beautiful lady without pity,” a ballad by John Keats written in 1819; the tenth stanza reads:
I saw pale kings and princes too,
Pale warriors, death-pale were they all;
They cried – “La Belle Dame Sans Merci
Hath thee in thrall!”
In hock – In debt.
Vanity – A play on two meanings: 1) The human quality of arrogance, conceit; and 2) a piece of bathroom furniture consisting of a cabinet with a countertop and sink.