The Lais of Marie de France

The narrator begins by asserting that Chevrefoil is a popular lay which has been recited and written many times. King Mark dismisses his nephew Tristam from his land because of the latter’s love for his wife, the queen. Distressed with longing, Tristam escapes his home in South Wales and makes his way to Cornwall, where the queen is. He travels through the forest in secret. Having heard that the king and queen will pass by on their journey to Tintagel, Tristam cuts a hazel branch in half and carves his name on it so that the queen will recognize it. The narrator says that “the two of them resembled the honeysuckle which clings to the hazel branch […] if anyone should attempt to separate them, the hazel quickly dies, as does the honeysuckle” (110). The old French word for honeysuckle, is “chevrefoil”, the title of the lay (110).

In due course, the queen finds the stick and reunites with Tristam. After they share their love, the queen tells Tristam that he should be reconciled with the king. At the moment of separation, they weep, and Tristam returns to Wales until he is summoned by his uncle.

Tristam, a skilled poet and musician, composes a lay about his adventures.