prosody | miscellaneous |
Si ja amors autre pro non tengues Mas car om n'es plus gais e plus cortes E miels parlanz e de meillor solatz E.n conois miels los pros entre.ls malvatz Et enten miels q'es mensonja ni ver E tri' enanz q'es enueg ni plazer, Pos amors sap tan ric guizardon rendre Neguna res no.s deu d'amor defendre. Donc, ma domna, vostre franc cors, so.m pes, Mas amors es flors e frugz de totz bes, Se.us conseilha paratges ni beutatz Qe non ametz, mal s'es acosseillatz: Con mais vos fa Dieus e valors valer Vos devetz mais d'humilitat aver. Mas tant m'es aut c'ap re no.i puesc atendre, Ni.l vostre pretz non vol tan bas descendre. E car eu am la plus avinen res C'anc dels oils vis, degra trobar merces, Oc, se.l plagues, car lai on es juvatz De totz bos aibs, aten c'umilitatz Li entr' el cor tan qe.m do ses qerer Lo joi q'eu ja per qerrer non esper, Qe.m vueilh totz temps, car aus en leis entendre, De malvestat escondir e defendre. Tant m'a amors e jois lassat e pres El sieu fin cor gai e cortes, On es plazers e jovenz e beutatz, E.l sieus cars pretz q'es flors dels plus prezatz, Qe.l gaugz q'eu n'ai non pot en mi caber. Gardatz si.m fezes amors null plazer Si.m dera gaug, q'era per sol l'entendre N'ai tals mil gaugz qe rics seria.l mendre. A vos, per cui pretz viu e nais et es Et a cobrat som briu en totas res, Bella donna, contessa de Burlatz, Ren ma chanzon, car ades meilluratz; Q'ont qe vivatz ja non pot dechazer Pretz ni jovenz ni solatz ni plazer, C'aissi co.l venz fa lueng la flam' escendre Vei vostre pretz sobre.ls meillors estendre. A Mon Segur, chanzon, te fai saber, E digas li, e semblara plazer, C'om miels de leis no sap dir ni entendre Ni miels chantar, mas trop poignh' ad apendre. Plus Avinen, si be.us vau tart vezer, Mais res mas vos e mi non a poder, Ni fas chanzo per donar ni per vendre, Mas sol per vos, si la degnatz apendre. Los lauzengiers, bels amics, vei empendre, Qe.us sonon gent e.us blasmo de seguendre. |
If love offered no other advantage but to make one merrier and more courteous and better discoursing, and a better company and better at telling the valiant from the mean and better at telling lie from truth and able to tell in advance what is annoyance or pleasure... since love can give so rich a meed, nothing should shield itself from love. Therefore, my lady, my opinion is that, since love is the flower and fruit of all good, if rank and beauty advise your fair person not to love, they advise it ill: the more god and merit exalt you, the more humility you ought to have. But [your status] is so much higher than mine that I can't in any wise attain it, nor is your worth willing to descend so low. And since I love the most charming thing that my eyes ever saw, I should find mercy, yes, if it pleased her, for, while she profits of all good qualities, I wait for so much humility to enter her heart that she gives me without asking what joy I could not hope for by asking; since I always want, since I dare aspire to her, to reject and refuse an unseemly behaviour. So much have love and joy ensnared and caught me in her precious, gay and courtly person, where pleasure, youth and beauty reside, along with her high worth (which is the flower of the worthiest) that the delight I feel cannot be contained in me. Consider what pleasure love would give me if it gave me delight, since merely by listening to her I feel such a thousand joys that a high-born would should envy me. To you, through whom merit is born, and lives and has its being, and has mustered its vigour in all matters, beautiful lady, countess of Burlatz, flows my song, for you ever improve; wheresoever you reside, there worth nor youth nor amusement nor pleasure can decline, for as the wind spreads the flame afar so I see your worth reign over the best. Make yourself known, my song, to My Assurance, and tell her, for it will please her, that no one can speak, nor understand nor sing better than her, for she exceedingly strives to learn. Most Gracious, albeit I tarry in seeing you, nothing but you has power over me, nor do I write songs for giving or selling, but for you only, if you deign to learn it. Beautiful friend, I see the slanderers advance: they speak kindly, and blame you thereafter. |