Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
A furious father calls the man he blames for his daughter's death a "spoony bard", an archaic word for a sentimental fool, and an accidental comedy classic was born. The mild insult in the middle of the tragedy became the best-known example of 16-bit translation oddness, and the line was kept (and winked at) in later releases, remakes and sequels. Fans still use it as the gentlest insult a gamer can throw.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Final Fantasy IVShow the scene
In Final Fantasy IV, the old sage Tellah travels to the castle of Damcyan to find his daughter Anna, who ran off with a bard against his wishes. He arrives with Cecil and Rydia just as the Red Wings airship fleet bombs the castle, and they find Anna mortally wounded in the throne room. When the bard walks in, Tellah (who does not yet know he is Prince Edward in disguise) flies into a rage and attacks him, hurling insults that include this one. The English SNES translation is credited to Kaoru Moriyama, K. Okahisa and H. Takahashi, not to Ted Woolsey as is often said.
Sources (2)
- Final Fantasy Wiki: You spoony bard!Context and translation sectionsReference checked
- Final Fantasy Wiki: TellahIntroduction quote and BackgroundReference checked
Context reviewed
