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Robbins Library Digital Projects > TEAMS Middle English Texts > Oton de Granson: Poems > 44. Balade: «Ainsi puet il don d’amours desservir»

44. Balade: «Ainsi puet il don d’amours desservir»

GRANSON, 44. BALADE:«AINSI PUET IL DON D'AMOURS DESSERVIR»: 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 23, 33, 56, and 58) in which the poet offers his advice on the nature or conduct of love. Their lessons vary: here, as in 23, he extols virtuous conduct as the surest way to rewards in love.

 

GRANSON, 44. BALADE: «AINSI PUET IL DON D'AMOURS DESSERVIR»: 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.

GW75, Piaget p. 375.
Base MS P. Other copies: A.

 

 

 

 

 

 






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 		 44. Balade: «Ainsi puet il don d’amours desservir»

Qui veult entrer en l’amoureux servage
Ne si mette s’il ne veult maintenir
Ce qui s’ensuit, selon le droit usage,
De vray amant qui tant a aquerir
Grace d’amours et a honneur venir.
Premierement, c’est d’amer loyaument,
Estre secret, pour son fait miex couvrir.
Soit doulx, courtois, de gent contenement.
Ainsi puet il don d’amours desservir.

De soy vanter ne tiengne point langage;
Sur toute riens s’en doit bien abstenir.
De trop parler se gart, car c’est oultrage,
Et s’en voit on souvent mesavenir.
De son povoir doit sa dame servir,
Honneur porter sur toutes bonnement,
Craindre, doubter, amer, et obeir,
Souvent prier tresamoureusement.
Ainsi puet il don d’amours desservir.

A Doulx Espoir face tousdiz hommage.
Pour mal qu’il ait, ne le vueil guerpir.
Et ne soit pas a largesse sauvage:
Son fait, son bien en pourroit amenrir.
Par largesce puet on bien adoulcir
Et amolir un dur cuer grandement.
A tous face et a toutes plaisir.
S’en aura pris, loz, et avancement.
Ainsi puet il don d’amours desservir.
 		 44. Ballade: “That’s how he can earn the gifts of love”

Let him who wants to enter love’s servitude
Not do it if he does not want to observe
What follows, according to proper custom,
For a true lover who tries to acquire
Grace in love and to come to honor.
First of all, it is to love loyally,
To be discreet, to better hide his state.
Let him be gentle, courteous, of noble bearing.
That’s how he can earn the gifts of love.

Let him not use speech in order to boast;
Above all else, from that he must refrain.
Let him keep from talking too much, for that’s an offense,
And one often sees misfortune follow.
As best he can, he ought to serve his lady,
To do honor to all women humbly,
To fear, to dread, to love, and to obey,
To pray often in a deeply loving way.
That’s how he can earn the gifts of love.

Let him always pay homage to Sweet Hope.
Whatever pain he has, let him not give up.
And let him not be a stranger to largesse:
His state and his well-being could be reduced.
By largesse one can very easily sweeten
And soften a hard heart to a great extent.
Let him be pleasing to every man and woman.
Then he will have esteem, praise, and advancement.
That’s how he can earn the gifts of love.
 






























 

 


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