8th century, China, Chinese, East Asia, historical figure, primary source, quotes, stories, Tang dynasty
The Chinese jester Zhu Hanzhen 祝漢貞 (Wish Upright Fellow) – whose name seems to have been counter to his character as he was later beaten and banished for accepting a bribe – served several emperors with his great humour and an ability to trip...
10th century, China, Chinese, East Asia, historical figure, primary source, quotes, stories, Tang dynasty
Like many of his counterparts elsewhere, Jing Xinmo 鏡新磨 (Newly Polished Mirror) was skilled in versifying. When an allegedly six-eyed turtle was sent to the court of Tang Zhuangzong 唐莊宗 (r. 923-26) as tribute, Xinmo made up a little rhyme about it – joking that...
9th century, China, Chinese, East Asia, historical figure, primary source, quotes, stories, Tang dynasty
When the poet Li Shen 李紳 (772-846) occupied Guangling, Zheng Can was his subordinate. In 844 Can gave a banquet for Li Shen at which the entertainment was a performance by an ageing dancer. The jester Sunzi Duo 孫子多 (Many Grandsons) thought up a rhyming jingle about...
10th century, China, Chinese, East Asia, historical figure, primary source, quotes, Southern Tang, stories
The ability to extemporize poems and ditties is often attributed to jesters, with some overlap also existing in Europe between jesters and those who might be termed court poets: bards, skalds, troubadours or similar. In addition, some form of musical ability was also...
10th century, China, Chinese, East Asia, historical figure, primary source, quotes, Southern Tang, stories
The jester’s quiver of skills could include poetry, or at least verse. There is evidence of overlap between bards and jesters, and there are accounts of jesters engaged in verse-capping – finishing off someone else’s couplets with something funny or...
16th century, Europe, historical figure, primary source, quotes, Spain, Spanish, stories
An account of a Spanish jester which suggests a relaxed relationship with the aristocrats around him. Here is Gabriel, possibly jester to Fadrique Enríquez II (c. 1465–1538), 4th Admiral of Castille, relaxedly playing chess with the Duke of Alba, and deciding how to...
8th century, China, Chinese, East Asia, historical figure, primary source, quotes, stories, Tang dynasty
There is a whole class of jester stories involving rhyming or other witty ditties to make fun of or entertain the ruler. Here a jester uses one to joke about the emperor’s fear of his shrewish wife, first alluding to a wife-cringing official and then pointing...
English, quotes
On vous souhaiteune très belle fêteavec trompettes.Pour être honnêtela fête des fousest revenue:le seul jour oùfaut qu’on avouequ’on soit tous fous(même sages comme vous)mais surtout nous. Ce n’est pas faux: si tous sont sotsN’y a pas un seul...
