Accidents d'amor: 10. De la consolació de la dona d'amor
The Lady's Lament
The lady of love weeps for her lost friend, lamenting that without good and great loving she cannot be pleasing to the Beloved.
Goodness and Greatness came to console the lady of love, who had lost her friend. She was weeping and saying these words: 'Ah, wretched and afflicted! When will the time come when I'll have as good and as great a love in a lover as good, great, and loyal as this friend I've lost, who died for me?'1 For without good and great love I can't be good or great, nor pleasing to the Beloved; and when I have little love I'm idle, and that idleness torments me severely and makes me bad and full of evil and false thoughts. But when my friend was alive, I had in him such good and great love that day and night I continued to have good and great thoughts, and I longed to do great goods for my Beloved.
Consolation of Goodness and Greatness
Goodness and Greatness console the lady by explaining that the Beloved needs many good and great lovers, and that her friend died well; she should raise up a new lover so that the Beloved and she may be accompanied in glory.
Love, said Greatness and Goodness: your Beloved is very good and great, and for that reason He needs to have many good and great lovers, for2 one3 A good and great lover is not enough to love Him; and for that reason you should not grieve or be disconsolate over the death of your friend, for he has died very well and with great honor to you and to the Beloved, who in glory does great good to his soul. And the Beloved wants you to raise up4 one5 another new lover, through whom He may be loved as much as through this one for whom you sigh and weep, and that that one may make as good a life and death as this one, and that you may make of him6 one7 another, and so successively from one8 good and great lover to another, so that the Beloved and you may be accompanied in glory by many good and great lovers.
Consolation of Duration and Power
Duration and Power remind the lady that she is full of duration and power, so she can make a new lover fall in love and make his loving endure in goodness, wisdom, and virtue.
2. Duration and Power came to console the lady of love, and they said these words to her: In the questions under the rubric of glory and of love, in the first paragraph, one reads that the Friend put a question to you when he asked you what you are full of; and you answered the Friend, telling him that you are full of duration and of the power of love; and therefore, since you are full, by your power you can make fall in love9 one new lover of your Beloved, and that you make his loving endure, so that he may multiply his love in greatness of goodness, wisdom, and virtue. And therefore, Love, said Power and Duration, for the goods and the values that are in you, you ought to rejoice and console yourself, and to gladden us, who have sadness and languor because of your tears and sorrows.
Consolation of Wisdom and Will
Wisdom and Will console the lady by citing earlier chapters on the philosophy of love and the beginning of love, urging her to take comfort so that she may nurture many lovers.
3. Love was silent and held her head bowed, and the consolations that Goodness, Greatness, Duration, and Power spoke to her were of no use against her sorrows and languors; and then Wisdom and Will came, wanting to console the lady of love with these words: It is read in the10 viii.11 chapter of the questions of wisdom and love, that the friend asked the Beloved whether he loved the philosophy of love as much as that of wisdom; and the Beloved answered that he was as worthy to be loved through the philosophy of love as to be known through the philosophy of wisdom. And in the rubric of will and love, in the12 vii.13 chapter, ladies of love asked the friend what made loving begin in his will; and the friend answered that forgetting love's hardships and desiring the Beloved made him begin to love, and by that he loved his Beloved.14 And for this reason, Love, said Wisdom and Will, you must take comfort, so that with joy and consolation you may make many lovers, in whom loving cannot begin with sadness or pain, but only with the consolation of friend and Beloved; and if you do not console yourself, and stay fixed in grieving your friend's death, how will you love or nurture another lover? You will not know how to love, nor how to begin love in any lover; for you will have grown so used to weeping that you will not be able to rejoice, nor leave sadness and pain behind.1516
Consolation of Virtue and Truth
Virtue and Truth console the lady by reminding her that the Beloved does as he wills with his own, and that true love is for the Beloved's goodness, not for reward; the lady's heart is lifted but she still weeps.
