Songs

Foy porter,
To keep faith,
Honneur garder,
To guard your honour
Et pais querir,
And seek peace,
Oubeïr,
To obey,
Doubter, servir
To fear, to serve
Et honnourer
And to honour –
Vous vueil jusques au morir,
I wish to do all this until I die,
Dame sans per.
Peerless lady.

Car tant vous aim, sans mentir,
For I love you so much (I do not lie)
Qu’on porroit avant tarir
That one could dry up
La haute mer
The high seas
Et ses ondes retenir
And hold back the waves,
Que me peüsse alentir
Before I could hold back
De vous amer,
From loving you;
Sans fausser;
I do not lie,
Car mi penser,
For my thoughts,
Mi souvenir,
My memory,
Mi plaisir
My pleasure
Et mi desir
And my desire
Sont sans finer
Are endlessly
En vous que ne puis guerpir
In you, whom I can neither abandon
N’entroublier.
Nor forget.

II n’est joie ne joïr
There is no joy or enjoying,
N’autre bien qu’on puist sentir
Nor any other good thing one could feel
N’imaginer
Or imagine
Qui ne me samble languir,
Which does not seem to fade
Quant vo douceur adoucir
When your sweetness
Vuet mon amer:
Deigns to sweeten my bitterness.
Dont loer
To praise you, therefore,
Et aourer
And adore you
Et vous cremir,
And fear you,
Tout souffrir,
To suffer all,
Tout conjoïr,
To enjoy all this with you,
Tout endurer
To endure all things –
Vueil plus que je ne desir
I wish all this, more than I crave
Guerredonner.
To win any reward.

Vous estes le vray saphir
You are the true sapphire
Qui puet tous mes maus garir
That can cure all my ills
Et terminer,
And end them,
Esmeraude a resjoïr,
An emerald to savour,
Rubis pour cuers esclarcir
A ruby to brighten my heart
Et conforter.
And comfort it.
Vo parler,
Your words,
Vo regarder,
Your look,
Vo maintenir
Your bearing –
Font fuïr
All this makes us flee
Et enhaïr
And hate
Et despiter
And defy
Tout vice et tout bien cherir
All vice, and makes us cherish and desire
Et desirer.
All good things.