Irisbleu, have you seen this?
Jan. 26th, 2005 11:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rymenhildFrom the twelfth-century romance Cliges, by Chretien de Troyes (and no, I cannot work accents, so sorry):
The Greek prince Alexander arrives at the court of King Arthur. Everyone likes him, but Gawain likes him more than the rest:
Nis mes sire Gauvains tant l'aime
Qu'ami et compeignon le claime.
[Sir Gawain loved him so much that he claimed him as an ami (friend, sort of) and companion.]
The love, sadly, is not to proceed, for Gawain's sister Soredamors (what a horrible name!) falls desperately in love with Alexander. She is quite concerned about what her brother will think about this:
Mais molt covient qu'ele se gart
De mon seignor Gauvain son frere.
[But she takes very great care to guard [the knowledge of her love] from my lord Gawain, her brother.]
It turns out that Alexander loves Soredamors as much as Soredamors loves Alexander; both of them can be found descolorer et enpalir / et soupirer et tressaillir [discoloring, turning pale, sighing and trembling]. Falling in love is really painful. Guinevere, who is on the same boat with Soredamors and Alexander, doesn't realize that they are afflicted with love -- she interprets the symptoms as seasickness. Insert large quantity of puns on the sea (la mer), love (l'amor), the verb "to love" (amer) and severe pain (amers) here. Insert several thousand more lines about Love. Finally, Alexander and Soredamors marry and have a son, whose name is Cliges. Gawain approves the marriage. Nothing more is said about Gawain's companionship with Alexander, alas.
The Greek prince Alexander arrives at the court of King Arthur. Everyone likes him, but Gawain likes him more than the rest:
Nis mes sire Gauvains tant l'aime
Qu'ami et compeignon le claime.
[Sir Gawain loved him so much that he claimed him as an ami (friend, sort of) and companion.]
The love, sadly, is not to proceed, for Gawain's sister Soredamors (what a horrible name!) falls desperately in love with Alexander. She is quite concerned about what her brother will think about this:
Mais molt covient qu'ele se gart
De mon seignor Gauvain son frere.
[But she takes very great care to guard [the knowledge of her love] from my lord Gawain, her brother.]
It turns out that Alexander loves Soredamors as much as Soredamors loves Alexander; both of them can be found descolorer et enpalir / et soupirer et tressaillir [discoloring, turning pale, sighing and trembling]. Falling in love is really painful. Guinevere, who is on the same boat with Soredamors and Alexander, doesn't realize that they are afflicted with love -- she interprets the symptoms as seasickness. Insert large quantity of puns on the sea (la mer), love (l'amor), the verb "to love" (amer) and severe pain (amers) here. Insert several thousand more lines about Love. Finally, Alexander and Soredamors marry and have a son, whose name is Cliges. Gawain approves the marriage. Nothing more is said about Gawain's companionship with Alexander, alas.
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no subject
Date: 2005-01-27 12:07 am (UTC)I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed reading Old French. *wanders happily away to read more Chretien*
no subject
Date: 2005-01-27 12:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-01-27 12:14 am (UTC)Could you imagine not ever having to see the name "Lancelot" again? Wouldn't that be wonderful?
No offense, Chretien. Sorry. Sorry.
no subject
Date: 2005-01-27 12:15 am (UTC)I've offended so many dead dudes by now that I don't bother to apologize anymore.