Lai (RF1) Qui n’aroit autre deport

I
Qui n’aroit autre deport
En amer
Fors dous Penser
Et Souvenir
Aveuc l’Espoir de joir,
S’aroit il tort,
Se le port
D’autre confort
Voloit rouver ;
Quar pour .i. cuer saouler
Et soustenir
Plus querir
Ne doit merir
Qui aime fort.

Encor y a maint ressort :
Remembrer,
Ymaginer
En dous plaisir
Sa dame veoir, oyr,
Son gentil port,
Le recort
Dou bien qui sort
De son parler
Et de son douls regarder,
Dont l’entrouvrir
Puet garir
Et garantir
Amant de mort.

II
Et qui vorroit plus souhaidier—
Je n’os cuidier
Si fol cuidier
Que cilz aime de cuer entier
Qui de tels biens n’a souffissanche.
Quar qui plus quiert, il vuet trichier,
S’Amours tant chier
L’a que fichier
Deigne par l’oel de son archier
En son cuer d’eaus la congnoissanche.

Car on ne les puet esprisier
Ne trop prisier,
Quant de legier
Pueent de tous maulz alegier
Et faire par leur grant poissanche
Un cuer navré sain et legier,
Sans nul dangier,
Et eslongier
De mal, et de joie aprouchier,
Seulement de leur remembranche.

V
Et se par Desir recueil
Aucun grief, pas ne m’en dueill,
Quar son tres dous riant oeil
Tout adouchist
Le grief qui de Desir ist ;
Si me plaist et abelist
Tant que au porter me delit
Plus que ne sueil,

Pour sa beauté sans orgueil
Qui toutes passe, a mon vueul,
Et pour son tres Bel Accueil
Qui tousdis rit ;
Si qu’en plaisance norrist
Mon cuer et tant m’enrichist
Qu’einssi vivre me sousfist,
Ne plus ne vueul.

VI (instrumental)
Fors tant qu’en aucune maniere
Ma dame chiere,
Qui de mon cuer la tresoriere
Est et portiere,
Sceust qu’elle est m’amour premiere
Et derreniere,
Et plus l’aim que moy ne mon bien,
Non pas d’amour vaine et legiere,
Mais si entiere,
Que mieulz ameroie estre en biere
Qu’a parchonniere
Fust, n’en moy pensée doubliere.
Tels tousdis iere,
Comment qu’elle n’en sache rien.

Car ne sui tielz qu’a moy affiere
Que s’amour quiere,
Ne que de son vueul tant enquiere
Que li requiere ;
Car moult pourroit comparer chiere
Telle priere
Mes cuers qui gist en son lyen.
Pour ce n’en fai semblant ne chiere,
Que je n’acquiere
Refus qui me deboute ou fiere
De li arriere ;
Car se sa doucheurs m’estoit fiere,
Amours murtriere
Seroit de moy, ce sai je bien.

VIII
Dont la bonne et belle,
Comment sara elle
Que de li veoir
En mon cuer s’ostelle
Une amour nouvelle
Qui me renouvelle
Et me fait avoir
Joieuse nouvelle,

De quoy l’estancelle
Fait sous la mamelle
Mon fin cuer ardoir
S’en frit et sautelle ?
Que hons ne damoyselle,
Dame ne pucelle,
Ne le puet savoir,
Si le port et celle.

IX
Amours que j’en pri,
Qui voult et souffri
Qu’a li, sans detri,
Quant premiers la vi, m’offri,
Li porra bien dire
Que pour s’amour fri
Sans plainte et sans cri,
Et qu’a li m’ottri,
Comme au plus tres noble tri
Que peusse eslire,

Et qu’autre ne tri ;
Ainçoys a l’ottri
Qu’onc ne descouvri,
Dont maint souspir ay murdri
Qui puis n’orent mire.
Main s’en mon depri
Met Amours estri,
Je n’en bray ne cri,
N’autrement ne m’en deffri,
Ne pense a defrire.

XI
Car comment que Desirs m’assaille
Et me face mainte bataille
Et poingne de l’amoureus dart,
Qui souvent d’estoc et de taille
Celeement mon cuer detaille,
Certes bien en vain se travaille,
Car tous garist son dous regart

Qui paist d’amoureuse vitaille
Mon cuer, et dedens li entaille
Sa beauté fine par tel art
Qu’autre n’est de quoy il me chaille,
Et des biens amoureus me baille
Tant qu’il n’est joye qui me faille
Que n’aie de li, que Dieus gart.