4. Virtue and Truth came to console the lady of love, who was weeping for her Lover, and they said to her: 'Love,' said Virtue, 'in the rubric of Virtue and Love, in the first chapter, lovers asked the Beloved and the Lover what their friendship lived on; and the Beloved and the Lover answered that it lived on comfort and pleasure.' And therefore, Love, you shouldn't weep or be sad over what the Beloved has done with his Lover; because he did it according to his will, since the Lover belonged to him, and he does with what is his whatever he wants, just as you do with your cloak.17 'Love,' said Truth, 'read in the rubric of the questions of Truth and Love, in the first chapter: "The Lover asked his Beloved why he had so few people in his glory, and so many in hell"; and the Beloved told the Lover to seek the solution to the question in his condition, in the rubric of Truth and Love, in the first chapter, where the Lover found that the Beloved has so few people in glory and so many in hell because most people in this world love his true glory falsely—for they love it more so that they may have it and escape hell than for the goodness and nobility of the Beloved, to see, honor, and praise him.'1819 And therefore, Love,' said Truth, 'you look like one of the false lovers, because you won't take comfort in the Beloved; since whoever loves him for his goodness, truth, and virtue has the fullness of every good and lacks nothing—a lack you seem to have, since you won't stop crying and won't let yourself be consoled; and it seems you think that God and his goodness can't be enough for you.'20 The words Virtue and Truth had spoken to her greatly lifted the lady of love's heart, and she was afraid her Beloved would be displeased with her lack of consolation; yet she couldn't stop weeping for and mourning her Lover, who had died for her love.
Admonitions of the Accidents of Love
A series of short sayings from the accidents of love—Glory, Difference, Concordance, Contrariety, Beginning, Middle, End, Majority, Equality, Minority, and the Pages—each admonishing the lady to have patience, comfort, and joy in the Beloved's will.
5. Love, said Glory: whoever doesn't take comfort in the Beloved's will cannot be with him in glory.21 - 6. The difference between the lover and the beloved told Love that the lover did not seem to take as much joy in the hardships he endured for love as in the pleasures he had through love.22 7. "Love," said Concordance, "since the lover's soul is in concordance with his beloved in paradise, why, under you in this world, is it contrary to the beloved and the lover?"23 8. Love, said Contrariety: anyone who has no patience under the Beloved's will is toiling with me against the Beloved. 9. Love, Beginning said: you who begin to love with pleasure and comfort, don't let yourselves die in toil and sorrow.24 10. The Middle of Lover and Beloved told Love that he would not carry her greetings to her beloved unless she had patience and comfort in everything the beloved does.25 11. End told Love that she would not be his rest, since she took no joy in the works of her Beloved.2627 12. Majority told Love that the one who suffers greater harm can have greater merit through consolation. 13. Love, said Equality: she doesn't know how to equalize the goods and the evils she has for the Beloved—she who neither wants to take comfort nor to have patience.28 14. Minority said to Love that she wanted to be her neighbor and cousin, since she had impatience.293031 15. The pages of love told Love that they didn't want to serve a lady who would laugh at the very things she cries over.3233
The Lady's Acceptance
The lady of love realizes that she has lost more by being disconsolate than by the Lover's death, and she chooses consolation and pleasure in everything her Beloved wills.
16. The roots and the pages said many other words to Love, so that she would be consoled; and the lady of love said that she had lost more by being left without consolation than by the Lover's death; and for that reason she wanted consolation and pleasure in everything her Beloved wills.34 a eiiCs a e à: e eeiíCs a a) wi». Jí Vjc Jí Jv Jí Ji» «(w iV . fw jte juv u(w
Read the original Catalan
BoNEA e granea vengren consolar la dona damor qui avia' perdut son amic; la qual dona plorava e dehia aquestes paraules: Ha, lassa marridal Quan serà aquel temps en que jo auré tan bo, tan gran amar en tan bo e gran e tan leyal amador, com avia en aquest amic que he perdut e es mort per mi! Car jo sens bo e gran amar no pusc ésser bona ni gran, ni agradable al amat; e con he petit amar estag ociosa, la qual ociositat me trebayla fortment, em fa ésser mala e plena de males e de falses cogitacions. Mas con mon amic era viu, jo avia en él tan bo e tan gran amar, que de dia e de nit estava en bones e grans cogitacions, e desirava grans bens far per mon amat. Amor, dixeren granea e bontat: vostre amat es molt bo e gran, e per aysò requer haver molts e bons e grans amadors, car . j. bo e gran amador no abasta a él amar; e per aysò vos nous deuets entristar ni ésser desconsolada per la mort de vostre amic, car molt be es mort e ab gran honor de vos e de lamat, qui en glòria fa gran be a la sua ànima. E lamat vol que vos nodrescats . j.
