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36. Balade: «Par vo douceur, tresbelle et bonne nee»

GRANSON, 36. BALADE: «PAR VO DOUCEUR, TRESBELLE ET BONNE NEE»: 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.

23 Et qu’il vous pleust mon fait recommender. There is a missing negative in this line unless the se . . . ne [if . . . not] of line 22 is understood to be a single conjunction, “unless,” that governs both clauses.


GRANSON, 36. BALADE: «PAR VO DOUCEUR, TRESBELLE ET BONNE NEE»: 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.

GW83, Piaget p. 242.
Base MS F. No other copies.
 






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36. Balade: «Par vo douceur, tresbelle et bonne nee»

C’est a trestous que vous semblez si belle
Qu’on ne pourroit vo pareille trouver.
C’est a trestous que vous ressemblez celle
Par qui amours se doivent gouverner.
Pour ce chascun se vuelt a vous donner
Et vous servir d’amoureuse pensee.
Nul ne vous voit qui ne vous vueille amer
Par vo douceur, tresbelle et bonne nee.

Et quant vo face, clere et nouvelle,
Vuelt de ses yeulx aucun pou regarder,
Son doulz regart trespasse et estinceller
Si que les cuers fait de chascun fermer.
En vostre amour nul ne se puet garder.
Et quant vous estes ainsy de tous amee,
On vous doit bien servir et honnourer
Par vo doulceur, tresbelle et bonne nee.

Quant est de moy, je suiz cilz qui s’appelle
Vostre du tout. Vous me povez mander,
Non obstant que si grande querelle
Ne deusse pas emprendre a demander,
Car je ne suis digne de le penser,
Se vostre grace ne m’en estoit donnee
Et qu’il vous pleust mon fait recommander,
Par vo doulceur, tresbelle et bonne nee.
 
36. Ballade: “Because of your gentleness, lady born fair and good”

To everyone, you seem so beautiful
That one could never find your equal.
To everyone, you resemble her
By whom all loves ought to be ruled.
Thus everyone wants to give himself to you
And to serve you with loving thought.
No one sees you who doesn’t want to love you
Because of your gentleness, lady born fair and good.

And when your face, bright and fresh,
Wishes to look around a bit with its eyes,
Its sweet regard passes about and sparkles
In such a way that it makes everyone’s heart resolved.
No one can keep himself from loving you.
And when you are thus beloved by everyone,
One ought well to serve and honor you
Because of your gentleness, lady born fair and good.

As for me, I am the one who calls himself
Yours completely. You can command me,
Despite the fact that so great a matter
I should not undertake to request,
For I am not worthy to consider it
If your grace were not given to me
And that it pleased you to advance my cause
Because of your gentleness, lady born fair and good.
 


























(see note)

 


Go To 37–41. Cinq balades ensuivans