My Heart Has Commanded Me

Poem by Charles D'Orléans Collection BalladsPeriod 15th century

My heart has commanded me
To come before your youth,
Beautiful one whom I love loyally (1),
As I must do, my princess.
If you ask, Why is this?
It is to know when it will please you
To relieve its harsh distress.
My Lady, shall I know it soon (2)?

Declare it by your oath!
I make you a loyal (3) promise
No one shall know it, only
He, in order to have joy.
Now show him that you are mistress
And send word that he will heal,
Or that he must die of distress!
My Lady, shall I know it soon?

No one could ever think
That the pain that so wounds him
Does not displease you at all.
So act now so that it ceases
And set him back on the path
Of hope, from which he departed long ago (4)!
Reply without my urging you further!
My Lady, shall I know it soon?

1. Loyally: Loyally.
2. Soon: Soon.
3. Loyal: Loyal.
4. Long ago: A long time ago.

Charles D’Orléans

Translation generated by Poésies 123 with assistance from the deepseek-chat artificial-intelligence model.

Text published on Poésies 123: https://www.poesies123.com/en/poem-my-heart-has-commanded-me-charles-d-orleans/