I. Lord Jaufre, answer me please, which love is better, in you opinion: Of two lovers, one has risen so high that he loves a noble lady of such lofty rank that he scarcely imagines he can obtain her love, but the mere fact that she makes him suffer is an honor to him, and he loves her so much that he cannot leave her; the other has his will of his lady, so that in nothing does she refuse him his pleasure, but he has little honor in love.
II. Lord Rainaut, my mind is fully made up. I have no desire to attract to me a lady who would find joy or amusement in my suffering and who would not consider me an equal in her love, for many joys are lost through long waiting. High rank over which one has no control would make me suffer grievously, always and in vain. But I wish to love and fear her who does not forget about my reward; and let whoever will, waste his time waiting for another.
III. Lord Jaufre, all those who love ladies of exalted fortunes are not waisting their time; he who puts easy gratification ahead of high honor has no true understanding in him: One must endure much hardship for that from which great good and great honor can come; and for no other reason does sincere love please me, but that through it I wish to increase my honor. And since you wish to maintain an argument which is worthless, you are making a serious mistake.
IV. Lord Rainaut, she knows more of love, if you would only understand it properly, who does for her friend what is best for him, than she who postpones his joy. I do not wish to serve such a lady forever without having anything more than the privilege of entering her presence and leaving it. May YOU practice that continence, for you like anticipation better than enjoyment. That is why people make fun of the Bretons, who await (the return of) Arthur in the same way.
V. Lord Jaufre, I am not waiting for Arthur; I have given my heart and my life to a lady of such nature that it seems she would hardly grieve anyone whom she had in her power. And if she makes me endure hardship or pain, I must not on that account despair, for after the bad I shall have the good forever, and I have at least the honor even at the beginning. Therefore I must wait for the great joy; may God grant it to me as I would wish.
VI. Lord Rainaut, by the faith I owe to God, you have said to me just what I would wish: that the enjoyments of love should be all mine, and the torments on your side; and since you see that you can do nothing else, you know how to console yourself gracefully; and when I see that, I can’t help laughing. But now let’s let our dispute rest, for everyone knows who is better in love, he who receives (favors) or he who wastes his time.
VII. Friend Jaufre, you do not know how to reason, and it seems to me that you know little about loving, for you make a semi-division between honor and love.
VIII. Lord Rainaut, I do not wish to explain the matter to you, but it (evidently) pleases you to let yourself be mocked, if you go courting will-o’-the-wisps.
