Now, loyal lovers, may the God of Love
Grant that your sweethearts you may all enjoy!
If you can understand what I shall say,
You'll hear the baying dogs pursue the hare
You seek yourself; the ferret you will see,
Which, without fail, shall make the rabbit jump
Into the snare. If what I say you note,
You'll know sufficiently the Art of Love;
And if you chance to find obscurity
I'll throw a light upon the troublous point
When I elucidate the dream, and gloss
Upon the text. Then you will know enough,
If anyone objections interpose,
Wisely to answer him in Love's behalf.
By what I then will write you'll understand
What I've already written and shall write.
But ere you listen further to my tale
I'll now defend myself a little while
Against the evil-minded folk; nor strive
To swindle you, but to protect myself.
Sir lovers, I beseech, by Love's sweet game,
That, if you here find words that seem unwise
Or bawdy, whereof scandalmongering tongues
Might make occasion to say slanderous things
Of us because of what we have to tell,
You'll courteously gainsay their criticism.
And when you shall have stopped their calumny,
Denied their charges, and reproved their speech,
If still there shall remain some words of mine
For which I rightfully should pardon beg,
I pray that you will make excuse for them
And make response to critics, as for me,
That they are necessary to the tale,
Which leads me to the words by its own traits.
This is the reason why I use such words.
According to the good authority
Of Sallust, this procedure is correct
And proper, as he tells us in these lines:
" Although the glory cannot be the same
Of him who did the deeds and him who wrote
Descriptions of the deeds within a book
As best he could to chronicle the truth,
Yet is the latter of no light renown,
For 'tis no easy thing to write things well.
If he who writes would neither maim the truth
Nor puzzle you, then he must make his tale
Have likeness to the facts; the neighbor words
Should be at least the cousins of the deeds. "
Thus must I speak if the right path I'd tread.
So, worthy women, whether maids or wives,
Heart free or bound in love, I pray you all,
If you have found some words included here
That seem malicious or satirical
Against the ways of womankind, that you
Will not blame me therefor, nor scorn my book,
Which is but written for instruction's sake.
For certainly I have not said one thing,
Nor would I say, in drunkenness or ire
Or hate or envy, 'gainst a living dame;
Since no man but the vilest of the vile
Would have the heart a woman to despise.
Men write such things that you and I may have
Acquaintance with ourselves and know the truth
When we find you and me described in books.
And furthermore, most honorable dames,
If you think I say things that are not true,
Say not I lie, but search authorities
Who've written in their books what I have said
And shall. In no respect speak I untruth
Unless wise men who wrote the ancient books
Were lying, too. They all agree with me
When manners feminine they chronicle;
Nor were they drunken fools when thus they wrote.
'Twas by experience they knew the ways
Of women, and they found them proven thus
In many an age; so you should pardon me.
I but repeat their words; though for my game,
Which costs you little, I additions make
As all the poets have been wont to do
To order matters which they're pleased to treat.
For, as their writings prove, their only aim
Is to delight and profit those who read.
And if some folk against me make complaint
As troubled and upset because they feel
That them I criticized when I composed
The chapter which contains False Seeming's words
And so conspire to shame or punish me
Because those words have given them some grief,
I here declare 'twas never my intent
To speak against a single living man
Who follows Holy Church, nor one who leads
A life devoted to religious works,
Whatever robe he wears. I bend my bow,
And, sinner that I am, at random speed
My arrow, finding lodgment where it will,
To wound those faithless folk, cleric or lay,
Whom Jesus Christ condemned as hypocrites,
Many of whom, to seem the more sincere,
Forswear the use of flesh at any time
As food, and this their penitence they call,
Abstaining thus as we in Lent abstain;
Yet they devour their neighbors with the teeth
Of foul detraction, with a bad intent.
They are the only butt at which I shoot;
Would that my darts in them might find their mark!
My volley's aimed at them, but if it chance
That someone else before the target sits
And wilfully receives an arrow wound,
Misled by pride, when he might dodge the shaft,
And then complains because I've injured him,
It would not be my fault though he should die;
For I can hit no one who well knows how
To look to his estate and ward the blow.
And those who feel the damage of my steel
Will soon recover from the wound if they
Cease to be hypocrites. And howsoe'er
Men feign nobility and therefore make
Complaint of me, I make this my defense,
That never, to my knowledge, have I said,
However much they may deny my claim,
One word for which I cannot give good proof,
To those to whom it may distasteful be,
By reasoning or by good evidence.
If Holy Church can find a single word
Which she may foolish deem, I ready stand
To make amends, if they will satisfy
Whenever she may deign to fix a fitting time.
