57r Li Diz de la voie de Tunes

Il veillast por la criente
Que dou larron eust
Si bien qua son pooir
De rien ne li neust

Ausi ne savons nos
Quant Dieuz dira veneiz
Qui lors ert mal garniz
Mult iert mal aseneiz
Car Dieux li sera lors
Com lions forceneiz
Vos ne vos preneiz garde
Qui les respis preneiz

Li rois ne le prent pas
Cui douce France est toute
Qui tant par ainme larme
Que la mort nen redoute
Ainz va par meir requerre
Cele chiennaille gloute
Jhesuchriz par sa grace
Si gart lui et sa route

Prince prelat baron
Por Dieu preneiz ci garde
France est si grace terre
Nestuet pas com la larde
Or la wet cil laissier ⋅ ^{1this is an extra set of letters, which is repeated at the head of the next line}[qu]
Qui la maintient et garde
Por lamor de celui
Qui tout a en sa garde

Desormais se deust
Li preudons sejorneir
Et toute sa tendue
A sejour atourneir
Or wet de douce France
Et partir et torneir
Dieux le doint a Paris
A joie retorneir
Et li cuens de Poitiers
Qui .i. pueple souztient
Et qui en douce France
Si bien le sien leu tient
Que .xv. jors vaut miex
li leux par ou il vient
Il sen va outre meir
Que riens ne le detient

Plus ainme Dieu que home
Qui emprent teil voiage
Qui est li souverains
De tout pelerinage
Le cors mettre a essil
Et meir passeir a nage
Por amor de celui ⋅
Qui le fist a symage

Et mes sires Phelipes
Et li boens cuens dArtois
Et li cuens de Nevers⋅
Qui sunt preu et cortois
Refont en lor venue
A Dieu biau serventois
Chevalier qui ne suit
Ne pris pas .i. nantois

Li boens rois de Navarre
Qui lait si bele terre
Que ne sai ou plus bele
Puisse on troveir ne querre
Mais hon doit tout laissier
Por lamor Dieu conquerre
Ciz voiages est cleis
Qui paradix desserre

Ne prent pas garde a choze
Quil ait eu a faire

out of fear of the thief,
he would have kept watch
as best he could
so the thief would do him no harm."^{1This is a paraphrase of Matthew 24:43}

Also we do not know
when God will say "Come!"
He who is poorly prepared at that time
will be sorely out of luck.
Because God will
rage at him like a lion.
You are failing to take heed, you
who are taking your time.

The King, to whom sweet France is everything,
is not delaying.
He loves his own soul so much
that he does not fear death,
rather, he will cross the sea
to attack this vile pack of dogs.
May Jesus Christ, by His grace
protect him and his expedition.

Princes, prelates, barons,
take heed of this, for God's sake.
France is so well-fatted a land
that it should not be further larded.
And so he who maintains and protects it
wishes to leave it
for the love of Him
who has all under His protection.

Now that preudhomme [the king]
should stay
and attend to his
own state.
And yet he wishes to
leave sweet France behind.
May God grant that
he return to Paris with joy.

And the count of Poitiers—
who rules over an entire people
and who holds his place
in sweet France so well that
any place he passes through
is better for a fortnight—
is going overseas
and nothing will hold him back.

He loves God more than his fellow man,
who undertakes such a voyage
which is the greatest of
all pilgrimages.
He puts his body in peril
and sails across the sea
out of love for Him
who made him in His Image.

And my lord Philip
and the good Count of Artois
and the Count of Nevers,^{1See roll C of the inventory for an echo of this passage}
who are wise and courtois
create by their journey,
beautiful songs of service^{2serventois is a genre of religious poetry, and plays on the word "service"} for God.
A knight who does not follow them
in not worth a penny to me.

