OLD FRANCE.
Reading edition
Le Gaulois semble au saule verdissant: Plus on le coupe et plus il est naissant, Et rejetonne en branches davantage, Prenant vigueur de son propre dommage. —Ronsard.
The Gaul is like the verdant willow-bush: The more you prune, the more it’s lithe and lush, Shooting a crown of branchy twigs all round, And draws new life and vigour from a wound.