altre novel amador, per qui sia tant amat com per aquest per qui vos suspirats e plorats, e que aquel fassa aytan bona vida e mort com aquest, e quen fassats . j. altre, e enaxí successivament de . j. bo e gran amador a altre, per so que lamat e vos siats en glòria acompanyats de molts bons e grans amadors.
2. Duració e poder vengren consolar la dona d amor, a la qual dixeren aquestes paraules: Bn les qüestions de la rúbrica de glòria e damor, al primer paragrafi, se lig que lamic vos feu qüestió can vos demanà vos de que estats plena; e vos reposés al amic, al qual dixés que vos estats plena de duració e de poder damor; e per aysò, pusquen sots plena, per vostre poder podets enamorar . j. novel amador de vostre amat, e que li fassats durar son amar, per so que montiplic sa amor en granea de bontat saviea e vertut. E per aysò, amor, dixeren poder e duració, per los bens e les valors qui son en vos, deuets vos alegrar e consolarvos, e alegrar nosaltres, qui avem tristicia e langors per los vostres plors e dolors.
3. Calava amor e tenia son cap enclí, e no valien a ses dolors e langors les consolacions que li deihen bonea granea duració e poder; e adones vengren saviea e volentat, qui volien consolar la dona de amor ab aquestes paraules; Ligse al . viij. capítol de les qüestions de saviea e amor, que lamic demanà al amat si amava aitant filosofia damor com de saviea; e lamat respòs que aitant digne era que fos amat per filosofia damor, com conegut per filosofia de saviea. E en la rúbrica de volentat e amor, al . vij. capítol, dones damor demanaren a lamic, qui faiha comensar en, sa volentat amar; e lamic respòs que ublidar los trebayls damor e desirar lamat li faihen comensar amar ab que amava son amat. E per aysò, amor, dixercn saviea e volentat, a consolar vos cove, per so que ab alegre e solàs fassats molts amadors, en qui no pot comensar amar ab tristor ni dolor, mas ab solàs d amic e d amat; e si vos nous consolats, e estats en desamar la mort de vostre amich, con volrets amar ni nodrir altre amador, no sabrets amar nií sabrets comensar en negú amador; car tant vos serets acustumada en plorar, que no us porets alegrar ni porets de tristicia e dolor ixir.
4. Vertut e veritat vengren consolar la dona damor qui plorava son amic, a la qual dixeren aquestes paraules: Amor, dix vertut: a la rúbrica de vertut e damor, al primer capítol, demanaren amadors al amat e amic de que vivia lur amistat; e l amat e lamic resposeren que de solàs e plaer. E per so, vos, amor, no deuets plorar ni aver tristor de so que ha fet lamat de son amic; car ell nà fet a sa volentat, car seu era, e fa del seu so ques vol, en axí com vos de vostre mantel. Amor, dix veritat, ligse a la rúbrica de qüestions de veritat e amor, al primer capítol: «Demanà lamic a son amat per que avia tan pocs homes en la sua glòria, e tants en infern»; e lamat dix al amic que sercàs la solució de la qüestió a la sua condició, en la rúbrica de veritat e damor, al primer capítol, en qui lamic atrobà que lamat ha tan pocs homes en glòria e tants en infern, per so car los demés homens d aquest mon amen falsament la sua vera glòria; car més la amen per so que la pusquen aver e esquivar infern, que per la bonea e noblea de lamat a veer' onrar e loar. E per aysò, vos, amor, dix veritat, fets semblant que siats dels falses amadors, per so car nous consolats cn lamat; car qui él ama per sa bontat veritat e vertut, de tot be ha compliment e no ha de res freitura, la qual fretura par que vos ajats en so que nous lexats de plorar nius volets consolar; e par que vos pensets que Deus e sa bontat a vos no pusca abastar. Molt puyiren lo cor de la dona d amor les paraules que li agren dites vertut e veritat, e ac paor que de la sua desconsolació fos despagat son amat; emperò nos poc estar de plorar ni de plànyer son amic qui era mort per sa amor.
