prosody | miscellaneous |
S'ieu pogues ma voluntat Forsar de segre mo sen, Greu m'agra Amors tornat A faire son mandamen. No! - per so qu'om ses amor Non ama ges tan valor Cum fai fis enamoratz. Quar greu er, si ben amatz, Que ja cujetz pro be faire; Et hom qui non es amaire, Non tem falhir, ni·n cuj' esser tengutz De tan cum fai entendeires o drutz. Pero, si tot s'es onrat De servir Amor, e gen, Si torn ieu ab cor forsat. E non ges per espaven De far negun fag d'amor Mas tostemps es de senhor Don no ven acors ni gratz, Qu'ades lo serv' om forsatz. E·l senher qu'ades vol traire Dels sieus e·ls ponh' en desfaire, Non deu esser amatz ni car tengutz, Mas sol aitan cum leialtatz adutz. Una res m'a aleujat Alques de mon pessamen: Que anc en desleialtat No renhet hom lonjamen, Ni·n poget en gran ricor No·il fenis en dezonor. Et ai vist que leialtatz A cregutz e melhuratz Manhs homes de bas afaire; Per qu'es folhs qui tem maltraire Per si honrar, qu'astres es leu vengutz, Quan deu venir, que ja non er perdutz. Vers es qu'a mi a tarzat Mos astres, que trop ven len. Mas greu, tro qu'es car comprat, Puei' om en gran honramen Que tostemps so qu'es melhor Es a conquerre peior Que so que pauc val assatz. Mas pueis n'es hom plus honratz, Si ben o pot a cap traire, Que de so no val gaire. E quan s'ave qu'hom non o trai a lutz, Almenhs n'a pretz qui ben s'es captengutz. Dona, almenhs ai anat Tan vas penre jauzimen Que no·m pot esser vedat Qu'ieu no·n aia·l cor jauzen. Quan pens creisser vostr'onor E quan vei castelh ni tor Ni ren de lai on renhatz, Sui de joi rics e sazatz. E sabetz que m'es veiaire Quan venc vas vostre repaire? Totas sazos tro qu'a vos sui vengutz Cug m'apropche lo locs don sui mogutz. Totz hom, pueis es lauzenjaire, Volria fos emperaire, Quar si no fos de lauzengiers sos brutz, Tals parlera de me que n'estai mutz. Tan sap de be dir e faire La reina de bon aire, Elionors, per qu'es sos pretz cregutz, E qui·n ditz ben es per totas crezutz. |
If I could force my will to follow my common sense Love would hardly have turned me back into its command. No! Because a loveless man doesn't care for valour as much as does one who is faithfully in love. For it is hard, if you love well, to ever think you are doing well enough; and a man who isn't a lover doesn't fear failure, nor thinks he is bound [to do] as much as does a suitor or lover. Still, honourable and appropriate as it is to serve Love, I go back to it under protest. And this not out of fear of engaging in any feat of love but [because] the lot of a lord who accords neither relief nor gratitude is to ever be served under protest. And the lord who always wants to exploit his [people] and drives them to ruin must not be loved, nor held dear, more than as much as loyalty imposes. One thing has lightened somewhat my worry: that through disloyalty, in the end, one doesn't rule for long, nor does he amass great riches that don't end up dishonouring him. And I have seen that loyalty has grown and improved many men of ill repute; for he is a fool who fears the hardship needed to honour himself, for the moment comes easily, when it has to come, and it isn't ever lost again. It is true that my own moment, which comes too slowly, has tarried. But it is through hardship, albeit one pays dearly for it, that one rises to great honour, for that which is best always is much harder to acquire than that which is worth little. But, in the end, one is more honoured, if he could bring it to a good conclusion, than for something which isn't worth anything. And if it happens that one doesn't reveal it, at least, he has the virtue of having behaved well. Lady, at least I have come so close to reap the fruit that I can't be stopped from having a glad heart for it. When I think I increase your honour and when I see a tower or castle or anything else of the place you rule, I am rich and sated with joy. And do you know what I envision when I come to your dwellings? All the time, until I have come to you, I believe the place I come from moves towards me. I want everyone, as long as he's a slanderer, to be emperor, for, had it not been for the rumours of slanderers, somebody who remains silent would talk about me. Eleanor, the queen of great lineage, knows how to act, and talk, so well that her virtue has grown and he who says good things about her is believed everywhere. |