ABSTRACT
You have heard who Gaucelm Faidit was and where he came from and what he was like. 1 But he had so much heart that he fell in love with lady Maria de Ventadorn, the best and noblest lady known to exist anywhere in those days. And he sang about her and composed his songs about her, and beseeched her in his singing and exhorted her and praised her great nobility. And she permitted this on account of the great praise which he gave her but never did she make love with him. And so this love that he had for her lasted seven years, during which time he never received pleasure in the rights of love. Then one day Gaucelm came before her and told her that she would either have to give him pleasure in the right of love, after which point he would consider himself paid, or that she would lose him and he would serve another lady from whom would come great gifts of love. He then took his leave from her and went off greatly distressed.
