ANC NOS POC FAR MAJOR
ANTA ...
THOUGH THERE CAN BE NO
GREATER SHAME ...
Bertrans de Born trans. James H. Donalson
(from Provençal)
Anc nos poc far major anta
Quan m'accols
Ni mi pres en dols,
E pois el so a enquest
E platz mi donz que m'esclava
Ni que·m lais,
No m'es dans
Sils autrui enfans
Coljal meus bersols,
Qu'eu sui grans.

Fatz cors, pois ela t'enchanta,
Tu t'o cols
E fas i que fols,
Que de tot joi se desvest
E de pretz se cura e·s lava,
Per jamais
Lo bobans
Remanha el mazans,
Qu'eu o volh, si·l vols,
Dos aitans.

Lo senher de cui es Manta
E Murols
S'es prims de tersols
Tornatz, ab que sai no rest,
S eus seria, s'el anava,
Lai Roais,
Tervagans,
Aleps e Arans,
Pois feira filhols
Dels Persans.

Enaps e copa m'azanta
E orzols
D'argen e pairols
E sec ribeira e forest
E sai tolia e donava;
No·s biais
De·ls afans;
Pressas e mazans,
Guerra e tribols
L'es enans.

Entre Dordonha e Charanta
Es trop mols,
So·m dis n'Auriols,
Qu'encar re noi a conquest
E er l'anta, si·s pausava,
Qu'aissi lais
Benenans
E gortz e tirans
Cels qu'amar no sols
E poissans.

Ves mon Oc-e-No t'avanta,
Papiols,
Quar seus es Bristols
E Nortensems e Susest
E Londres e Titagava
E Carais
E Roans
E Coras e Cans
E tot a quan vol;
Sai s'eslans.

El
Bel senher truans,
Cossi nous es dols
Lo meus dans?

E2
Mariniers, enans
Es qu'anar destols
Als amans.
Though there can be no greater shame:
taking me
to give me only grief,
that I've looked into all of this:
my lady's pleased if I'm her slave
and if I let myself
it is no harm for me;
if there's another babe
my cradle is for him
I've grown up.

Since she enchants you, hold your course:
care for her,
and do as madmen do,
removing from yourself all joy
and care for fame, and shed as well,
now and for evermore
the pomp and circumstance
so only noise remains,
for I want what she wants:
two alike.

The one who's lord of Mantes now
and Moreuil
and first with tercels too,
turned back and didn't stay the course.
It would be good if he'd proceed
to go on past Urfa
and so with Termagant
and Aram and Haleb
and make the Persian folk
godchildren.

I don't like goblets or a cup,
chalices,
of silver, kettles, and
dry rivers and the forests too
and there I took and there I gave.
There's not a furtive look
for all our zealous strife:
melées and noisy clash,
war, tribulation, all
lie ahead.

Between Dordogne and Charente
it's too soft,
or so says Auriol
since he has conquered nothing yet,
and now the shame if he rests up
(for he is resting) so
he prospers happily;
such flourishers are not
so often lovers or
powerful.

Go forward to my Yea-and-Nay,
Papiol,
for Bristol-town is his,
Northamptonshire and Sussex too,
and London and Titgrave-as well,
Carhaix in Brittany,
Rouen in Normandy,
Cherbourg and Caen besides
and everything he wants,
rushing there.

E1
My fair sir vagabond,
now how do we find pain
in my wounds?

E2
Then, forward, Mariner,
for walking isolates
lovers so.

Translator's note: It is not known where Coras was, Cherbourg seems possible.

Trans. Copyright © James H. Donalson 2005


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