17. Balade: «Que nulle autre jamais ne choisiray»

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

from: Poems  

5 10 15 20

17. Balade: «Que nulle autre jamais ne choisiray»    Je vous choisy, noble loyal amour; Je vous choisi, souveraine plaisance; Je vous choisi, gracieuse doulçour; Je vous choisi, tresdoulce souffisance. Je vous choisi de toute ma puissance; Je vous choisi de cuer entier et vray. Je vous choisi par telle convenance Que nulle autre jamais ne choisiray. Je vous choisi, des bonnes la meillour; Je vous choisi sans penser decevance. Je vous choisi, des plus belles la flour; Je vous choisi sans faire variance. Je vous choisi, ma droite soustenance; Je vous choisi tant com je puis ne sçay. Je vous choisi et si vous affiance Que nulle autre jamais ne choisiray. Je vous choisi, confort de ma langour; Je vous choisi pour avoir alegance. Je vous choisi pour guerir ma doulour. Je vous choisi pour saner ma grevance. Je vous choisi sans fin en perseverance. Je vous choisi et choisie vous ay. Le Dieu d’Amours en prens en tesmongnance Que nulle autre jamais ne choisiray.

17. Ballade: “That never will I choose any other” I choose you, noble, loyal love; I choose you, sovereign pleasure; I choose you, gracious gentleness; I choose you, most sweet satisfaction. I choose you with all my power; I choose you with full and loyal heart. I choose you with this affirmation, That never will I choose any other. I choose you, the best of the good; I choose you without thinking of deceit. I choose you, the flower of all beauties; I choose you without inconstancy. I choose you, my very sustenance; I choose you as much as I know how. I choose you, and I also pledge to you That never will I choose any other. I choose you, the comfort of my languor; I choose you in order to have relief. I choose you to remedy my sorrow. I choose you to relieve my pain. I choose you with unfailing perseverance. I choose you and I have chosen you. I take the God of Love as my witness That never will I choose any other.

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Footnotes

GRANSON, 17. BALADE: «QUE NULLE AUTRE JAMAIS NE CHOISIRAY»: 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.

For a similar (if not as extensive) use of anaphora compare 28 and 46. Citing this poem, Poirion (p. 465) lists Granson with other poets who “ont fait un usage immodéré de la répétition [made immoderate use of repetition].”

In manuscript F, this poem is entitled “Balade de Saint Valentin,” and Saint Valentine replaces the God of Love as the speaker’s witness in line 23. Overlooking the latter, Wimsatt (FC, p. 236) observes that “a strong indirect association” with the Saint Valentine feast is provided by the repeated “Je vous choisy.” On Saint Valentine, see the Introduction, pp. 32–34.

GRANSON, 17. BALADE: «QUE NULLE AUTRE JAMAIS NE CHOISIRAY»: 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.

GW26, Piaget p. 226.
Base MS P. Other copies: A, F, R.

Title Balade. So P. A: Balade amoureuse. F: Balade de Saint Valentin.
23 Le Dieu d’Amours. So P, A. F, R: Saint Valentin.