"Je suis un chien qui ronge l'os,
En le rongeant je prends mon repose.
Un temps viendra qui n'est pas venu
Que je mordrai qui m'aura mordu."
1736.
Or in English:
"I am a dog that gnaws his bone,
I rest and gnaw it all alone--
A time will come, which is not yet,
When I'll bite him by whom I'm bit."
An unusual, cryptic ornament to a building.
However, there is a story behind it. In the 18th century, it was a private residence of a wealthy merchant Nicholas Philibert. He had a dispute with Bigot, the representative of the Grand Company which had a monopoly on the territory. Philibert was very popular because most of the colonists felt exploited by the Grand Company and especially Bigot. M. Philibert was an annoyance to the Grand Company who dealt fairly with the colonists.
If this story was true, then the inscription was nothing less than an implied threat.
Here is a credible, detailed recount about possible stories behind the golden dog.
Still, the golden dog is cute.
9 comments:
Interesting, Angel.
Thanks for sharing.
Interesting to me too.
Fights over property rights. Still going on today.
Thanks for this historical, psychological, and artistic thing to ponder, Angel
That is on intriguing story indeed. Thanks for sharing and greetings!
Love a bita mystery. It sure sounds like a threat, all right.
An interesting legend of old Canada.
Intriguing!
I've never been very impressed by threats issued in poetry. If you're going to shoot, shoot, don't talk.
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