By losing the impeccable gravity characteristic of them in preceding epochs, the ancient conventional forms of erotic poetry became penetrated by a new meaning. Charles d'Orléans makes use of personifications and of allegories like all his predecessors, but, by some slight surplus of stress, he adds an almost imperceptible flavour of raillery, and this gives them an affecting note, which is lacking in the graceful figures of the Roman de la Rose. He sees his own heart as a double of himself.
"Je suys celluy au cueur vestu de noir. . . ."[1]
Occasionally in his extravagant personifications, the comical element has the upper hand:
"Un jour à mon cueur devisoye
Qui en secret à moy parloit,
Et en parlant lui demandoye
Se point d’espargne fait avoit
D’aucuns biens quant Amours servoit:
Il me dist que très voulentiers
La verité m’en compteroit,
Mais qu’eust visité ses papiers.
"Quand ce m’eut dit, il print sa voye
Et d’avecques moy se partoit.
Après entrer je le véoye
En ung comptouer qu’il avoit:
Là, de ça et de là quéroit,
En cherchant plusieurs vieulx caîers
Car le vray monstrer me vouloit,
Mais qu’eust visitez ses papiers. . . .”[2]
Not always, however; in the following lines the comic is not dominant:
- ↑ I am the wight whose heart is draped in black.
- ↑ One day I was talking with my heart Which secretly spoke to me, And in talking I asked it If it had saved No goods when serving Love: It said that quite willingly It would tell me the truth about it, As soon as it had consulted its papers.
Having told me this it went away And from me departed. Next I saw it enter In an office it had: There it rummaged here and there In looking for several old writing-books, For it would show me the truth, As soon as it had consulted its papers.
