home page ?


"Cadenet, pro domna e gaia
Pregan dui fin amador,
E leis non platz que drut aia;
Per que l'us pert sa valor,
Qu'era pros, tan greu pensansa
L'en ven, car no·n es jauzens.
L'autr'en meillura e·n enansa,
Qu'era enans recrezens.
Digatz m', al vostr' escien:
Quals ama plus finamen?"

"Guionet, cel que s'esmaia
Tant qu'en pert pretz e valor
Per leis, qu'es pros e veraia,
Que no·l ten a servidor,
Ama meils, no·i ha doptansa;
Que sapchatz que·l pessamens
Li tol tuta la membransa
De sos bels captenemens;
Que tant pliu·l cor e·l talen
En amor c'oblida·l sen."

"Cadenet, s'ieu vos dizia
Que conogut vos avetz,
Eu sai ben qu'eu failliria
Atressi com vos failletz.
Car s'ieu quec jorn peiurava
Doncs queria ieu son dan
De midons, s'ieu la preiava.
Donc non ama sidons tan
Cel c'ades es plus savais
Com cel qui totz jorns val mais."

"Guionet, si retenia
La bella cel qui pert pretz,
En sa valor tornaria
De gauz. Ara m'entendetz,
Car si amors turmentava
Cel qu'es avols, tan ni quan,
Ja no·us cujetz que·ill membrava
De pretz plus qu'a un enfan.
E·l pros es felz quant s'irais.
E si s'espert, no·n pot mais."

"Cadenet, s'en aisi era,
Com fos per esser malvatz
Drutz, ja mais hom non penssera
De ren mais de malvestatz;
Car qui non puingna que vailla
Mais qu'enans non ha valgut
Sos pretz, cujatz que non failla
Domna, si·l reten per drut?
Si fai, car non ama be,
Si per leis meils no·il capte."

"Guionet, ja non laissera
Son pretz lo pros ni·l prezatz;
Ans sapchatz que meillurera,
Mas del tot es oblidatz
Si·l turmenta e·l trebailla
Amors, que de so vengut
Li son tuit sei faig ses failla,
Donc el mais non ha pogut;
Qu'om enamoratz no ve
Ni au ni enten fort be."

"Cadenet, a valiant, cheery woman
is pursued by two fine suitors,
and she doesn't wish to have a lover,
so that one, who was valiant,
loses his virtue, so much grievous distress
comes to him because he is not satisfied.
The other, who was erstwhile cravenly,
improves and progresses.
Tell me, in your opinion:
who loves more properly?"

Guionet, the one who despairs
so much that he loses virtue and bravery
for her who is valiant and true
and doesn't keep him in her service
loves better, there is no doubt;
because, believe me, his anguish
takes away all memory
of all his beautiful behaviour;
for he commits his heart and his will to love
so much he forgets his sanity.

"Cadenet, were I to tell you
that you answered right,
I know I would fail
just as you fail.
For, if I were to worsen,
I would do my lady
no good by pursueing her.
Therefore, the one who is, now, more savage,
doesn't love his lady as much
as the one who improves every day."

"Guionet, if the one who loses virtue
were to obtain the beauty,
he would go back to his valour
out of joy. Now you understand,
for, if love tormented
the one who is unworthy even a tiny bit,
don't believe that he'd remember
about virtue more than a child [does].
And the valiant turns villanous when he grieves
and, if he gets lost, he cannot help it."

"Cadenet, if it were so,
that one would become, by being evil,
lover, I don't think one would think
of anything other than evil acts;
for he who doesn't strive for his virtue
to shine more than is has shined
before, don't you think a woman
errs, if she keeps him as her lover?
Indeed, for he doesn't love well
if he doesn't behave better for her sake."

"Guionet, the valiant and
the worthy will not neglect his virtue;
rather, understand, he'll improve it
but he is oblivious to everything
if he is tormented and battered
by love, for it is from that
that all his deeds have come, without doubt;
therefore, he couldn't do more:
for a man in love doesn't see
nor hear nor understand very well."