Le Fresne (lai)
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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.
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[edit] Plot Summary
Le Fresne begins with two wedded knights. The wife of one knight gives birth to twins, and upon hearing a message to that effect, the other wife declares twins to be a mark of adultery. Many consider this comment to be slanderous, and all of Brittany soon resents the wife who said it. Appropriately, the wife who made the comment about twins being a mark of adultery gives birth, in turn, to twin daughters.
More willing to make amends with God than shame herself, the wife plans to secretly kill the child and deny its existence. A handmaiden offers to hide it instead. After an ornate brocade is tied to the babies arm signifying its noble birth, the handmaiden leaves it under as ash tree outside of an abbey. A porter finds the girl and names her Le Fresne (modern French frêne, "ash tree"), and gives her to a gentle abbess to raise.
Le Fresne grows into an exceedingly beautiful woman, and a respected lord named Gurun becomes enamored with her. Gurun makes a great donation to the abbey as an excuse for his constant visits, and secretly gains the love of Le Fresne. Fearing the wrath of the abbess if Le Fresne would become pregnant in her house, Gurun convinces her to run away with him, making her his concubine.
Gurun's knights become concerned that if he does not marry a noblewoman for the sake of a legitimate heir, his lands and lineage will be lost upon his death. They find a noble and beautiful woman named La Codre (modern French coudrier, "hazel tree"). Gurun's knights convince him that for the sake of carrying on his noble lineage, he should marry La Codre instead of Le Fresne, and the marriage is planned. While La Codre's mother originally plans to move Le Fresne as far away from Gurun as possible, she discovers upon meeting her that Le Fresne is very kind, and none wish her any harm. The night of the wedding, Le Fresne helps to prepare the wedding bed, for she knows how Gurun likes things. Not finding it sufficiently beautiful, she adds her brocade to the wedding bed. This is discovered by the mother of La Codre, who recognizes that the brocade is her own, and that Le Fresne is the twin daughter of La Codre whom they had abandoned at birth. All people welcome Le Fresne, and the marriage of La Codre and Gurun is finished and then annulled within the day. Le Fresne and Gurun marry, a husband is found for La Codre, and all characters are happy.
[edit] Allusions
- The idea equating twins with infidelity was a common folkloric belief at the time.[1]
- The knights' argument for marrying La Codre instead of Le Fresne uses a pun on the meaning of their names. The knights point out that the hazel tree ("La Codre" in the Burgess and Busby translation) produces nuts or fruit, whereas the ash tree (Le Fresne) does not.
[edit] Translations
- Online translation to english verse by Judith P. Shoaf, 1996.
- Eugene Mason's translation of the Lays of Marie de France includes Le Fresne, labelled as IX, "The Lay of the Ash Tree"
[edit] Notes
- ^ Marie de France, "Les Lais de Marie de France", p. 91, traduits et annotés par Harf-Lancner, L., Livre de Poche 1990.
[edit] References
- Marie de France. The Lais of Marie de France. (Burgess and Busby translation) 1986, Penguin
- Marie de France. Lais de Marie de France. (traduits, présentés et annotés par Laurence Harf-Lancner) 1990, Livre de Poche, Lettres gothiques
