New Site Announcement: Over the past several years, the METS team has been building a new website and new digital edition, in collaboration with Cast Iron Coding. This next phase of METS' editions includes improved functionality and accessibility, an increased focus on transparency, and conformity to best practices for open access and digital editions, including TEI markup. We are currently in a "soft launch" phase in which we will monitor the new site for bugs and errors. We encourage you to visit our new site at https://metseditions.org, and we welcome feedback here: https://tinyurl.com/bdmfv282

We will continue to publish all new editions in print and online, but our new online editions will include TEI/XML markup and other features. Over the next two years, we will be working on updating our legacy volumes to conform to our new standards.

Our current site will be available for use until mid-December 2024. After that point, users will be redirected to the new site. We encourage you to update bookmarks and syllabuses over the next few months. If you have questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact us at robbins@ur.rochester.edu.
Robbins Library Digital Projects > TEAMS Middle English Texts > Oton de Granson: Poems > 61. Balade Granson: «Pardonnez moy, besoing le me fait faire»

61. Balade Granson: «Pardonnez moy, besoing le me fait faire»

GRANSON, 61. BALADE GRANSON:«PARDONNEZ MOY, BESOING LE ME FAIT FAIRE»(2): 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 the second part of what is entitled in manuscripts F and K a “Balade Double.” See the note to 60.

1 Saint Valentin. On St. Valentine, see the Introduction, pp. 32–34. The only other reference to the saint in Granson’s rondeaux or ballades occurs in 17, and only in manuscript F. See the note to 17 above.

 

GRANSON, 61. BALADE GRANSON:«PARDONNEZ MOY, BESOING LE ME FAIT FAIRE»(2): 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; 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.

GW30, Piaget p. 257.
Base MS A. Other copies: E, F, K.

Title Balade granson. So A. F, K: Balade de saint valentin double (See note on the title to 60).

7 aourer. So F, K. A: ouvrer.

 

 

 

 

 

 






5




10





15




20





25




30




35

 		 61. Balade Granson: «Pardonnez moy, besoing le me fait faire» (2)

Saint Valentin, humblement vous supply
Qu’a vostre jour me soiés en aye,
Et me faitez avoir le doulx octry
Ou il n’a rien que bien et courtoisie
Et bonne foy; c’est jeu sans villenie.
Bien y povés voz myracles monstrer,
Car de plusieurs vous ferez aourer
Et requerir de maint loyal amant,
Se en ce cas m’estez bien aidant.
Or m’y aydez, tresdoulz saint debonnaire.
Et se rien dy qui vous soit desplaisant,
Pardonnez moy, besoing le me fait faire.

J’ay de longtemps et de bon cuer choisy
Le noble corps pour qui Amours me lye,
Greslet, grasset, gracieux et joly,
Jeune, gentis et de maniere lie.
Sa grant blancheur et sa pel tresdelie,
Ses mains, son col et son visaige cler,
Ses biaux doulx yeulx, plaisans a regarder,
Et sa petite bouche bien parlant
M’ont sy ravy que je vif en mourant.
Helas! Amours, ne me soiez contraire,
Et se je suis trop hastif en priant,
Pardonnez moy, besoing le me fait faire.

Car je congnois Danger, mon ennemy,
Et sa Durté, ma mortel ennemie.
Et se ne fust Espoir, mon bon amy,
Et Loiaulté, qui tousjours m’est amye,
Ma jounesse feust de long temps finie,
En desirant la convendroit finer.
Ne je ne sçay si bon juge trouver,
Comme le cuer de ma dame saichant
Qui est loial, sagez et congnoissant.
A son vouloir me tiens tout sans retraire.
Se je desir avoir son doulx semblent,
Pardonnez moy, besoing le me fait faire.
 		 61. Ballade of Granson: “Please pardon me; need makes me do it” (2)

Saint Valentine, humbly I beseech you
That on your feast day you come to my aid,
And that you make me have the sweet gift
In which there is only good and courtesy
And good faith; it is a game without wickedness.
Well can you demonstrate your miracles there,
For you will make yourself adored by many
And sought out by many a loyal lover
If you are helpful to me in this case.
So help me, gentle gracious saint,
And if I say anything that displeases you,
Please pardon me; need makes me do it.

Long ago and with good heart I chose
The noble one for whom Love binds me,
Slender, well-formed, gracious, and pretty,
Young, courteous, and of happy manner.
Her great whiteness and her delicate skin,
Her hands, her neck, and her bright face,
Her beautiful sweet eyes, pleasing to behold,
And her little mouth that speaks well,
So delighted me that I live while dying.
Alas, Love, do not oppose me,
And if I am too eager in beseeching,
Please pardon me; need makes me do it.

For I know Danger, my enemy,
And its Harshness, my mortal enemy,
And were it not for Hope, my good friend,
And Loyalty, which is always my friend,
My young self would have perished long ago.
It would have been forced to die of desire.
And I do not know how to find as good a judge
As the heart of my knowledgable lady,
Who is loyal, wise, and understanding.
I submit myself to her will without repeal.
If I desire from her a gentle look,
Please pardon me; need makes me do it.
 		 (t-note) 

(see note)





(t-note)


Go To 62. Balade: «Trop plus de biens que penser ne sauroye»