Grant that your sweethearts you may all enjoy!
If you can understand what I shall say,
You'll hear the baying dogs pursue the hare
You seek yourself; the ferret you will see,
Which, without fail, shall make the rabbit jump
Into the snare. If what I say you note,
You'll know sufficiently the Art of Love;
And if you chance to find obscurity
I'll throw a light upon the troublous point
When I elucidate the dream, and gloss
Upon the text. Then you will know enough,
If anyone objections interpose,
Wisely to answer him in Love's behalf.
By what I then will write you'll understand
What I've already written and shall write.
But ere you listen further to my tale
I'll now defend myself a little while
Against the evil-minded folk; nor strive
To swindle you, but to protect myself.
Sir lovers, I beseech, by Love's sweet game,
That, if you here find words that seem unwise
Or bawdy, whereof scandalmongering tongues
Might make occasion to say slanderous things
Of us because of what we have to tell,
You'll courteously gainsay their criticism.
And when you shall have stopped their calumny,
Denied their charges, and reproved their speech,
If still there shall remain some words of mine
For which I rightfully should pardon beg,
I pray that you will make excuse for them
And make response to critics, as for me,
That they are necessary to the tale,
Which leads me to the words by its own traits.
This is the reason why I use such words.
According to the good authority
Of Sallust, this procedure is correct
And proper, as he tells us in these lines:
" Although the glory cannot be the same
Of him who did the deeds and him who wrote
Descriptions of the deeds within a book
As best he could to chronicle the truth,
Yet is the latter of no light renown,
For 'tis no easy thing to write things well.
If he who writes would neither maim the truth
Nor puzzle you, then he must make his tale
Have likeness to the facts; the neighbor words
Should be at least the cousins of the deeds. "
Thus must I speak if the right path I'd tread.
So, worthy women, whether maids or wives,
Heart free or bound in love, I pray you all,
If you have found some words included here
That seem malicious or satirical
Against the ways of womankind, that you
Will not blame me therefor, nor scorn my book,
Which is but written for instruction's sake.
For certainly I have not said one thing,
Nor would I say, in drunkenness or ire
Or hate or envy, 'gainst a living dame;
Since no man but the vilest of the vile
Would have the heart a woman to despise.
Men write such things that you and I may have
Acquaintance with ourselves and know the truth
When we find you and me described in books.
And furthermore, most honorable dames,
If you think I say things that are not true,
Say not I lie, but search authorities
Who've written in their books what I have said
And shall. In no respect speak I untruth
Unless wise men who wrote the ancient books
Were lying, too. They all agree with me
When manners feminine they chronicle;
Nor were they drunken fools when thus they wrote.
'Twas by experience they knew the ways
Of women, and they found them proven thus
In many an age; so you should pardon me.
I but repeat their words; though for my game,
Which costs you little, I additions make
As all the poets have been wont to do
To order matters which they're pleased to treat.
For, as their writings prove, their only aim
Is to delight and profit those who read.
And if some folk against me make complaint
As troubled and upset because they feel
That them I criticized when I composed
The chapter which contains False Seeming's words
And so conspire to shame or punish me
Because those words have given them some grief,
I here declare 'twas never my intent
To speak against a single living man
Who follows Holy Church, nor one who leads
A life devoted to religious works,
Whatever robe he wears. I bend my bow,
And, sinner that I am, at random speed
My arrow, finding lodgment where it will,
To wound those faithless folk, cleric or lay,
Whom Jesus Christ condemned as hypocrites,
Many of whom, to seem the more sincere,
Forswear the use of flesh at any time
As food, and this their penitence they call,
Abstaining thus as we in Lent abstain;
Yet they devour their neighbors with the teeth
Of foul detraction, with a bad intent.
They are the only butt at which I shoot;
Would that my darts in them might find their mark!
My volley's aimed at them, but if it chance
That someone else before the target sits
And wilfully receives an arrow wound,
Misled by pride, when he might dodge the shaft,
And then complains because I've injured him,
It would not be my fault though he should die;
For I can hit no one who well knows how
To look to his estate and ward the blow.
And those who feel the damage of my steel
Will soon recover from the wound if they
Cease to be hypocrites. And howsoe'er
Men feign nobility and therefore make
Complaint of me, I make this my defense,
That never, to my knowledge, have I said,
However much they may deny my claim,
One word for which I cannot give good proof,
To those to whom it may distasteful be,
By reasoning or by good evidence.
If Holy Church can find a single word
Which she may foolish deem, I ready stand
To make amends, if they will satisfy
Whenever she may deign to fix a fitting time.