The Perilous Fountain with the Charter of Love

Free Will and a full heart
Have the power to make use
Of Reason and healthy thought,
And, when it pleases them, to misuse it.

¶ But they held onto this freedom
original: "franchise." In medieval courtly literature, this implies both the legal status of being a free man and the noble character trait of being open and generous.
As long as they were mindful of it;
But in the end, they are submitted
To another’s will and agreement.
They have given heart and body as hostage,
original: "ostage." A person given as security for the fulfillment of a treaty or debt; here, the lover is a prisoner of his own devotion.
Promising to serve under such a pledge
original: "gaige." A security or token deposited to guarantee a promise or the outcome of a challenge.
That in the end, some die in the effort
Without finding any advantage in it.

¶ I used to marvel at such people,
As long as I was free and liberated,
Being well-advised within myself
To wish to live and die free.
But Sweet Look, who intoxicates so many,
original: "doulx regard." A common allegorical figure representing the first moment of visual attraction that leads to falling in love.
Has surprised me in such a way
That neither through science nor through books
Have I ever been able to find a path of Reason.

¶ Alas, I was not in prison, nor
Under another's will or servitude;
original: "seruaige." The condition of a serf or a slave; the lover describes his state as the loss of legal and personal autonomy.
But now I am, now I am imprisoned.
I know not if I have done little harm,
I know not if this is wisdom or outrage,
original: "oultrage." This refers to an excess or an act that goes beyond the bounds of moderate, sensible behavior.
I know not what fruit I might expect from it.