Fudugazi said:
Well, as a matter of fact, it's known that quite a few Troubadours did consummate their love with the fair lady (or man, since there were female Troubadours) - and some went as far as writing about it in poetry. All very romantic too. Yet they still say "something" remains out of reach. They might capture the lady's heart and her body - but her soul remains out of touch...
It's almost as though this Knight had a compulsive need for something to remain beyond - just ahead of him, drawing him on. That is what spurs him to action. That elusive soul he cannot hold...
(thank you for posting that beautiful poem, Caridwen. I love Troubadour poetry, especially in Occitan...such gorgeous words and rythm).
I'm not talking about troubadours but the knights and their fair ladies that they are singing about! And yes, I'm sure one or two knights consummated their 'love' with the lady in question but by doing so they would have degraded and dishonoured themselves within their social hierarchy. It's why they were forced to revert to poems and song to rid themselves of their pent up feeling.
The tale of Lancelot and Genevieve is the ultimate in this type of courtly love. According to Malory in the Death of Arthur:
"But nowdays men can nat love sevennyght but they must have all their desyres. That love may nat endure by reson, for where they bethe sone accorded and hasty, heete sone keelyth. And ryght so faryth the love nowadayes, sone hote sone colde. Thys ys no stabylyte. But the olde love was not so. For men and women coulde love togydirs seven yearys, and no licoures lustis was betwyxte, and then was love triuthe and faythefulnes. And so in lyke wyse was used such love in kynge Arthurs dayes. (Malory, 649)"
The only kind of love possible is one without "licoures lustis, " or one that is 'pure' and therefore unconsummated. This kind of love is the Knight of Cups', forever tortured by the one true love he cannot have for even if he could have her, he would have betrayed everything he is. Indeed, later on in the text the Hermit condemns Lancelot for his lechery which is why he cannot have the Sangreal:
"So thou, sir Lancelot, whan the Holy Grayle was bought before the, He founde in the no fruit, nother goof thought nother good wylle, and defoulded with lechory. "Sertes," seyde Lancelot, "all that ye have seyde ys trew..."
For according to the times, Lancelot had already committed adultery in his heart by lusting after his friend's wife. And it is through their unrequited 'love' that brings about the downfall of Arthur's Kingdom and his death.
Therefore our Knight is tortured by his obsession, his unrequited love and the fact that he
cannot act for fear of the consequences. He is the adolescent boy who sits at the back of the class dreaming about the girl sitting next to him but never tells her how he feels. He lays awake at night obsessing about her, writes poetry and songs to her but can do nothing about it because his best friend likes her. These codes of honour are still present within friendships.
Note in the Druidcraft for example, that our
Knight is stationary .