The Romance of the Rose or of Guillaume de Dole

Regina Psaki

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2019
• ISBN:
  9780429627224
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Letteratura
• Subtopic: Collezioni letterarie europee

Published in 1995: The author of at least two noteworthy romances of the early thirteenth century, Le Roman de la Rose or Guillaume de Dole and L'Escoufle (The Kite), as well as Le Lai de l'Ombre, Jean Renart is today recognized as the most accomplished practitioner of the "realistic romance" in Old French literature.

JEAN RENART

THE ROMANCE OF THE ROSE
OR OF GUILLAUME DE DOLE
(ROMAN DE LA ROSE OU DE
GUILLAUME DE DOLE)

Cil qui mist cest [con]teen roma[n]s ouil

a fet noter biaus cha[n]s

por ramenbrance des cha[n]cons

veut q[ue] ses pris et ses renons 4

voist en rainciens en cha[m]paigne

et q[ue] libiaus miles lapregne

D e nantuel uns des preus del regne

c ar aussi co[m] lenmet la g[ra]ine 8

E s d[ra]s por avoir los et pris

E insi ail chans et sons mis

E n cestui romans de larose

Q ui est une novele chose 12

et sest des autres si divers

et brodez p[ar] lieus de biaus vers

Q ue vilains nel porroit savoir

c e sachiez de fi et devoir 16

b ien a cist les autres passez

I anuls niert deloir lassez

c ar sen vieult len i chante et lit

et sest fez par si grant delit 20

Q [ue] tuit cil sen esioiront

Q [ui] chanter et lire lorront

Q [ui]l lor sera nouviaus toz iors

I l [con]te darmes et damors 24

et chante dambedeus ensamble

S est avis a chascun et samble

Q [ue] cil qui a fet les romans

Q [ui]l trovast toz les moz des chans 28

S iafierent aceuls del [con]te

S i [con]mence ici son [con]te.

E n lempire ouli alemant

ont este maint ior et maint an 32

S i co[m] li [con]tes dit segnor

o t iadisunemp[er]eor

c orras ot no[n] dep[ar] sonpere

Q ui devant lui fu emp[er]ere 36

m [ou]t le tindre[n]t les genz a preu

N e vos avroie hui [con]te preu

Q uels ho[m] il fu came porroie

o nqes au g[ra]nt siege de troie 40

N othome si bien entechie

S ihai mout vilain pechie

et en este mengier a fu

The one who put this tale into Romance *

and had beautiful lyrics written in it

for remembrance of those songs

wants his praise and renown 4

to go to Reims in Champagne,

and for the fair Milon de Nanteuil,

one of the nobles of the realm, to learn of it.

For just as people put scarlet dye 8

into cloth to earn praise and fame,

so has this author put lyrics and music

into this Romance of the Rose,

which is something quite new 12

and altogether different from the others,

embroidered in places with fair verses

that an uncultivated man would not recognize.

You may be very sure that 16

this romance surpasses the others by far.

No one will ever tire of hearing it,

for, if you want, you can sing and read it;

and it is so delightfully composed 20

that all who hear it sung and read

will take pleasure in it,

for it will always be new to them.

It tells of arms and of love, 24

and sings of both together;

and it will seem to everyone

that he who wrote the romance

also composed all the words of the songs, 28

so well do they fit those of the story.

And here he begins his tale.

In the empire where the Germans

have lived many a day and a year, 32

as the story goes, lords, there was once an emperor.

He was named Conrad, after his father

who was emperor before him. 36

He was considered very valiant;

at the end of a day I wouldn’t have finished

telling you what kind of man he was, for I couldn’t.

Not even at the great siege of Troy 40

was there such an accomplished man;

he hated base sin, and sitting at home

to eat by the fire in summer. *

d es cele hore queil nez fu 44

N oi nuls issir...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Original Copyright
• Table of Contents
• Introduction
• Notes to the Introduction
• Select Bibliography
• The Romance of the Rose or of Guillaume de Dole
• Notes
• Appendix: Lyric and Other Insertions