42r La Complainte dou conte Hue de Nevers

Ci en coumence la complainte
dou conte huede de Nevers

Lamors ⋅ qui tozjors ceulz aproie
Qui plus sunt de bien faire en voie
Me fait descovrir ⋅ mon corage
Por lun de ceulz que plus amoie
Et que mieux ⋅ recembleir vodroie
Coume ⋅ qui soit ⋅ de nul langage
Huedes ot non ⋅ preudome et sage
Cuens de Neuers ⋅ au fier corage
Que la mors apris ⋅ en sa proie
Cestoit la fleurs ⋅ de son lignage
De sa mort est plus granz damage
Que je dire ⋅ ne vos porroie
Mors est li cuens diex en ait lame
Sainz Jorges ⋅ et la douce dame
Vuellent prier ⋅ le sovrain maitre
Quen cele joie ⋅ qui nentame
Senz redouteir linfernal flame
Mete le boen conte a sa destre
Et il ideit ⋅ par raison estre
Quil laissa ⋅ son leu et son estre
Por cele glorieuze jame
Qui a non ⋅ la joie celestre
Mieudres de li ⋅ ne porra nestre

Mien esciant ⋅ de cors de fame
Li cuens fu tantost chevaliers
Com il en fu poinz et mestiers
Quil pot les armes endureir
Puis ne fu ⋅ voie ne sentiers
Ou il nalast mout ⋅ volentiers

Se hon si pot aventureir
Si vos puis bien dire et jureir
Cil peust ⋅ on droit tenz dureir
Conques ne fu ⋅ mieudres terriers
Tant se seust amesureir
Au boenz et les fauz forjureir
Auz unz dolz et auz autres fiers.

Ce pou quauz armes fu en vie
Tuit li boen avoient envie
De lui reſambleir de meniere
Se Diex namast sa compaignie
Neust pas Acre ⋅ desgarnie
De si redoutee baniere
La mors a mis la faire ariere
DAcre ⋅ dont nuns mestiers nen iere
La terre en remaint esbahie
Ci a mort ⋅ delireuze et fiere
Que nuns ⋅ hom nen fait bele chiere
Fors cele pute gent haie.

La terre plainne de noblesce
De charitei et de largesce
Tant aveiz fait vilainne perde
Ce morte ne fust ⋅ gentilesce
Et vaselages et proesce
Vos ne fussiez pas si deserte
Hai hai ⋅ genz mal aperte
La porte des cielz est overte
Ne reculeiz pas por peresce
En brief tanz la or Diex offerte
Au boen conte ⋅ par sa deserte
Quil la conquise en sa jonesce.

Ne fist mie de sa croix pile
Si com font souvent teil .x. mile
Qui la prennent par grant faintize
Ainz a fait selonc levangile

Here begins the Lament
of Count Eudes of Nevers

Death, which always preys upon those
who stay true to the path of good deeds,
reveals to me my feelings for
the one among them whom I loved the most
and whom I would most like to resemble
more than any man who exists, ^{1Expand on the notion of "Language" in this footnote}among speakers of any tongue.
His name was Eudes, a prudhomme and wise,
the count of Nevers, brave of heart
whom death has taken as its prey.
He was the flower of his lineage.
His death is such a great pity
that could not describe it to you.

The count is dead, may god receive his soul.
May Saint George and the Sweet Lady,
pray to the Sovereign Master
that he place the count at His right side,
into that joy, which cannot be corrupted,
and without the fear of the flames of Hell.
And he must rightly be there
since he left his home and way of life
for this glorious gem
that is called celestial joy.
In my opinion, it will not be possible for a better
man than he to be of woman born.

The count was quickly knighted,
when the time and necessity arose,
as soon as he was able to bear arms.
Then, there was neither a course nor a path
that he did not take most eagerly
if one were able to venture thereupon.
If I might tell you truly and swear to it,
had he been able to live out the full measure of his days,
never would there have been a better lord of his lands;
so well did he know how to administer justice to the good and to renounce the deceitful.
To the former he is mild, and to the latter, harsh.
During the short time of life that he bore arms,
all the good men wanted
to resemble him in their bearing.
If God did not love his company
He would not have deprived Acre
of such a formidible standard.^{1This refers to the flag presented in battle to represent opposing forces}
Death has set back the cause of
Acre, which was the last thing it needed.
That land remains dumbstruck.^{2"La terre" in this context is probably a reference to the Holy Land}
There, there is death, so painful and terrible
that no one can put a brave face on it
except for those vile, hated people.

Oh Land, full of nobility
charity, and generosity,
you have suffered such a dreadful loss.
If gentillesse were not dead,
as well as courage and prowess,
you would not be so desolate.
Alas, alas, you malingering men,
the gate of heaven is open.
Do not back away out of laziness.
God did not hesitate to present this opportunity
to the good count as his reward,
which he siezed during his youth.

