Guigemar

Marie de France (fl. late twelfth century) is the earliest known

French woman poet, and her lais are among the finest examples of

the genre.

Lais are short stories in verse based on Breton t~ales,depicting a

moment of crisis in a love relation always intense and refined, and

often far more complicated than our received view of courtly love

might lead us to suppose. The loversare Ilq{,always timid for

example, nor are the ladies necessarily unh1Ppily married. Modern

readers will find Marie's forceful and res6(jrceful h6.r;OW~Sand her

undoctrinairc approach to love immensely sympathetic, while her

contemporary audience, the English court and P!antagenet royal

family, must have seen their own adventures mirrored here, for

although there is a fairy-taleatmosphere the protagonists ate

undeniably human. 'Suffering from what is often called love is

present in every [ai,' one critic has observed, 'but the means of

overcoming this suffering is beautifully and subtly illustrated.'

Fat this new edition, Glyn Burgess and Keith Busby have included

two new lais in the original Old French, Lanual and Chevrefoil,

and an updated and expandedBibliography.

GUIGEMAR

Whoever has good material for a story is grieved if the tale is not

well told. Hear, my lords, the words of Marie, who, when she has

the opportunity, does not squander her talents. Those who gain a

good reputation should be commended, but when there exists in a

country a man or woman of great renown, people who are envious

of their abilities frequentlyspeak insultingly of them in order to

damage this reputation. Thus they start acting like a vicious,

cowardly, treacherous dog which will bite others out of malice.

But just because spiteful tittle- tattlers attempt to find fault with

me I do not intend to give up. They have a right to make slanderous remarks.

I shall relate briefly to you stories which I know to be true and

fromwhich the Bretons have composed their lays. After these

opening words I shall recount to you, just as it has been set down

in writing, an adventure which happened in Brittany long ago.

[1-26J

At that time Hoilas ruled the land, which was as often at war as

at peace. The king had a baron who was lord of Liun. His name

was Oridial and he enjoyed the confidence of his lord. He was abrave and valiant knight and his wife had borne him two children,

a son and a beautiful daughter. The girl's name was Noguent and

the boy was called Guigemar. There: was no more handsome young

man in the kingdom. His mother cherished him greatly and his

father loved him dearly. As soon as he could bear to part with the

boy, his father placed him in the service of another king.The

young man was wise, brave and loved by everyone. When the

time came that he had reached the right age and maturity of

mind, the king dubbed him nobly and gave him whatever armour

he desired. He left the court, dispensing lavish gifts before he

departed, and went off to Flanders, where one could always find

war and strife, in search of renown. At that time no one could find44THE LAIS OF MARIE DE FRANCE

his equal as a knight, be it in Lorraine, Burgundy, Anjou or

Gascony. [27-56] But Nature had done him such a grievous wrong

that he never displayed the slightest interest in love. There was no

lady or maiden on earth, however noble or beautiful, who would

not have been happy to accept him as her lover, if he had sought

her love. Women frequently madeadvances to him, but he was

indifferent to them. He showed no visible interest in love and was

thus considered a lost cause by stranger and friend alike.

At the height of his fame this noble knight returned to his

homeland to see his father and his lord, his loving mother and his

sister, who had aU longed for his return. He had spent a month

with them, I think, when the fancy...