Lanval and Lady Love

Dearest Lanval,

I have heard word of the fortune recently sent to you by Lady Love! What a phenomenal bit of luck. I do hope that you are relishing life’s incredible happiness. Love is the most powerful force in this universe. It can reshape this very Earth; it is capable both of breathing new life into what was once gone and destroying the strongest man in the same breath. With that in mind, good sir, it is important to understand just how quickly love can be torn from your grasp. Before you have even a second to gather your wits, the thing that matters to you most will have been ripped from your arms. So, my good man, I write to you as a sort of preemptive strike. Armed with my tips and tricks, you are sure to benefit from love’s good favor for as long as you desire.

In the letter you wrote me not a fortnight ago, you spoke of a most indecorous secret: a secret lover! You say that you are not sure how to secure this maiden so that she is forever yours. According to your own pen, this woman is a true beauty. You wrote of “her face, neck, breast, her whole side/All whiter than hawthorn blossom in May” (Marie de France, "Lanval" p. 5).  An enviable woman is she! And a fortunate fellow is you. Let me begin by saying that although a woman of fair face is ideal in the dreams of men, she is less manageable in reality. A woman like the one you describe will incur the flirtations of every man and the venom of every woman she encounters. With this danger in mind, I encourage you to marry the lady! I hope that you have familiarized yourself with my works, specifically the rules I outlined at the request of Marie de Champagne. There is one that becomes especially relevant at this juncture. It reads, “it is not proper to love any woman whom one should be ashamed to seek to marry,” (Andreas Capellanus, The Art of Courtly Love, p.45) I would contend, given your flowery prose and effusive praise, that you love this girl and thus, you should marry her.

With that advice in mind, I remain aware of the secrecy which seems to pervade your relationship. You write that she warned you to never “reveal yourself to any man!/I tell you, if you break this ban,/You will have lost me forever!”  (Marie de France, "Lanval" p. 6). I am going to assume that you writing to me is an act of desperation and her warning does not extend to acts of desperation? Regardless, fear not, I will never breathe a word of your tryst to another. I will instead breathe only words of wisdom to you. I advise, dearest Lanval, that you convince your lover to take this affair public, for how else are you to be assured of her love for you. In fact, your proposal will serve two purposes, the first being the most important. I believe that “love can deny nothing to love,” so should she deny your proposal, you know that her love is not true (Andreas Capellanus, The Art of Courtly Love, p.177). The second purpose is that marriage is the only way you can take your bond to the next level, because it is true that “nothing forbids one woman being loved by two men or one man by two women,” but the bonds of marriage prevent both parties from straying outside of the union (Andreas Capellanus, The Art of Courtly Love, p.178).

In summation Lanval, I urge you to push your beloved towards the light of the public. You need not woo her with your earthly belongings, but instead your loyal nature and dedication to her and her needs. In doing so, I do believe that you will be able to hold onto this love forever more.

Yours in service,

Andreas Capellanus