s blow,
Heard the birds sing loud and low,
Therefore spoke she woefully:
"Ah me, wherefore do I lie
Here in prison wrongfully?
Aucassin, my love, my knight,
Am I not thy heart's delight?
Thou that lovest me aright!
'Tis for thee that I must dwell
In this vaulted chamber cell,
Hard beset and all alone!
By our Lady Mary's Son
Here no longer will I wonn,
If I may flee!"

AUCASSIN AND THE VISCOUNT

[_The Viscount speaks first_]

"Plentiful lack of comfort hadst thou got thereby; for in Hell would thy
soul have lain while the world endures, and into Paradise wouldst thou
have entered never."

"In Paradise what have I to win? Therein I seek not to enter, but only
to have Nicolette, my sweet lady that I love so well. For into Paradise
go none but such folk as I shall tell thee now: Thither go these same
old priests, and halt old men and maimed, who all day and night cower
continually before the altars, and in these old crypts; and such folks
as wear old amices, and old clouted frocks, and naked folks and
shoeless, and those covered with sores, who perish of hunger and thirst,
and of cold, and of wretchedness. These be they that go into Paradise;
with them have I naught to make. But into Hell would I fain go; for into
Hell fare the goodly clerks, and goodly knights that fall in tourneys
and great wars, and stout men-at-arms, and the free men. With these
would I liefly go. And thither pass the sweet ladies and courteous, that
have two lovers, or three, and their lords also thereto. Thither goes
the gold, and the silver, and fur of vair, and fur of gris; and there
too go the harpers, and minstrels, and the kings of this world. With
these I would gladly go, let me but have with me Nicolette, my
sweetest lady."

AUCASSIN CAPTURES COUNT BOUGART

The damoiseau was tall and strong, and the horse whereon he sat was
right eager. And he laid hand to sword, and fell a-smiting to right and
left, and smote through helm and nasal, and arm, and clenched hand,
making a murder about him, like a wild boar when hounds fall on him in
the forest, even till he struck down ten knights, and seven he hurt; and
straightway he hurled out of the press, and rode back again at full
speed, sword in hand. Count Bougart of Valence heard it said that they
were to hang Aucassin, his enemy