Her locks were yellow and curled, her eyes blue-gray and smiling, her face featly fashioned, the nose high and fairly set, the lips more red than cherry or rose in time of summer, her teeth white and small; and her breasts so firm that they bore up the folds of her bodice as they had been two walnuts; so slim was she in the waist that your two hands might have clipped her; and the daisy flowers that brake beneath her as she went tiptoe, and that bent above her instep, seemed black against her feet and ankles, so white was the maiden.  She came to the postern-gate, and unbarred it, and went out through the streets of Beaucaire, keeping always on the shadowy side, for the moon was shining right clear, and so wandered she till she came to the tower where her lover lay.  The tower was flanked with pillars, and she cowered under one of them, wrapped in her mantle.  Then thrust she her head through a crevice of the tower, that was old and worn, and heard Aucassin, who was weeping within, and making dole and lament for the sweet friend he loved so well.  And when she had listened to him some time she began to say:—­

Here one singeth:—­

          Nicolette, the bright of brow,
          On a pillar leaned now,
          All Aucassin’s wail did hear
          For his love that was so dear,
          Then the maid spake low and clear:—­
          “Gentle knight, withouten fear,
          Little good befalleth thee,
          Little help of sigh or tear. 
          Ne’er shalt thou have joy of me. 
          Never shalt thou win me; still
          Am I held in evil will
          Of thy father and thy kin. 
          Therefore must I cross the sea,
          And another land must win.” 
          Then she cut her curls of gold,
          Cast them in the dungeon hold,
          Aucassin doth clasp them there,
          Kiss’th the curls that were so fair,
          Them doth in his bosom bear,
          Then he wept, e’en as of old,
            All for his love!

Thus say they, speak they, tell they The Tale.

When Aucassin heard Nicolette say that she would pass into a far country, he was all in wrath.

“Fair, sweet friend,” quoth he, “thou shalt not go, for then wouldst thou be my death.  And the first man that saw thee and had the might withal, would take thee straightway into his bed to be his leman.  And once thou earnest into a man’s bed, and that bed not mine, wit ye well that I would not tarry till I had found a knife to pierce my heart and slay myself.  Nay, verily, wait so long I would not; but would hurl myself so far as I might see a wall, or a black stone, and I would dash my head against it so mightily that the eyes would start and my brain burst.  Rather would I die even such a death than know that thou hadst lain in a man’s bed, and that bed not mine.”

“Aucassin,” she said, “I trow thou lovest me not as much as thou sayest, but I love thee more than thou lovest me.”