Laüstic

Laustic, which means nightingale, was a short lai unlike the other lais we have been reading by Marie de France. This story is about two knights that live next door to each other. The one knight has a wife who he loves, and the other does not have a wife but is a very eligible bachelor, however, the wife of the knight is in love with the chivalrous knight next door. There is clearly a lot of symbolism when it comes to the nightingale. I saw the nightingale as symbol of doom, while others see it as a symbol of love. When I think of a nightingale I think of beauty and peace because in the real world it is a small bird that does not look harmful and in fact, loosk very innocent. However, in this lai, we see the nightingale as a symbol of doom. I feel as though the nightingale sent a message to the lady about how this adultery was going to end. his ending would be death.

The lady at the end of the lai sends the dead nightingale to her lover as a message. The message being that they could never be together and if they continue doing what they are doing, it will end in tragedy. The knight realizes this immediately and puts the dead bird in a reliquary. One thing that was different in this lai was that it was shorter and ti the point, unlike the other lais we have read. No matter how you choose to interpret the nightingale, this poem is extreme in its message. Whatever beauty or tragedy is suggested by the bird ends up as a bloodstain on the lady's dress, for the world always comes crashing in.