XII
Et pour ce, sans nul descort
Endurer
Vueil et celer
L’ardant desir
Qui vuet ma joie amenrir
Par soutil sort ;
Si le port
Sans desconfort
Et vueil porter,
Car s’il fait mon cuer trambler,
Taindre et palir,
Et fremir,
A bien souffrir
Dou tout m’acort.

Il me fait par son enort
Honnourer,
Servir, doubter,
Et oubeir
Ma dame et li tant chierir
Qu’en son effort
Me deport.
Quant il me mort
Et vuet grever,
Mais qu’a li vueille penser
Qu’aim et desir
Sans partir,
Ne repentir :
La me confort.

I
He who has no other pleasure
in love
but Sweet Thought
and Memory,
with the Hope of satisfaction,
would be wrong
if he tried to seek
the refuge
of further comfort;
for he who loves deeply
must not seek
further reward
to satisfy
and sustain his heart.

Still, there remain many consolations:
to remember,
to imagine
with sweet pleasure
seeing and hearing his lady,
her noble bearing,
the recollection
of the good that emanates
from her words
and her sweet look,
whose glance
can heal
and protect
a lover from death.

II
And should anyone want more—
I dare not conceive of
such a foolish notion
that this man loves with his whole heart
if he is not satisfied with such benefits!
For he who seeks more wants to cheat,
even though Love holds him
so dear that she deigned
to shoot knowledge of these things with her arrow
through his eye into his heart.

For one cannot value
nor esteem them too much,
since with ease
they can alleviate all pains
and through their great power
make a wounded heart hale and healthy,
without constraint,
and banish
grief, and draw joy near,
merely through remembering them.

V
And if, on account of Desire, I experience
any sorrow, I don’t complain,
for her sweet laughing eye
completely soothes
the pain that issues from Desire;
so it pleases and delights me,
such that I enjoy bearing it
more than I used to,

On account of her beauty without pride
(which surpasses all others, to my mind)
and because of her most Fair Welcome
which is ever smiling;
so that it nourishes my heart
with pleasure and so enriches me
that to live this way is all I need,
nor do I want more.

VI
Except—in no way does
my dear lady,
who is the treasurer
and doorkeeper of my heart,
know that she is my first love
and my last,
and that I love her more than myself or any thing,
not with a vain and frivolous love,
but one so all-encompassing
that I would rather be in my coffin
than share my love
with another, nor think any deceitful thought.
Thus let it be forever,
even though she never learn of it.

For I am not worthy
to ask for her love,
nor to so much seek to know her favor
as to request it of her:
my heart, which lies bound in her snare,
could pay very dearly
for such a petition.
For this reason I don’t let it show at all,
so that I am not answered with
a refusal that would drive me
far away from her;
for if her sweetness were denied me,
Love would be my murderer,
that I know well.

VIII
Then how will the good and fair lady
know that
upon seeing her
a new love
lodges in my heart,
which renews me
and brings me
happy news,

whose spark
makes my whole heart
burn within my breast
so that I tremble and shake?
In order that no man or woman,
no lady or maiden
might learn of it,
I bear and conceal it.

IX
Love, to whom I pray,
who wished and permitted
me, when I first saw her,
to surrender myself to her without hesitation,
could easily tell her
that for love of her I burn
without complaint and without cry,
and that I dedicate myself to her
as the very most noble choice
I could make,

and that I choose no other.
Instead he has decreed
that I never reveal it,
wherefore I have stifled many a sigh
that never found a physician.
But if Love throws up resistance
to my prayer,
I don’t wail or cry,
nor become upset in any way,
or even think of getting angry.

XI
For no matter how Desire assails me
and battles me again and again,
piercing me with his amorous dart,
whose shaft and point
secretly cuts my heart apart,
certainly he labors in vain,
for all is healed by her Sweet Glance,

which feeds my heart with amorous
sustenance, and within it engraves
her perfect beauty with such art
that I care for nothing else,
and grants me so many loving goods
that there is no joy I need
that I do not have from her, whom God keep.

XII
Therefore, without any objection
I will endure
and conceal
the burning desire
that seeks to diminish my joy
with subtle craft;
I bear it
without discomfort
and want to bear it,
for though it makes my heart tremble,
grow wan and pale,
and quake,
I am fully ready
to suffer it.

It provokes me
to honor,
serve, respect,
and obey
my lady, and so cherish her
that I rejoice
in his efforts.
When he bites me
and tries to wound me,
I have only to think of her
whom I love and desire
without end
or regret:
from this I take comfort.

[English Translation © Scott Metcalfe. Unauthorized reprinting strictly prohibited.]