Part II: Anglo-Norman Literary Period, part of the Middle Ages Literary Period
Part II: Anglo-Norman Literary Period, part of the Middle Ages Literary Period
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The Lay of Les Deus Amanz: The king’s daughter
IN times gone by, in Normandy,
There was told an oft-heard story,
Of two who loved one another,
And in that love died together.
A Breton lay told of that same,
The Two Lovers was its name.
For the truth is that in Neustrie,
Which we call now Normandy,
There is a mount, wondrous high,
And there it is the lovers lie.
In a place, near that mountain,
In his wisdom, there a certain
King had founded a fine city,
For the lord of Pîtres was he.
When asked he gave it a name,
Thus Pîtres he called the same.
The name indeed has endured,
Of town and castle, he was lord.
We know that country withal,
The Vale of Pîtres it is called.
The king had a lovely daughter,
Courteous, of gentle character,
And she now cheered his life
After the loss of his dear wife.
Now, many turned to murmuring;
His people unhappy with the king;
And when he heard what men said
He was troubled: she must be wed.
So he mused, and he considered
How she might yet be delivered
From every suitor for her hand.
Far and wide went his command,
That he who’d win his daughter,
Must in his arms transport her,
To the top of that mountain tall,
That lay beyond the city wall,
Must carry her there, to its crest,
Without seeking a moment’s rest.
The Lay of Les Deus Amanz: The young nobleman
AS soon as the news was known,
And throughout the country sown,
Many a youth sought, as agreed,
To do so, yet could not succeed;
Though they all gave of their best,
Not one could achieve that test.
All failed to win her; finally,
They were obliged to let her be.
Long time she remained unwed,
No man sought her for his bed.
There was a youth in that country,
He a count, handsome and free,
And he resolved to try his hand,
To outdo all others in that land.
He frequented the king’s court,
Often lingered there, in short,
Fell in love with the king’s daughter,
Thus oftentimes he sought her,
To ask that she grant him her love,
And thus her own affection prove.
Since he was noble, and courteous,
And the king prized him, she was
Inclined to give of herself, freely,
And he thanked her most humbly.
They would often speak together,
Faithfully they loved each other,
And did all in their power to hide
Their love, all trace of it denied.
To endure so was full troubling,
But giving thought to the thing
He thought it better to so suffer,
Than to be hasty, and so lose her.
He waited long thus for her love.
The Lay of Les Deus Amanz: A stratagem
ONE day his thoughts did so move
In that direction, he approached her,
Being prudent, and a noble lover,
And revealed to her his distress,
Then, in anguish, made this request,
That she away with him should flee,
That he might not so troubled be.
For if he asked her of her father,
He well-knew that he so loved her,
He would never grant her to him,
Except he please her father’s whim,
And bear her up the mountain-side.
Then the maid quietly replied:
‘Friend, I know that al