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| prosody | miscellaneous |
Dirai vos senes duptansa D'aquest vers la comensansa! Li mot fan de ver semblansa! –Escoutatz!– Qui ves Proeza balansa Semblansa fai de malvatz. Jovens faill e fraing e brisa, Et Amors es d'aital guisa De totz cessals a ces prisa, –Escoutatz!– Chascus en pren sa devisa, Ja pois no·n sera cuitatz. Amors vai com la belluja Que coa·l fuec en la suja Art lo fust e la festuja, –Escoutatz!– E non sap vas qual part fuja Cel qui del fuec es gastatz. Dirai vos d'Amor com signa! De sai guarda, de lai guigna, Sai baiza, de lai rechigna, –Escoutatz!– Plus sera dreicha que ligna Quand ieu serai sos privatz. Amors soli' esser drecha, Mas er'es torta e brecha Et a coillida tal decha –Escoutatz!– Lai ou non pot mordre, lecha Plus aspramens no fai chatz. Greu sera mais Amors vera Pos del mel triet la cera Anz sap si pelar la pera! –Escoutatz!– Doussa'us er com chans de lera Si sol la coa·l troncatz. Ab diables pren barata Qui fals' Amor acoata, No·il cal c'autra verga·l bata! –Escoutatz!– Plus non sent que cel qui·s grata Tro que s'es vius escorjatz. Amors es mout de mal avi! Mil homes a mortz ses glavi, Dieus non fetz tant fort gramavi! –Escoutatz!– Que tot nesci del plus savi Non fassa, si·l ten al latz. Amors a uzatge d'ega Que tot jorn vol c'om la sega E ditz que no·l dara trega –Escoutatz!– Mas que puej de leg'en lega, Sia dejus o disnatz. Cujatz vos qu'ieu non conosca D'Amor s'es orba o losca Sos digz aplan'et entosca, –Escoutatz!– Plus suau poing qu'una mosca Mas plus greu n'es hom sanatz. Qui per sen de femna reigna Dreitz es que mals li·n aveigna, Si cum la letra·ns enseigna! –Escoutatz!– Malaventura·us en veigna Si tuich no vos en gardatz Marcabrus, fills Marcabruna, Fo engenratz en tal luna Qu'el sap d'Amor cum degruna, –Escoutatz!– Quez anc non amet neguna, Ni d'autra non fo amatz. |
I will tell you without hesitation the beginning of this piece: the words have the appearance of truth! –Listen!– He who hesitates in front of Prowess has the appearance a twisted man Youth is decayed, ruined, broken and Love is in such a way as to extol a fee from all in its power. –Listen!– Everyone should do his part, and, afterwards, he won't be exempted. Love acts like the spark that smoulders in the fire's soot then burns the wood and straw –Listen!– and then he does not know where to flee, who is consumed by fire. I'll tell you how Love acts: on one side, it looks and, on the other, it signals; here, it kisses, there, it grins. –Listen!– It will be straighter than an arrow when I'm its confident. Love used to be straight, but, today, it is twisted and chipped and has taken up the habit –Listen!– that, where it can't bite, it licks [with a] rougher [tongue] than a cat['s]. Love will hardly be sincere again since the day when it was able to separate the honey from the wax; rather, it knows well how to peel the pear! –Listen!– He is sweet to you as song of lyre only if you cut its tail. He is dealing with the devil who covets false love: he doesn't need another rod to strike him! –Listen!– He doesn't feel more than if he were scratching himself until he is skinned alive. Love is of detestable lineage: he killed a thousands of men without a sword. God did not create a more fearsome enchanter! –Listen!– It wouldn't make more of a fool from the wise if he held him in a leash. Love behaves like the mare that wants one to follow it all day and says it will not give respite –Listen!– but [wants to] be mounted, mile after mile, whether you are starving or sated. Do you think I don't know whether Love is blind or shady? His words are soothing with poison! –Listen!– his sting is gentler than a gadfly's but more difficult to cure. He who acts after the sense of a woman deserves all the ills that may befall him, as the Scripture teaches us! –Listen!– Woe to you if you do not guard yourself from it completely! Marcabru, son of Marcabruna was conceived under such a moon that he knows how love crumbles, –Listen!– for he never loved a woman nor was he ever loved by another. |
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