5. Amor, dix glòria: qui nos consola per la volentat del amat, no pot ab él estar en glòria. -
6. A lamor dix differencia damic e damat, que no semblava lamic, qui aytan salegrava per los trebayls que sostenia per amor,' com per los plaers que avia per amor.
7. Amor, dix concordansa: pus que l ànima de lamic ha concordansa en paraís ab son amat, per que sots vos en est mon contraria al amat e lamic?
8. Amor, dix contrarietat: qui no ha paciència sots la volentat de lamat, ab mi està en trebayl contra lamat.
9. Amor, dix comensament: vos qui comensats lamar ab plaer e solàs, noF fassats morir en trebayl e tristor.
10. Mejà damic e damat dix a lamor que él no portaria saluts deia a son amat, si no avia pasciencia e conort en tot so que fa lamat.
11. Fi dix a lamor que ela no seria son repòs, pus que no salegrava de les obres de son amat.
12. Majoritat dix a lamor que aquel pot aver major mèrit per consolació, qui pren major dampnatge.
13. Amor, dix egaltat: no sab egalar los bens els mals que ha per lamat, qui nos vol consolar ni pasciencia aver.
14. Menoritat dix a lamorque ela volia ésser sa veína e cusina pus que avia impasciencia.
15. Los donzels damor dixeren a lamor, que éls no volien servir dona qui de so per que plora deuria riure.
16. Moltes daltres paraules dixeren les rails els donzcls a lamor, per so qucs consolàs; e la dona damor dix que ela avia més perdut per ésser desconsolada, que per la mort de lamic; e per aysò volia aver consolació e plaer de tot so que vol son amat. a eiiCs a e à: e eeiíCs a a) wi». Jí Vjc Jí Jv Jí Ji» «(w iV . fw jte juv u(w
Notes
- 1 ↩BoNEA normalized as personified Goodness (Bonea); marridal read as marrida ('afflicted/wretched'), with likely missing punctuation before Quan.
- 2 ↩Clause is truncated after car .; continuous sense resumes through s5–s6 as 'for one good and great lover is not enough to love Him'.
- 3 ↩Medieval numeral j. = 1 (‘one’), matching the same abbreviation pattern in neighboring sections; joins s4–s6 as ‘for one good and great lover…’.
- 4 ↩Clause is truncated after nodrescats .; continuous sense resumes through s8 and the next section as ‘raise up one other new lover…’.
- 5 ↩Medieval numeral j. = 1 (‘one’); joins s7 and the following section as ‘raise up one other new lover…’.
- 6 ↩Continuation from the previous section's 'E lamat vol que vos nodrescats j.' ('And the Beloved wants you to raise one'). Subject of 'sia ... amat' is the Beloved (lamat), carried from that prior clause.
- 7 ↩Source 'j.' is the medieval numeral for 'one' (1), segmented as its own sentence; it belongs with the surrounding 'quen fassats j. altre' ('that you may make of him one other').
- 8 ↩Source 'j.' is again the numeral 'one', segmented apart from 'successivament de j. bo e gran amador a altre'.
- 9 ↩Source opens the quoted speech with "Bn"; translated as "In" (Catalan En), the expected rubric-introduction reading.
- 10 ↩Sentence ends mid-citation ('Ligse al .'); continues across s3–s4 as 'the viii. chapter…'.
- 11 ↩Roman numeral fragment from the citation 'al viij. capítol'; joins s2 and s4.
