Kids today act like they invented vulgarity, but oh mon dieu, did they not. Last week saw the release of The Fabliaux , a collection of the bawdiest, most shocking medieval poems ever written, translated by Nathaniel E. Dubin in a gorgeous and filthy new volume. The poems, composed between the 12th and 14th centuries by wandering minstrels, are parodic social commentaries, ribald, rollicking tales, and literature worth our examination. After the jump, read just one of these epic poems — but be aware, the language is not for the faint of heart!
Excerpted from The Fabliaux, translated by Nathaniel E. Dubin. Copyright © 2013 by Nathaniel E. Dubin. With permission of the publisher, Liveright Publishing Corporation