The good King of Navarre—
who leaves behind such beautiful lands
that I do not know where
one might seek or find any more beautiful,
but one must leave it all behind
to attain the Love of the God;
this journey is the key
that unlocks paradise—

does not worrry about the things
that he might have had to do

Il veillast por la criente
Que dou larron eust
Si bien qua son pooir
De rien ne li neust

Ausi ne savons nos
Quant Dieuz dira veneiz
Qui lors est mal garniz
Mult iert mal aseneiz
Car Dieux li sera lors
Com lions forceneiz
Vos ne vos preneiz garde
Qui les respis preneiz

Li rois ne le prent pas
Cui douce France est toute
Qui tant par ainme larme
Que la mort nen redoute
Ainz va par meir requerre
Cele chiennaille gloute
Jhesuchriz par sa grace
Si gart lui et sa route

Prince prelat baron
Por Dieu preneiz ci garde
France est si grace terre
Nestuet pas com la larde
Or la wet cil laissier ⋅ ^{1this is an extra set of letters, which is repeated at the head of the next line}[qu]
Qui la maintient et garde
Por lamor de celui
Qui tout a en sa garde

Desormais se deust
Li preudons sejorneir
Et toute sa tendue
A sejour atourneir
Or wet de douce France
Et partir et tornei
Dieux le doint a paris
A joie retorneir

Et li cuens de Poitiers
Qui .i. pueple souztient
Et qui en douce France
Si bien le sien leu tient
Que .xv. jors vaut miex
li leux par ou il vient
Il sen va outre meir
Que riens ne le detient

Plus ainme Dieu que home
Qui emprent teil voiage
Qui est li souverains
De tout pelerinage
Le cors mettre a essil
Et meir passer a nage
Por amor de celui ⋅
Qui le fist a symage

Et mes sires Phelipes
Et li boens cuens dartois
Et li cuens de Nevers⋅
Qui sunt preu et cortois
Refont en lor venue
A Dieu biau serventois
Chevalier qui ne suit
Ne pris pas .i. nantois

Li boens rois de Navarre
Qui lait si bele terre
Que ne sai ou plus bele
Puisse on troveir ne querre
Mais hom doit tout laissier
Por lamor Dieu conquerre
Ciz voiages est cleis
Qui paradix desserre

Ne prent pas garde a choze
Quil ait eu a faire

out of fear of the thief,
he would have kept watch
as best he could
so the thief would do him no harm."^{1This is a paraphrase of Matthew 24:43}

Also we do not know
when God will say "Come!"
He who is poorly prepared at that time
will be sorely out of luck.
Because God will
rage at him like a lion.
You are failing to take heed, you
who are taking your time.

The King, to whom sweet France is everything,
is not delaying.
He loves his own soul so much
that he does not fear death,
rather, he will cross the sea
to attack this vile pack of dogs.
May Jesus Christ, by His grace
protect him and his expedition.

Princes, prelates, barons,
take heed of this, for God's sake.
France is so well-fatted a land
that it should not be further larded.
And so he who maintains and protects it
wishes to leave it
for the love of Him
who has all under His protection.

Now that preudhomme [the king]
should stay
and attend to his
own state.
And yet he wishes to
leave sweet France behind.
May God grant that
he return to Paris with joy.

And the count of Poitiers—
who rules over an entire people
and who holds his place
in sweet France so well that
any place he passes through
is better for a fortnight—
is going overseas
and nothing will hold him back.

He loves God more than his fellow man,
who undertakes such a voyage
which is the greatest of
all pilgrimages.
He puts his body in peril
and sails across the sea
out of love for Him
who made him in His Image.

And my lord Philip
and the good Count of Artois
and the Count of Nevers,^{1See roll C of the inventory for an echo of this passage}
who are wise and courtois
create by their journey,
beautiful songs of service^{2serventois is a genre of religious poetry, and plays on the word "service"} for God.
A knight who does not follow them
in not worth a penny to me.

The good King of Navarre—
who leaves behind such beautiful lands
that I do not know where
one might seek or find any more beautiful,
but one must leave it all behind
to attain the Love of the God;
this journey is the key
that unlocks paradise—

does not worrry about the things
that he might have had to do