Prêtre Martin (original) (raw)

Prêtre Martin (Father Martin), also Prestre Martin in Old French is a character from old French proverbs who serves the Mass alone to himself: * Prêtre Martin qui chante et qui répond (19th century) - 'Father Martin who chants and who responds', said of a man who wants to be involved in everything. * Faire le Prêtre Martin (15th century) - 'To do Father Martin', meaning "to answer to oneself". Osip Mandelstam likened poets to Prêtre Martin in his essay "On the interlocutor" ["О собеседнике"].