Car vostre dous, riant, vair oueil
Et vostre simple chiere
Et vostre gracïeus acueil,
Plein de plaisant maniere,
Ont fait par leur puissance
Que m’amour, m’esperence,
Ma joie, ma plaisence
Et toute ma fiance
Maint en vous seulement.

Hé, dame de vaillance,
[Vostre douce samblance
M’a pris sans deffiance,
Mais au penre sans lance
M’a navré durement.]

Autrement ne vous puis mon vueil
Dire, ma dame chiere,
Pour ce que quant descouvrir vueil
M’amour et ma priere,
Paour me fait deffense
De dire ma grevance
Et Desdains, qui se lance
En vous, vostre presence
Par Dangier me deffent.

Hé, dame de vaillance,
[Vostre douce samblance
M’a pris sans deffiance,
Mais au penre sans lance
M’a navré durement.]

Si que, tres belle sans orgueil
Que j’aim d’amour entiere,
Pour vous si grant doleur recueil,
Quant einsi m’estes fiere,
Que je sui en doubtance
D’estre en desesperence.
Et si sui en balance
De morir, s’aligence
N’ay de vous temprement.

Hé, dame [de vaillance,
Vostre douce samblance
M’a pris sans deffiance,
Mais au penre sans lance
M’a navré durement.]

Guillaume de Machaut (c1300-1377)

For your soft, smiling grey eyes
And your demure demeanor
And your gracious welcome,
So full of your pleasant way,
Have through their power made it happen
That the love I have, the hope,
The joy, the cheerfulness,
As well as all my trust
Remain with you alone.

Hey there, worthy lady!
Your sweet appearance
Has taken me without a fight,
But, in this capture, wounded me
Gravely without a lance.

There’s no other way I can tell you,
My lady dear, what I want,
Since when the urge to reveal
My love to you in my pleading,
Fear prevents me from saying
To you what misery is mine,
And Disdain, which rises up
In you, keeps me away from you
Through Haughtiness.

Hey there, worthy lady!
Your sweet appearance
Has taken me without a fight,
But, but in this capture, wounded me
Gravely without a lance.

And so, lady so beautiful and unprideful,
Whom I love with a love complete,
On your account I experience so great a pain
When you act disdainfully to me in this way
That I then fear slipping
Into desperation.
And so I am in danger
Of dying, if I receive
No comfort from you soon.

Hey there, worthy lady!
Your sweet appearance
Has taken me without a fight,
But, but in this capture, wounded me
Gravely without a lance.

English: R Barton Palmer © 2016