Verily, Love, I have no language, none
Of thanksgiving sufficient for thy grace
That moved me unto love, and such an one
Gave me for mistress as doth all abase
Beside her, queen of beauty and of grace
And precious worth; O, when on her I muse,
Truly my speech with my thought keeps no pace.
Thanks be to thee, who mad'st me her to choose.
Now all that I desired so dear is won,
Having a lady to serve all my days,
Who holds my heart in joy to think upon
Her beauty, and in every hour and place
Makes my heart high and glad, so to embrace
Her soul with mine, joy that I may not lose.
Mine was the choice, but thine shall be the praise.
Thanks be to thee who mad'st me her to choose.
O now, Love, into whose dominion
I yield my heart, vouchsafe my service space
That to my lady I suffice alone,
Being all hers, and that her beauteous face
And her regard that doth all pain erase,
Bend pitying on me and not refuse
Her tender eyes; I ask no other grace.
Thanks be to thee, who mad'st me her to choose.
Ah, God of Love, ere that I run my race,
Vouchsafe I may alone content her, whose
I am always, in good and evil case.
Thanks be to thee, who mad'st me her to choose.
In such wise did I commune with myself, and as yet I felt not the fierce
onset of the ardent desire which assails lovers, and makes them to burn,
to grow pale, to pine away, and to fret. This was not yet come. Thus I
only bethought me at the time to consider how I might be blithe and gay,
and possess a very fine equipment and fair raiment, and give away very
freely and without stint, and behave so honourably that in all things I
might everywhere be praised of gentlefolk in such sort that my lady
might regard me with favour on account of my well-doing. Thus I desired
to perfect my conduct, and thereafter to abandon the childish ways which
until then had made me wayward, and to take heed that thoughtlessness
did not overtake me, and to learn how to have a care for that which is
worthy.
All these thoughts had I at that time, and thus I sought how, in my
bearing and conduct, I might put all this into practice. So I much
changed my ways, and now all my endeavour was to think, and to say, and
to do, that which was in every way pleasing and gracious, and on no
account to do aught that was discourteous.
And I was neither sad nor foolish, but was cheerful, happy, contented,
and prudent, and so as to become familiar with the ways of love, I took
pains to learn to sing and to dance, and also to give myself up to the
pursuit of arms, for it seemed to me that it was said truly that credit
of a surety results from the pursuit of love, of arms, and of valour.
Then forthwith I so importuned my father and my mother, that I came by
that which I sought after, the which was that I might have gold and
silver to spend freely, and that in all ways I might be richly attired;
and then I chose a device and a motto, in the which was the name of my
lady in such form that none could recognise it; and I commanded chargers
for jousting, and caused a festival to be arranged in order to make
essay at the joust, and, as I have said, other things beside did I
purpose.
So the festival was prepared, to the which many a noble lady was bidden,
but ere I had answer that my lady would come to it, I made request of
him to whom this was due, and who was distantly related to me; and he
most heartily gave consent to it, and gave me welcome to his castle. And
there I saw my lady at my leisure, but how wholly I loved her and held
her dear, I told not unto her, but my face, methinks, made it quite
manifest, for Love which, the more to arouse my passion, taught me its
devices, made me to be all silent, and to pale, and then to regain
colour, but the fair one held her peace concerning it, as if she
perceived it not, and so little did she take notice of it, that I
bethink me she in nowise perceived the cause of all that happened to me,
and that all came from love of the which she was the cause, and the one
from whom flashed the loving spark which pierced my heart which made no
complaint of it. Ne'ertheless I lived happily, and ofttimes did I see
her, and this it was that comforted my heart, the which rejoiced, and,
aside to myself, I thus addressed her whom I so loved:--