IN THE NAME of God the Creator,

Who grants by his great beneficence

That we may give our souls back to him,

4 I would like to do my best to rhyme.

I, who did Ogier le Danois

And Berte, who was in the woods,

And Buevon de Conmarchis,

8 Have once again undertaken another book,

Most marvellous and most singular.

May God grant that each line, one and all, be such

That I will not be blamed and reproached!

12 The story is of very great value

And most gracious to hear.

It is so extraordinary and marvellous

That I believe never has anyone heard

16 So strange a one as this.

I am greatly concerned about bringing this project

To a satisfactory conclusion,

But it gives me comfort

20 That they have seen fit to ask me

To learn this story

And to undertake to put it into rhyme.

They are two ladies in which dwell the perfection

24 Of wisdom, beauty, and valour.

I do not want to say their names openly,

For I love their country and fear their anger

So that I know well that I would die

28 Of sorrow if I should say or do

Anything that they do not want or intend.

For that reason their names will be given,

If I can do so, so covertly

32 That people cannot identify

Their names, when they read them

If one does not show them where they are.

Look at the end of this book,

36 If you believe you know the names

Of the ladies of whom you hear me speaking.

They are there if you want to find them.

You can look for them there if you like.