The Perilous Fountain with the Charter of Love

When he saw me, he lowered his gaze,
Yet never did he cease his pace.
¶ He took great pleasure in beholding
The water, which seemed pure to him.
He knew not how to guard himself from it,
So much so that it stole away all his senses.
His heart joined with another;
original: "a aultruy assembla." This suggests the youth's heart is no longer his own, but captured by the image in the water—a classic description of falling in love with a reflection, evoking the myth of Narcissus.
He could not keep it within himself.
Then I saw that he shuddered and trembled,
And knew not what would become of him.

¶ Soon and easily was he deceived,
The heart obeying the eyes.
There he well knew and perceived
What peril lies in such places.
Such potions are perilous;
original: "buuages." Literally "drinks" or "beverages," but here used metaphorically for the intoxicating and dangerous sight of the water.
Herb and root are of little value there.
It is best to flee them;
I know no better medicine.

¶ He leaned toward the fountain,
For which he later deeply repented.
He thought to drink with a deep breath,
But then he felt such great pain
That his heart nearly failed him.
original: "ne luy mentit." Literally "did not lie to him," but idiomatically meaning his heart gave out or stopped beating from the shock of emotion.
There he lost reason and clergie;
original: "clergie." This refers to formal education, book-learning, or the intellectual wisdom associated with scholars and clerks.
His sense was checkmated and slowed,
original: "mat." A term borrowed from chess (checkmate), used here to describe a mind rendered utterly powerless, defeated, or dull.
Lying as if in lethargy.
original: "litargie." In medieval medicine, this was a state of morbid drowsiness or a coma-like stupor, often used by poets to describe the paralyzing effect of overwhelming desire or melancholy.