23. Balade: «Vous n’en povez tousdiz que miex valoir»

by: Oton de Granson (Author) , Peter Nicholson (Editor) , Joan Grenier-Winther (Editor)

from: Poems  

5 10 15 20

23. Balade: «Vous n’en povez tousdiz que miex valoir» Amis, pensez de loyaument amer Se vous voulez mener joieuse vie. Soiez secret, atrempé en parler. Ne vous praigne de mesdire Envie. Fuiez orgueil et amez courtoisie. Amez honneur de tout vostre povoir. Prisiez les bons, suivez leur compaignie. Vous n’en povez tousdiz que miex valoir. Encor vous vueil d’aucuns poins enorter, Et je vous pry, ne les oubliez mie. C’est, foy porter, apres honnour garder De la dame ou vostre cuer s’otrie. Ce doit faire qui tent avoir amie. Autre ne doit desirer ne vouloir. S’ainsi faites, je vous acertefie, Vous n’en povez tousdiz que miex valoir. A voir dire et droit considerer, Qui autrement le fait, c’est grant folie. Point ne dessert qu’on li doie donner Des biens d’amours ne petit ne partie. Aux vrais amans est grace departie. Or en faites si bien vostre devoir Que Bonne Amour avecques vous s’alie. Vous n’en povez tousdiz que miex valoir.

23. Ballade: “From this you can only come to greater worth” Friend, consider loving loyally If you want to lead a joyous life. Be discreet and moderate in speech. Let not Envy cause you to speak ill. Flee pride and love courtesy. Love honor with all your might. Esteem the good, pursue their company. From this you can only come to greater worth. I wish to advise you further on several points, And I beseech you, do not ever forget them. That is, to bear faith, after protecting the honor Of the lady to whom your heart is given. This must he do who aspires to have a lover. He must not desire or wish for any other. He must not desire or wish for any other. From this you can only come to greater worth. To tell the truth and consider what is right, Whoever does otherwise, it is great folly. He does not deserve that one should give to him Either a bit or a share of the rewards of love. Grace is bestowed upon true lovers. So do your duty there so well That Good Love attach itself to you. From this you can only come to greater worth.

Go To 24. Balade «Car je languis en trop dure tristour»

Footnotes

GRANSON, 23. BALADE: «VOUS N’EN POVEZ TOUSDIZ QUE MIEX VALOIR»: EXPLANATORY NOTES

ABBREVIATIONS: A: Lausanne, Bibliothèque Cantonale et Universitaire, MS 350; B: Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, f. fr. 1727; C: Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, f. fr. 1131; D: Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, f. fr. 24440; E: Barcelona, Biblioteca de Catalunya, MS 8, Catalan, 1420–30; F: Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale, f. fr. 2201; K: Lausanne, Bibliothèque Cantonale et Universitaire, IS 4254; N: Brussels, Bibliothèque royale Albert 1er, MS 10961–10970, c. 1465; P: Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania, Van Pelt Library, MS Codex 902 (formerly Fr. MS 15), 1395–1400; 100B: Les Cent Ballades; Basso: “L’envol et l’ancrage”; BD: Chaucer, The Book of the Duchess; Berguerand: Berguerand, Duel; Boulton: Song; Braddy: Braddy, Chaucer and Graunson; Carden: “Le Livre Messire Ode d’Oton de Grandson; CA: Gower, Confessio Amantis; DL: Guillaume de Machaut, Dit dou lyon; DLA: Guillaume de Machaut, Dit de l’alerion; FA: La fonteinne amoureuse; FC: Wimsatt, French Contemporaries; GW: Granson, Poésies, ed. Grenier-Winther; LGW: Chaucer, The Legend of Good Women; PA: Froissart, Paradis d’Amour; PF: Chaucer, The Parliament of Fowls; Piaget: Grandson, Vie et poésies, ed. Piaget; PL: Guillume de Machaut, Poésies Lyriques; Poirion: Poirion, Poète et prince; TC: Chaucer, Troilus and Criseyde; RR: Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meun, Le Roman de la rose; VD: Guillaume de Machaut, Le livre dou voir dit.

This is one of five ballades (along with 33, 44, 56, and 58; one could also add 18 and parts of others) in which the poet offers his advice on the nature or conduct of love, as opposed to dwelling on his own (normally troubled) experience. Their lessons vary: here, as in 44, he extols virtuous conduct as a prerequisite for rewards in love.

GRANSON, 23. BALADE: «VOUS N’EN POVEZ TOUSDIZ QUE MIEX VALOIR»: TEXTUAL NOTES

Abbreviations: A: Lausanne, Bibliothèque Cantonale et Universitaire, MS 350; B: Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, fr. 1727; C: Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, fr. 1131; D: Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, fr. 24440; E: Barcelona, Biblioteca de Catalunya, MS 8, Catalan, 1420–30; F: Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale, fr. 2201; G: London, Westminster Abbey Library, MS 21; H: Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, fr. 833, c. 1500; J: Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, fr. 1952; K: Lausanne, Bibliothèque Cantonale et Universitaire, IS 4254; L: Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, Rothschild MS I.I.9; M: Carpentras, Bibliothèque Inguimbertine, MS fr. 390; N: Brussels, Bibliothèque royale Albert 1er, MS 10961–10970, c. 1465; O: Karlsruhe, Badische Landesbibliothek, MS 410, c. 1430; P: Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania, Van Pelt Library, MS Codex 902 (formerly Fr. MS 15), 1395–1400; Q: Berne, Burgerbibliothek da la Bourgeoisie, MS 473, 1400–40; R: Turin, Archivio di Stato, MS J. b. IX. 10; S: Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, fr. 24404, 13th century (16th century addition); T: Besançon, Bibliothèque Municipale, MS 556, 1826; V: Carpentras, Bibliothèque Inguimbertine, MS 411; W: Brussels, Bibliothèque royale Albert 1er, MS IV 541, 1564–81; Y: Turin, Biblioteca Nazionale e Universitaria, MS L.II.12.

For each poem, we provide the following:

Other editions: The location of the poem in the editions of Grenier-Winther (GW) and Piaget.

Base MS: The manuscript from which our text is taken, using the sigla listed on this page.

Other copies: The other manuscripts in which the poem appears, with the line numbers for excerpts.

Selected variants: Most of the notes record the editors’ emendations. A small number (for instance, regarding the titles) record alternative readings when we did not emend the base text. We do not, however, provide a complete list of variants, for which one may consult Grenier-Winther’s edition. Each note consists of a line number, a lemma (the reading from our text), the manuscript source for the reading that we have chosen, selected readings from other manuscripts; and the reading from the base manuscript when it was rejected. If no manuscript source is listed following the lemma, the adopted reading is the editors’ conjecture.

Other comments on the text, as required.

GW17, Piaget p. 305.
Base MS P. Other copies: A.