Ventadorn, Bernart de: [Can la frej' aura venta]

Can la frej' aura venta
deves vostre päis,
vejaire m'es qu'eu senta
un ven de paradis
per amor de la genta
vas cui eu sui aclis,
on ai meza m'ententa
e mo coratg' assis,
car de totas partis
per leis, tan m'atalenta!

Sol lo be que·m prezenta
sos bels olhs e·l francs vis,
que ja plus no·m cossenta,
me deu aver conquis.
no sai per que·us en menta,
car de re no·n sui fis;
mas greu m'es que·m repenta,
qued una vetz me dis
que pros om s'afortis
e malvatz s'espaventa.

De domnas m'es vejaire
que gran falhimen fan
per so car no son gaire
amat li fin aman.
eu no·n dei ges retraire
mas so qu'elas volran,
mas greu m'es c'us trichaire
a d'amor ab enjan
o plus o atretan
com cel qu'es fis amaire.

Domna, que cujatz faire
de me que vos am tan,
c'aissi·m vezets mal traire
e morir de talan?
ai! francha de bon aire,
fezetz m'un bel semblan,
tal don mos cors s'esclaire!
que mout trac gran afan,
e no·i dei aver dan,
car no m'en posc estraire.

Si no fos gens vilana
e lauzenger savai,
eu agr' amor certana;
mas so en reire·m trai.
de solatz m'es umana
can locs es ni s'eschai,
per qu'eu sai c'a sotzmana
n'aurai encara mai,
c' "astrucs sojorn e jai
e malastrucs s'afana."

Cel sui que no soana
lo be que Deus li fai,
qu'en aquella setmana
can eu parti de lai,
me dis en razo plana
que mos chantars li plai.
tot' arma crestiana
volgra agues tal jai
com eu agui et ai,
car sol d'aitan se vana.

Si d'aisso m'essertana
d'autra vetz la·n creirai;
o si que no, ja mai
no creirai crestiana.

When the cold breezes blow
out of your northern land,
then it seems that I feel
breezes from Paradise:
for the sake of the fair
one to whom I am bound;
where I've put my intent
and my heart has its seat,
and I've cut off the rest
by attraction to her.

All the good that I see:
pretty eyes, noble face,
if I'd seen nothing more
I'd have been overcome,
(I don't know why I'd lie;)
I've heard nothing from her.
I can hardly repent
for she once said to me
that the strong man stands firm
while the weak just despond.

All the ladies, it seems,
make an awful mistake,
by which true lovers are
hardly loved in return:
I'll speak freely of them,
but just that which they want;
but I don't like it much
when a trickster with traps
gets as much love or more
than the true lover does.

Lady, what will you do
with me, who love you so?
Will you treat me so ill
that I die of desire?
Ah! my good, noble one,
make your face sweet for me
so my heart brightens up,
for I suffer great pain
and I don't merit harm
for I can't get away.

If there were no base folk
and no vile slanderers
then I'd have certain love
but all these pull me back:
for it's human to care
when occasion is there;
so in secret, I know
that I'll have nothing more,
for "Good luck provides joy
while the bad provides grief."

I for one won't disdain
anything God may give,
because in the same week
I departed from there,
she said clearly to me
that she's pleased by my songs:
would that all Christian souls
might have such joy as this,
as I had and I have,
for that's all one may boast.

If she tells me of this
I'll believe her again,
and if not, I will not
believe women again.