Laüstic
Encyclopedia
"Laüstic", also known as "Le Rossignol", Le Laustic", "Laostic", and "Aüstic", is a Breton lai
by the medieval poet Marie de France
. The title comes from the Breton language
word for "nightingale", a symbolic figure in the poem. Laüstic is the eighth poem in the collection known as the Lais of Marie de France
, and the poem is only found in the manuscript known as Harley 978 or manuscript H. Like the other poems in this collection, Laüstic is written in the Anglo-Norman dialect
of Old French
, in couplet
s of eight syllable
s in length. This lai is a short, poignant tale about an affair.
in Brittany
. The wife of one knight shares an unconsummated love with the other, they habitually look at each other through their bedroom windows, and she takes advantage of the proximity of the houses to exchange gifts with her lover. When her husband asks her why she repeatedly goes to the window, she tells him that it is to better see and hear a nightingale. The knight becomes frustrated by his wife's frequent absences from bed, and so he orders his servants to capture the nightingale. When the nightingale is captured, he presents it to his wife and tells her that her sleep need not be interrupted again. She begs to be given the bird, but he kills it and tosses its body at her; the blood spatters above her heart. Saddened that she no longer has an excuse to visit her lover by the window, she wraps the nightingale's body within a cloth embrodiered with gold and has a trusted servant send it to the other knight, as a sign that her husband has discovered their affair. Her regretful lover has a jewel-encrusted coffin made for the nightingale, in remembrance of what has been lost.
Breton lai
A Breton lai, also known as a narrative lay or simply a lay, is a form of medieval French and English romance literature. Lais are short , rhymed tales of love and chivalry, often involving supernatural and fairy-world Celtic motifs...
by the medieval poet Marie de France
Marie de France
Marie de France was a medieval poet who was probably born in France and lived in England during the late 12th century. She lived and wrote at an undisclosed court, but was almost certainly at least known about at the royal court of King Henry II of England...
. The title comes from the Breton language
Breton language
Breton is a Celtic language spoken in Brittany , France. Breton is a Brythonic language, descended from the Celtic British language brought from Great Britain to Armorica by migrating Britons during the Early Middle Ages. Like the other Brythonic languages, Welsh and Cornish, it is classified as...
word for "nightingale", a symbolic figure in the poem. Laüstic is the eighth poem in the collection known as the Lais of Marie de France
The Lais of Marie de France
The Lais of Marie de France are a series of twelve short narrative Breton lais by the poet Marie de France. They are written in the Anglo-Norman and were probably composed in the late 12th century. The short, narrative poems generally focus on glorifying the concept of courtly love through the...
, and the poem is only found in the manuscript known as Harley 978 or manuscript H. Like the other poems in this collection, Laüstic is written in the Anglo-Norman dialect
Anglo-Norman language
Anglo-Norman is the name traditionally given to the kind of Old Norman used in England and to some extent elsewhere in the British Isles during the Anglo-Norman period....
of Old French
Old French
Old French was the Romance dialect continuum spoken in territories that span roughly the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium and Switzerland from the 9th century to the 14th century...
, in couplet
Couplet
A couplet is a pair of lines of meter in poetry. It usually consists of two lines that rhyme and have the same meter.While traditionally couplets rhyme, not all do. A poem may use white space to mark out couplets if they do not rhyme. Couplets with a meter of iambic pentameter are called heroic...
s of eight syllable
Syllable
A syllable is a unit of organization for a sequence of speech sounds. For example, the word water is composed of two syllables: wa and ter. A syllable is typically made up of a syllable nucleus with optional initial and final margins .Syllables are often considered the phonological "building...
s in length. This lai is a short, poignant tale about an affair.
Plot summary
Two knights live in adjoining houses, in the vicinity of Saint-MaloSaint-Malo
Saint-Malo is a walled port city in Brittany in northwestern France on the English Channel. It is a sub-prefecture of the Ille-et-Vilaine.-Demographics:The population can increase to up to 200,000 in the summer tourist season...
in Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
. The wife of one knight shares an unconsummated love with the other, they habitually look at each other through their bedroom windows, and she takes advantage of the proximity of the houses to exchange gifts with her lover. When her husband asks her why she repeatedly goes to the window, she tells him that it is to better see and hear a nightingale. The knight becomes frustrated by his wife's frequent absences from bed, and so he orders his servants to capture the nightingale. When the nightingale is captured, he presents it to his wife and tells her that her sleep need not be interrupted again. She begs to be given the bird, but he kills it and tosses its body at her; the blood spatters above her heart. Saddened that she no longer has an excuse to visit her lover by the window, she wraps the nightingale's body within a cloth embrodiered with gold and has a trusted servant send it to the other knight, as a sign that her husband has discovered their affair. Her regretful lover has a jewel-encrusted coffin made for the nightingale, in remembrance of what has been lost.
Analysis and Significance
- The reference to a nightingale alludes to the tale of Philomela in OvidOvidPublius Ovidius Naso , known as Ovid in the English-speaking world, was a Roman poet who is best known as the author of the three major collections of erotic poetry: Heroides, Amores, and Ars Amatoria...
's Metamorphoses on several levels. Philomela embroiders her story in a tapestry much like the lady of Laustic; Philomela herself is transformed into a nightingale at the end of Ovid's story; and as Michelle Freeman suggests, the broken body of the nightingale, which signifies the end of the lovers' communication, is symbolic of the cutting out of Philomela's tongue, which effectively silences her. - The servants hide traps for the nightingale in hazel trees, a plant that is also found in ChevrefoilChevrefoil"Chevrefoil" is a Breton lai by the medieval poet Marie de France. The eleventh poem in the collection called The Lais of Marie de France, its subject is an episode from the romance of Tristan and Iseult. The title means "honeysuckle," a symbol of love in the poem...
and Le FresneLe Fresne (lai)"Le Fresne" is one of the Lais of Marie de France. It was likely written in the late 12th century. As a Breton lai, it is an example of Anglo-Norman literature.-Plot summary:Le Fresne begins with two wedded knights...
, two of Marie's other Lais.
External links
- Laüstic text in Old French
- A verse translation by S.H. and P.R. Caldwell
- Medieval descriptions of the nightingale at the online Medieval Bestiary