Introduction

The lay of Trot is preserved in only one manuscript: Paris, Arsenal 3516. At 303 lines, it is one of the shorter lays in this collection. It is also one of five Arthurian lays, the others being Cor, Mantel, Melion and Tyolet.

A knight at Arthur's court named Lorois decides one day to go and hear the song of the nightingale. As he draws near the forest, a group of eighty happy maidens emerges, all elegantly dressed. This group is followed by a second group of similar size, and this time the maidens are accompanied by their lovers. Next comes a further group of one hundred maidens, who are lamenting and riding emaciated horses trotting uncomfortably. Then a group of a hundred men emerges, suffering in the same way as the previous group of ladies. Finally, a maiden approaches on horseback. Her animal is also trotting and causing her such distress that she can scarcely speak from the pain. But she manages to tell Lorois that the maidens in the first groups have been faithful servants of love, whereas all those who are suffering have treated love with disdain. She warns that this will be the lot of any living woman who does not love. Lorois returns to court to warn the ladies and relate his adventure.

The lay of Trot is commonly compared with a passage in the De Amore of Andreas Capellanus (Book I, Chapter 6, Section E), which bears some similarities to the events described in the lay. Although this is only a short lay, consisting basically of one extended episode, it nevertheless manages to incorporate a well-integrated mixture of elements. Lorois's link with the essential theme of the lay (i.e. the need to engage in love) is discreetly signalled by his urge to go out and search for and to hear the song of the nightingale, a symbol of love. There is a significant emphasis on clothing: Lorois is elegantly attired, as are the women and men in the happy groups, while those in the other groups are more unkempt. In this way clothing reflects contrasting states of mind – happy, contented and fulfilled as against unhappy and physically uncomfortable.