Such artificialities of manner would, indeed, be ill adapted to the extreme simplicity of his theme, which is nothing but the deepest passion for one beloved object. There is in his poems no fickleness, no variation of mood, and if his literary remains were voluminous, the uniformity of his passion would pall upon us. As it is, this very monotony adds to the intensity of our impression. Guillem is a patient lover, a male type of the nut-brown maid. Everything he will suffer for his lady and from her; nay, he derives pleasure from his sufferings, as they have been inflicted upon him in the service of love, in _her_ service. At first sight he has become her bondsman, she has bewitched him with a smile, taken his sense and his thought with a word of her mouth. Sometimes he fancies that he must have loved her before seeing her, and delights in the delusion of having been destined by God to serve her. For her, therefore, he will live, and his songs shall tell the world of her worth and of his passion. This is the essence of Guillem’s songs. One of them only need be quoted here. It shows him in the attitude of a devoted lover. He had no other. CANZO. Lo jorn, qeus vi domna, premieramen, Qant a vos plac qeus mi laissez vezer, Parti mon cor tot d’autre pensamen, E foron ferm en vos tut mei voler; Q’aissim pausez, domna el cor l’enveja; Ab un douz ris et ab un simpl’esgar, Mi e qant es mi fezez oblidar. Qel granz beutaz el solaz d’avinen Eil cortes dit eil amoros plazer Qem saubez far, m’embleron si mon sen, Q’anc pois hora domna nol poc aver; A vos l’autrei, cui mos fis cors merceja; Per enantir vostre prez et onrar A vos mi ren, q’om miels non pot amar. E car vos am domna, tan finamen, Qe d’autr’amar nom don’ amors poder; Mas aizem da q’ab autras cortei gen, Don cug de mi la greu dolor mover; Pois quant cossir de vos cui jois sopleja, Tot’ autr’amor oblit e desampar, Ab vos remanh cui tenc al cor plus car. E membre vos, sius plaz, del bon coven Qe mi fezez al departir saber, Don aic mon cor adonc guai e jauzen Pel bon respeit en qem mandez tener; Mout n’aic gran joi, s’era lo mals sim greja; Et aurai lo, qan vos plaira encar, Bona domna, q’eu sui en l’esperar. E ges mals trags no men fai espaven, Sol q’eu en cuit en ma vida aver De vos domna qalaqom jauzimen; Anz li mal trag mi son joi e plazer Sol per aiso, car sai q’amors autreja, Qe fis amans deu granz torz perdonar E gen soffrir mals trags per gazanhs far. Aissi er ja domna l’ora q’eu veja, Qe per merce mi volhaz tan onrar, Qe sol amic me denhez appellar. _Translation._