52. Balade: «Il m’est advis que vostre beauté voye»

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

from: Poems  

5 10 15 20 25 30

52. Balade: «Il m’est advis que vostre beauté voye» Si durement me destraint la pensee Qui m’est venue, Belle, pour vous amer Que nullement en nesune journee Mon cuer ne puit tant soit pou reposer. Car, en veillant, par force de penser, Veoir vous cuide, sans heure desfaillir, Dez yeux du cuer, et quant ung pou dormir Il me convient, ainsy con je veilloye, Pour la tristesse qu’Amours me fait sentir, Il m’est advis que vostre beauté voye. Ne je ne sçay lequel plus fort m’agree, Pour la doulour qui me vient conforter, Ne dont ma pene puit mieulx estre alegee, Ou par dormir ou par tousjours voillier. Car quant je dors, tout ainsy sans seser Com quant je veille, il me fault soustenir Lez maulx d’amours. Pour ce dis, sens mentir, Ce n’est poinct songe, car tousjours ou que soye, Ou veille ou dorme, soit mon mal ou plaisir, Il m’est advis que votre beauté voye. Mais ce les yeulx, par quoy vous fuz donnee L’amour de moy, vous peussent regarder Aussy souvent, ma plaisance celee, Comme font ceulx de mon cuer, ja doubter Ne me faulssist de joye recouvrer. Car tant en eusse com peust resjoir Cent cuers doulens. Mais quant a ce venir, Pour riens ne puis je demourer sans joye, Tant que je dy, pour vray et sans faillir, Il m’est advis que vostre beaulté voye.

52. Ballade: “It seems to me that I see your beauty” So thoroughly does the thought of loving you That has come to me constrain me, my fair lady, That not at all on any day Can my heart rest, however little. For when awake, by force of thought, I think I see you, without missing an hour, With the eyes of my heart; and when I am compelled To sleep a bit, just as when I’m awake, Because of the sadness that Love makes me feel, It seems to me that I see your beauty. Nor do I know which pleases me more, Because of the sadness that comes to comfort me, Nor by which my pain can better be relieved, Whether by sleeping or by remaining awake. For when I sleep, just as much without cease As when I’m awake, I am forced to endure The pains of love. Therefore I say, without lying, This isn’t a dream, for constantly, wherever I am, Whether I wake or sleep, be it pain or pleasure, It seems to me that I see your beauty. But if the eyes by which you were given My love were able to look at you As often, my pleasure being concealed, As do those of my heart, I would never have to doubt recovering joy. For I would have as much as could rejoice A hundred sorrowing hearts. But as for that, I cannot remain without joy for anything As long as I say, in truth and without failing, It seems to me that I see your beauty.

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Go To 53. Balade: «Puisqu'il lui plaist, il me soufist»

Footnotes

GRANSON, 52. BALADE:«IL M'EST ADVIS QUE VOSTRE BEAUTÉ VOYE»: EXPLANATORY NOTES

ABBREVIATIONS: A: Lausanne, Bibliothèque Cantonale et Universitaire, MS 350y; 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 of the six poems grouped together in manuscript F under the title “Les six balades ensuivans.” See the note to 35, above.

7 Dez yeux du cuer. For the image of the eyes of his heart, compare 45.1–4 and 67.8–9.

12 doulour. The emendation of doulour [sorrow] to douçour or doulçour [sweetness] is very tempting, but doulour is confirmed by all three manuscripts.

GRANSON, 52. BALADE: «IL M'EST ADVIS QUE VOSTRE BEAUTÉ VOYE»: 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.

GW60, Piaget p. 215.
Base MS A. Other copies: F, R.

Title Balade. So A, R. F: lacks.

5 penser. So F. R: panser. A: pensee.

26 peust. So F. R: en peust. A: on peust.