From Malory– “How True Love is Likened to Summer”

From Thomas Malory’s Le Mort d’Arthur, chapter 25.

AND thus it passed on from Candlemass until after Easter, that the month of May was come, when every lusty heart beginneth to blossom, and to bring forth fruit; for like as herbs and trees bring forth fruit and flourish in May, in like wise every lusty heart that is in any manner a lover, springeth and flourisheth in lusty deeds. For it giveth unto all lovers courage, that lusty month of May, in something to constrain him to some manner of thing more in that month than in any other month, for divers causes. For then all herbs and trees renew a man and woman, and likewise lovers call again to their mind old gentleness and old service, and many kind deeds that were forgotten by negligence. For like as winter rasure doth alway arase and deface green summer, so fareth it by unstable love in man and woman. For in many persons there is no stability; for we may see all day, for a little blast of winter’s rasure, anon we shall deface and lay apart true love for little or nought, that cost much thing; this is no wisdom nor stability, but it is feebleness of nature and great disworship, whosomever useth this. Therefore, like as May month flowereth and flourisheth in many gardens, so in like wise let every man of worship flourish his heart in this world, first unto God, and next unto the joy of them that he promised his faith unto; for there was never worshipful man or worshipful woman, but they loved one better than another; and worship in arms may never be foiled, but first reserve the honour to God, and secondly the quarrel must come of thy lady: and such love I call virtuous love.

But nowadays men can not love seven night but they must have all their desires: that love may not endure by reason; for where they be soon accorded and hasty heat, soon it cooleth. Right so fareth love nowadays, soon hot soon cold: this is no stability. But the old love was not so; men and women could love together seven years, and no licours lusts were between them, and then was love, truth, and faithfulness: and lo, in like wise was used love in King Arthur’s days. Wherefore I liken love nowadays unto summer and winter; for like as the one is hot and the other cold, so fareth love nowadays; therefore all ye that be lovers call unto your remembrance the month of May, like as did Queen Guenever, for whom I make here a little mention, that while she lived she was a true lover, and therefore she had a good end.

This beautiful passage which we read in Medieval Lit. reminded me of some things.

“For then all herbs and trees renew a man and woman, and likewise lovers call again to their mind old gentleness and old service, and many kind deeds that were forgotten by negligence.”

This is a beautiful idea, the awakening of love in the springtime.

I wrote a verse a few months ago, as the world hesitated between winter and spring, about how true love shows purest in the winter months, for if when all the good things of nature and affection are dead the heart yet loves, then it shows itself a true lover.

In cold and bitterness of winter’s chill,
Only a perfect love can here prevail.
The skeptic with his memories of pain,
With eyes wide open, turns to love again.

The winter skeptic who does not deny his love is a true lover. In the spring, he is no longer a skeptic, yet while he seems more “in love” he cannot see what he loves with the purity of the skeptic. And strangely, in the midst of Spring, he remembers the winter with fondness and perhaps even regrets having entered the spring.

This verse probably also refers to unrequited love. A love which loves even when it cannot, will not be returned is the strongest kind of human love. However, at that time I was also thinking about whether unrequited romantic love is possible, and concluded that if it continues, it eventually ceases to be true love. Romantic love is by nature reciprocal. If a love is not returned, at some point Christian love (agape) and the other loves (philia, storge) conflict with romantic love (eros). If the lover is now to love in any true sense, eros must be overcome. This is naturally not an easy process, yet it will happen after some time, if the lover allows it. He cannot kill eros, but he can be willing that the other loves should kill it.

At the time I was lamenting that even the cynic cannot kill eros by means of his reason, for he will soon find that reason follows the bidding of the heart, and never the opposite. He may act in a certain way because of reason, but he will never cause himself to desire to act against his heart.

If the cynic, sorrowed by his grief
Repairs to verse to find there some relief
Love turns his barbs of spite in Cupid’s way
To front the very cause he meant to slay.

The only way for him to change his heart is to kill one love with a greater love.

All this is one reason why I don’t believe the medieval ideal of “courtly love” is really compatible with keeping well-ordered loves. Nevertheless, it is interesting. It seems that courtly love–or at least the stories about it–were intended an ennobling influence upon young knights. How should one fight with honor?

“First reserve the honour to God, and secondly the quarrel must come of thy lady: and such love I call virtuous love.”

The honor of God and of thy Lady are worthy of your quarrel. Knights ought not to enter petty struggles for ambition. Courtly love was meant to order and ennoble them, to make them “chivalry,” not mere horsemen.

That’s all the thoughts I have for now.