Madame Caillaux, Part 7 0f 7
(In late June, 1914, Austria declared war
on Serbia, thus initiating the First World War.
In Paris, this was ignored, because Henriette
Callaux had been found Not Guilty. De
minimis non curat lex = "the law does not
extend to trivialities". Proust, in his novels,
wrote about his romantic affairs, but because
he was gay, had to feminise names, like
"Albertine". Boule de suif = ball of suet, the
French version, 100 years ago, of "babe".
7. Conclusion
And still, we label you the weaker sex!
Vienna drew the sabre on the Serbs?
Yes, but - de minimis non curat lex!
The crowds which crammed along Parisian kerbs
were there to cheer Acquitted Henriette.
She'd sobbed and swooned, and mooned and spooned, and won!
Her husband never placed a safer bet:
they even let her keep her little gun!
So, gentlemen, those terms diminutive,
those "ines" and "ettes" -- just leave them all to Proust.
Beware her underwear, where waits a chiv!
The merry widow's black, and home to roost!
When passion immolates you in its flames,
whenever pulses race, and blood runs high,
and (worse still!) you resort to nookie names --
my little chickadee, my cutie pie,
ma boule de suif, my little bit of fluff -
beware what's lurking in a woman's ****!
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