Oh! how sweet the breeze of April, Breathing soft as May draws near! While, through nights of tranquil beauty, Songs of gladness meet the ear: Every bird his well-known language Uttering in the morning's pride, Revelling in joy and gladness By his happy partner's side. When, around me, all is smiling, When to life the young birds spring, Thoughts of love, I cannot hinder, Come, my heart inspiriting-- Nature, habit, both incline me In such joy to bear my part: With such sounds of bliss around me Could I wear a sadden'd heart? {191} His description of his lady love is another example of his worship of nature in a different strain, which serves to show that a lover's exaggeration of the qualities of his lady is not a modern development of _la belle passion_. Fairer than the far-famed Helen, Lovelier than the flow'rets gay. Snow-white teeth, and lips truth-telling, Heart as open as the day; Golden hair, and fresh bright roses-- Heaven, who formed a thing so fair. Knows that never yet another Lived, who can with thee compare. A single stanza from a love-song by Bertrand De Born will show better than any amount of critical appreciation how beautifully he can treat the more serious side of love. While the Troubadours are usually said to have sung their love strains in less serious vein than their German brother poets of the North, this has the ring of tenderness and truth about it and yet is not in these qualities very different from others of his songs that are well known. The translation we have chosen is that made by Roscoe who has rendered a number of the songs of the Troubadours into English verse that presents an excellent equivalent of the original. Bertrand is insisting with his lady-love that she must not listen to the rumors she may hear from others with regard to his faithfulness. I cannot hide from thee how much I fear The whispers breathed by flatterers in thine ear Against my faith. But turn not, oh, I pray! That heart so true, so faithful, so sincere. So humble and so frank, to me so dear. Oh, lady! turn it not from me away. {192} At times one is surprised to find pretty tributes to nature even in the midst of songs that are devoted to war. The two things that were nearest the hearts of these Troubadour poets were war and their lady-loves, but the beauties of nature became mixed up not only with their love songs but also with their battle hymns, or at least with their ardent descriptions of military preparations and the glories of war. An excellent example of this is to be found in the following stanza written by William of Saint Gregory, a Troubadour who is best known for his songs of war rather than of tenderness.