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Robbins Library Digital Projects > TEAMS Middle English Texts > Oton de Granson: Poems > 58. Balade: «D’un tel amer que faire tous honnis»

58. Balade: «D’un tel amer que faire tous honnis»

GRANSON, 58. BALADE:(«FORS QUE LA MORT PROUCHAINEMENT»): 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, 44, and 56) in which the poet offers his advice on the nature or conduct of love. Here he offers a defense both of a young woman’s right to fall in love and of the virtuous nature of bonne amour (line 13).

 

GRANSON, 58. BALADE:(«FORS QUE LA MORT PROUCHAINEMENT»): 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.

GW70, Piaget p. 366.
Base MS A. Other copies: R.

8 estre. So R. A: est.

27 D’amourettes et la doulce savour. So R. A: lacks.

 

 

 

 

 

 






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 		 58. Balade: «D’un tel amer que faire tous honnis»

Se une dame, jeune, gente et jolie,
Belle et bonne et paree d’onnour,
Met son penser, son cuer, son estudye
En bien amer, loiaulment, sans folour,
Bel, bon et gent, plain de toute valour,
Saige, courtois, secret, vray amoureux,
De maintien honneste et gracieulx.
Doit elle dont pour tant estre reprise?
Je dy que non, que c’est droicte franchise
Du cuer gentifz. Si fait mieulx, si m’est vis,
D’un tel amer que faire tous honnis.

N’est ce pas dont tresgracieuse vie
Et joieuse que amer de bonne amour,
Sans mal penser? Sy est, quoy que nul die.
La n’y a point blasme ne deshonneur.
Telle amour est nourrie de doulçour.
Si me dy je: «Com lait de estre songneux!»
De Dieu amer et servir, c’est le mieulx.
Mais non obstant, celle point ne desprise
Qui s’amour a ainsy qu’ay dit assise.
Ainsois son fait assez plus los et pris
D’un tel amer que faire tous honnis.

Point ne doubte qu’Amours n’ait seignorie
Sur dame qui est en sa droite flour
De jeunesse, qui la tient et guerrie.
Si en convient que elle en sente l’odour
D’amourettes et la doulce savour.
Pas ne sera son cuer sy oultrageux
Que d’un amant vray ne soit desireux.
Amours le veult qui du cuer a la prise,
La saisine, et le duit a sa guise,
Et le contraint que plus soit ententiz
D’un tel amer que faire tous honnis.
 		 58. Ballade: “To love in such a way rather than causing shame”

If a lady, young, gracious, and pretty,
Beautiful and good and adorned with honor,
Directs her thought, her heart, and her effort
Towards loving well, loyally, without folly,
One who is fair, good and noble, full of great worth,
Wise, courteous, discreet, sincere in love,
Honest and gracious in his conduct,
Should she then be blamed for this?
I say no, that it is the very right
Of a noble heart. She does better, it seems to me,
To love in such a way rather than causing shame.

Isn’t it then a most gracious life
And a joyous one, to love with a good love,
Without evil thought? It is, whatever anyone says.
There is neither blame nor dishonor there.
Such a love is nourished with gentleness.
Thus I say to myself, “How ugly to be prudish.”
To love and serve God, that is best,
But nonetheless, I do not blame at all
The one who has placed her love as I have said.
Instead I praise and esteem her conduct more
To love in such a way rather than causing shame.

I have no doubt that Love has lordship
Over a lady who is in the very flower
Of youth, and that he keeps and protects her.
Thus she is compelled to smell the fragrance
And to taste the sweetness of love affairs.
Her heart will not be so unrestrained
That she not desire a true lover.
Love wishes it, who captures the heart,
Possesses it, and leads it in his own way,
And compels it to be more intent
To love in such a way rather than causing shame.
 		  








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