He did not turn his back on his cross^{1The sense of the line is, "he did not turn his coin from heads to tails." However, this is a play on words involving the term "cross." A cross was depicted on the obverse side of some medieval coins and was also the symbol of a promise to go on crusade; to turn your coin from heads to tails means to be deceitful, but here, Eudes remained true to his commitment to go on crusade.}
as do tens of thousands who so often
take it with great insincerity.
Thus, he did it according to the gospel:

Ci en coumence la complainte
dou conte huede de Nevers

Lamors ⋅ qui tozjors ceulz aproie
Qui plus sunt de bien faire en voie
Me fait descovrir ⋅ mon corage
Por lun de ceulz que plus amoie
Et que mieux ⋅ recembleir vodroie
Coume ⋅ qui soit ⋅ de nul langage
Huedes ot non ⋅ preudome et sage
Cuens de Neuers ⋅ au fier corage
Que la mors apris ⋅ en sa proie
Cestoit la fleurs ⋅ de son lignage
De sa mort est plus granz damage
Que je dire ⋅ ne vos porroie
Mors est li cuens diex en ait lame
Sainz Jorges ⋅ et la douce dame
Vuellent prier ⋅ le sovrain maitre
Quen cele joie ⋅ qui nentame
Senz redouteir linfernal flame
Mete le boen conte a sa destre
Et il ideit ⋅ par raison estre
Quil laissa ⋅ son leu et son estre
Por cele glorieuze jame
Qui a non ⋅ la joie celestre
Mieudres de li ⋅ ne porra nestre

Mien esciant ⋅ de cors de fame
Li cuens fu tantost chevaliers
Com il en fu poinz et mestiers
Quil pot les armes endureir
Puis ne fu ⋅ voie ne sentiers
Ou il nalast mout ⋅ volentiers

Se hon si pot aventureir
Si vos puis bien dire et jureir
Cil peust ⋅ on droit tenz dureir
Conques ne fu ⋅ mieudres terriers
Tant se seust amesureir
Au boenz et les fauz forjureir
Auz unz dolz et auz autres fiers.

Ce pou quauz armes fu en vie
Tuit li boen avoient envie
De lui reſambleir de meniere
Se Diex namast sa compaignie
Neust pas Acre ⋅ desgarnie
De si redoutee baniere
La mors a mis la faire ariere
DAcre ⋅ dont nuns mestiers nen iere
La terre en remaint esbahie
Ci a mort ⋅ delireuze et fiere
Que nuns ⋅ hom nen fait bele chiere
Fors cele pute gent haie.

La terre plainne de noblesce
De charitei & de largesce
Tant aveiz fait vilainne perde
Ce morte ne fust gentilesce
Et vaselages & proesce
Vos ne fussiez pas si deserte
Hai hai ⋅ genz mal aperte
La porte des cielz est overte
Ne reculeiz pas por peresce
En brief tanz la or Diex offerte
Au boen conte ⋅ par sa deserte
Quil l’a conquise en sa jonesce ⋅

Ne fist mie de sa croix pile
Si com font souvent teil .x. mile
Qui la prennent par grant faintize
Ainz a fait selonc levangile

Here begins the Lament
of Count Eudes of Nevers

Death, which always preys upon those
who stay true to the path of good deeds,
reveals to me my feelings for
the one among them whom I loved the most
and whom I would most like to resemble
more than any man who exists, ^{1Expand on the notion of "Language" in this footnote}among speakers of any tongue.
His name was Eudes, a prudhomme and wise,
the count of Nevers, brave of heart
whom death has taken as its prey.
He was the flower of his lineage.
His death is such a great pity
that could not describe it to you.

The count is dead, may god receive his soul.
May Saint George and the Sweet Lady,
pray to the Sovereign Master
that he place the count at His right side,
into that joy, which cannot be corrupted,
and without the fear of the flames of Hell.
And he must rightly be there
since he left his home and way of life
for this glorious gem
that is called celestial joy.
In my opinion, it will not be possible for a better
man than he to be of woman born.

The count was quickly knighted,
when the time and necessity arose,
as soon as he was able to bear arms.
Then, there was neither a course nor a path
that he did not take most eagerly
if one were able to venture thereupon.
If I might tell you truly and swear to it,
had he been able to live out the full measure of his days,
never would there have been a better lord of his lands;
so well did he know how to administer justice to the good and to renounce the deceitful.
To the former he is mild, and to the latter, harsh.
During the short time of life that he bore arms,
all the good men wanted
to resemble him in their bearing.
If God did not love his company
He would not have deprived Acre
of such a formidible standard.^{1This refers to the flag presented in battle to represent opposing forces}
Death has set back the cause of
Acre, which was the last thing it needed.
That land remains dumbstruck.^{2"La terre" in this context is probably a reference to the Holy Land}
There, there is death, so painful and terrible
that no one can put a brave face on it
except for those vile, hated people.

Oh Land, full of nobility
charity, and generosity,
you have suffered such a dreadful loss.
If gentillesse were not dead,
as well as courage and prowess,
you would not be so desolate.
Alas, alas, you malingering men,
the gate of heaven is open.
Do not back away out of laziness.
God did not hesitate to present this opportunity
to the good count as his reward,
which he siezed during his youth.

He did not turn his back on his cross^{1The sense of the line is, "he did not turn his coin from heads to tails." However, this is a play on words involving the term "cross." A cross was depicted on the obverse side of some medieval coins and was also the symbol of a promise to go on crusade; to turn your coin from heads to tails means to be deceitful, but here, Eudes remained true to his commitment to go on crusade.}
as do tens of thousands who so often
take it with great insincerity.
Thus, he did it according to the gospel: