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Caleno custure me (also spelled Calin o custure me) is the title of a song mentioned in Shakespeare's Henry V (IV,4). The context is on a Hundred Years' War battlefield, where an English soldier cannot understand his French captive and intending to answer in similar gibberish pronounces the title of the song.
- French Soldier
- Je pense que vous êtes gentilhomme de bonne qualité.
- PISTOL
- Qualtitie calmie custure me! Art thou a gentleman?
- what is thy name? discuss.
- French Soldier
- O Seigneur Dieu !
The song as preserved has English lyrics, with this single line of mock-Latin as its Chorus. The origin of the line is not Latin, however, but is most commonly believed to refer to the Irish-language song Cailín Óg a Stór . It has also been claimed [1] to be from the Irish Cailín ó Chois tSiúre mé, 'I am a girl from the Suir-side' from the 17th century Irish poem Mealltar bean le beagán téad. [2]
