Narrenschiff

What is that grinding, Captain o Captain

What is that grinding, grinding, grinding?

Kapitän: why, it is our Narrenschiff riding onto the rocks under full sail, skyrakers and moonrakers and all.

What is that rending, Captain o Captain

What is that rend

Kapitän: oh do shut up you sely folys.

Who are you to call us sely folys?

Kapitän: ahem

I am the firste fole of all the hole nauy

To kepe the pompe, the helme and eke the sayle

For this is my mynde, this one pleasoure haue I

Of bokes to haue grete plenty and aparayle

I take no wysdome by them: nor yet auayle

Nor them preceyue nat: And then I them despyse

Thus am I a foole and all that sewe that guyse

That in this shyp the chefe place I gouerne

By this wyde see with folys wanderynge

The cause is playne, and easy to dyscerne

Styll am I besy bokes assemblynge

For to haue plenty it is a plesaunt thynge

In my conceyt and to haue them ay in honde

But what they mene do I nat vnderstonde

Das Narrenschiff, Sebastian Brandt 1494

The Shyp of Folys of the Worlde, translation by Alexander Barclay 1509