Edmund Dulac's picture-book for the French Red Cross/The Story of Aucassin and Nicolette
THE STORY OF
AVCASSIN AND NICOLETTE
AN OLD WORLD IDYLL
Count Garin de Biaucaire, being attacked and besieged by his mortal enemy, Count Bougars de Valence, was hard beset and in evil plight. He therefore besought his only son, Aucassin, a stalwart and handsome young man of excellent virtue, to take arms against the foe. Aucassin refused to enter to battle unless he were given to wife his true love Nicolette; but his father answered that Nicolette was a slave-girl and a stranger, bought long ago from the Saracens, and no fit mate for his son. Aucassin declared that Nicolette was fit to occupy any queen's throne, and he would not be dissuaded from his love. So the Count Garin de Biaucaire spoke privily with his vassal, the captain of the city, that he should send away Nicolette forthwith, 'for, if I could do my will upon her,' said the Nicolette, 'I would burn her in a fire.' The captain of the city, Nicolette's foster-father, who had bought her, had her baptized, and brought her up, was distressed at this; but, having knowledge that Aucassin was enamoured of the maiden, he shut her up in a richly painted chamber in his palace, which looked through one small window into the garden. There Nicolette was kept in durance, with one old woman to attend her; and she saw the roses, and heard the birds in the garden, and resolved that she would escape to her own true love.
Nicolette being thus shut away, it was rumoured through all the land how she was lost; and some said that Count Garin de Biaucaire had slain her. Thereupon Aucassin, in great sorrow and anger, went and demanded her of the captain. But he got no satisfaction from the captain, who advised him, even as his father had done, to take a maiden of high degree to wife, and think no more of Nicolette. So Aucassin went home to his chamber and lamented for his love. And at this hour the castle was suddenly assaulted by the army of Count Bougars de Valence. Count Garin de Biaucaire, again seeking that Aucassin should take arms to the defence of his heritage, came in and found him making moan for Nicolette. Hot words passed between them; but presently Aucassin covenanted with his father that, if he overcame the foe, he should be allowed to see Nicolette, if only for a moment.
So he rode forth into the fray. But so full was his mind of his love, that he dreamed instead of doing, and was taken prisoner and about to be slain. Then he aroused himself and struck down all around, and rode back home with Count Bougars de Valence as his captive. And when he claimed his father's promise, the Count Garin de Biaucaire not only forbade him any sight of Nicolette, but flung him into a dungeon till he should forgo the love of her.
So Aucassin lay bewailing in his dungeon; but Nicolette one night escaped, letting herself down by the window, wrapped in a silken cloak, and crept along through the streets of Biaucaire until she came to the tower where her lover was. And they had speech of each other; and she cut off her golden curls and cast them to Aucassin through a crevice. But when she told him that she must leave that land, he was greatly angered and forbade her. Then the sentinel on the tower, who was aware of Nicolette, took pity on her, warning her that the town-guard were even now seeking her with swords to slay her.
Nicolette sank into the shadow till the guard passed by; then she made her farewell to Aucassin, and with hardship let herself down the castle wall into the fosse, being assured that she would be burned by Count Garin if she still abode in Biaucaire. And she hid herself in the outskirts of the forest until next day at noon. There came some shepherd lads then, and ate bread on the fringe of the forest. By these Nicolette sent a secret message to Aucassin, which none but he might understand, and she built herself a little lodge of
BUT NICOLETTE ONE NIGHT ESCAPED
oak-leaf boughs and lily flowers—and hither, after much quest, came Aucassin, searching vainly for his love. Then the lovers had much joy of this meeting; and they rode away together on one horse until they reached the seashore and took ship. But a storm arose and drove their vessel upon the coast of the country of Torelore. In this land men did battle with eggs, baked apples, and fresh cheeses; and Aucassin with his sword put the foes of the king to flight.
When Aucassin and Nicolette had dwelt here for three years in great delight, a company of Saracens stormed the castle of Torelore, and carried them off separately captive; and the ship which held Aucassin was drifted by a tempest back home to Biaucaire, where his father and mother were dead. So now he was lord of that land; but he cared for nothing in the world but to regain his love Nicolette. As for her, she was also at home; for the ship which carried her pertained to the king of Carthage, her father, from whom she had been stolen as a little child. And when her father and brothers knew her, they made much of her, and would have wedded her to a Paynim king. But Nicolette obtained a viol, and learned to play it; then she dyed herself all brown with a certain herb, and attired herself as a harper-boy. She persuaded a shipmaster to carry her to the land of Provence, and there she came to the castle of Biaucaire, and sang to her viol what had befallen Nicolette. Aucassin was overjoyed to know that Nicolette was living, and he bade the harper-boy to go fetch Nicolette from Carthage that he might wed her. Nicolette then went to her foster-mother, the captain's wife, and rested there eight days, till she was washed and anointed and richly clothed, and fairer than ever. And she sent that lady to bring Aucassin her love, who was weeping in the palace for lack of her. So were these true lovers reunited and wedded, and for all their sorrows they had a double happiness, their whole lives long.