- 12 ↩Sentence ends mid-citation ('al .'); continues across s6–s7 as 'the vii. chapter…'.
- 13 ↩Roman numeral fragment from the citation 'al vij. capítol'; joins s5 and s7.
- 14 ↩Normalized text has a comma after 'en' ('comensar en, sa volentat'); read as 'començar en sa voluntat amar' = what made loving begin in his will.
- 15 ↩Normalized 'dixercn' read as 'dixeren' (they said); 'nií' read as 'ni' (nor).
- 16 ↩'desamar la mort de vostre amich' rendered as remaining fixed in grieving/refusing to accept the friend's death; alternative would be 'hating the death' in a more literal sense.
- 17 ↩"nà fet a sa volentat, car seu era" taken as: the Beloved acted by his own will because the Lover belonged to him; the cloak image then compares Love's free disposal of her own garment.
- 18 ↩Normalized "a veer' onrar e loar" read as "a veer, onrar e loar" (to see, honor, and praise); the apostrophe looks like a print/OCR fault rather than a separate word.
- 19 ↩"a la sua condició" rendered as the technical Llullian heading "his condition" within the rubric, not as a vague moral "state."
- 20 ↩Normalized "nous consolats cn lamat" read as "no us consolats en l'amat" (you do not console yourself in the Beloved); "cn" treated as a corrupted "en".
- 21 ↩Old Catalan 'nos consola' read as no·s consola ('does not console himself / take comfort'), matching the preceding section's reflexive consolation idiom (nous consolats).
- 22 ↩Personified Differència d'amic e d'amat rendered as 'Difference of lover and beloved,' matching the chapter's named accidents of love and the neighboring personified speakers (Glory, Concord).
- 23 ↩Old Catalan sots can mean either 'under' or 'you are'. Feminine contraria agrees with ànima ('soul'), so the reading 'under you … is it contrary' is preferred over 'why are you … contrary'.
- 24 ↩Source reading 'noF fassats' taken as Old Catalan 'no us façats' ('do not make/let yourselves').
- 25 ↩Old Catalan 'Mejà' (mitjà) is rendered as the personified Art root 'Middle,' matching Beginning/Middle/End elsewhere; 'damic e damat' follows the established lover/beloved pairing for amic/amat.
- 26 ↩Fi is the personified Catalan fi (end/purpose/final cause). Rendered as End to match the allegory’s named speaker; Purpose is also possible.
- 27 ↩salegrava read as s’alegrava (‘rejoiced / took joy’); the fused reflexive is the expected medieval Catalan form.
- 28 ↩Old Catalan 'nos vol consolar' read as no·s vol consolar ('does not want to take comfort / console herself'), matching the chapter's reflexive consolation idiom (cf. LlullArbreAmor.1.84.6). An alternate parse takes 'nos' as no·ns ('does not want to console us') and attaches 'qui' to 'lamat' (the Beloved).
- 29 ↩Menoritat is the personified root paired with Majoritat (Majority). Rendered Minority to keep that Art pairing; Littleness is also possible.
- 30 ↩pus que read as causal 'since/because', matching the same connective at LlullArbreAmor.1.84.12. Alternative comparative reading: 'more than she had impatience'.
- 31 ↩ela / sa most naturally: Minority wants to be Love's neighbor and cousin because Love (the grieving lady) has impatience—i.e., impatience draws Minority near. Less likely: Minority speaks of her own impatience.
- 32 ↩donzels d'amor rendered 'pages of love' to match LlullArbreAmor.1.82–1.83; 'squires of love' is also attested elsewhere in this run.
- 33 ↩de so per que plora deuria riure taken as 'ought to laugh at / for the very thing she weeps over' (relative per que = 'for which'), not causal 'because'.
- 34 ↩Reading supplied OCR 'donzcls' as 'donzels' (pages), 'qucs' as 'que·s' (that she), and 'les rails els donzels' as 'les rails e·ls donzels' (the roots and the pages), matching this work's allegory and neighboring sections.
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