“Ah, fair, sweet friend,” said Aucassin, “it may not be that thou shouldest love me even as I love thee.  Woman may not love man as man loves woman; for a woman’s love lies in her eye, and the bud of her breast, and her foot’s tiptoe, but the love of a man is in his heart planted, whence it can never issue forth and pass away.”

Now when Aucassin and Nicolette were holding this parley together, the town’s watchmen were coming down a street, with swords drawn beneath their cloaks, for Count Garin had charged them that if they could take her, they should slay her.  But the sentinel that was on the tower saw them coming, and heard them speaking of Nicolette as they went, and threatening to slay her.

“God,” quoth he, “this were great pity to slay so fair a maid!  Right great charity it were if I could say aught to her, and they perceive it not, and she should be on her guard against them, for if they slay her, then were Aucassin, my damoiseau, dead, and that were great pity.”

Here one singeth:—­

          Valiant was the sentinel,
          Courteous, kind, and practiced well,
          So a song did sing and tell,
          Of the peril that befell. 
          “Maiden fair that lingerest here,
          Gentle maid of merry cheer,
          Hair of gold, and eyes as clear
          As the water in a mere,
          Thou, meseems, hast spoken word
          To thy lover and thy lord,
          That would die for thee, his dear;
          Now beware the ill accord
          Of the cloaked men of the sword: 
          These have sworn, and keep their word,
          They will put thee to the sword
             Save thou take heed!”

NICOLETTE BUILDS HER LODGE

Nicolette, the bright of brow,
From the shepherds doth she pass
All below the blossomed bough
Where an ancient way there was,
Overgrown and choked with grass,
Till she found the cross-roads where
Seven paths do all way fare;
Then she deemeth she will try,
Should her lover pass thereby,
If he love her loyally. 
So she gathered white lilies,
Oak-leaf, that in greenwood is,
Leaves of many a branch, iwis,
Therewith built a lodge of green,
Goodlier was never seen. 
Swore by God, who may not lie: 
“If my love the lodge should spy,
He will rest a while thereby
If he love me loyally.” 
Thus his faith she deemed to try,
“Or I love him not, not I,
Nor he loves me!”

AUCASSIN, SEEKING NICOLETTE, COMES UPON A COWHERD