Image from @britishlibrary.bsky.social MS Harley 4431, fol. 100r, a manuscript of the Epistle of Othea that Christine helped to prepare (and had a hand in creating the images for). Transcription and translation by yours truly.

Christine herself is at the heart of the picture, showing us what to do, holding her heart close to her chest, instead of holding it up to Venus like all the others.

So go ahead everyone, love and lust and celebrate all things romantic today – but don't pursue foolish love. There lies madness.

On first appearance, it seems to depict a group of men and women worshipping and celebrating love by handing up their hearts to a deity. But the accompanying text tells a different story. This is actually a warning not to pursue lusty or burning love, represented by the goddess Venus in the image.

It turns out poetic translation is *hard*! I hope you like this one.

I've included the French text from Maurice Roy's edition of 1886, available on Gallica. (There are more recent editions, but this one is open access)

The illumination from @britishlibrary.bsky.social MS Harley 4431, fol. 95r shows Christine on bended knee presenting her works to the Duke of Orleans. Christine wears black in this image, perhaps for compositional reasons, or perhaps bc the time the MS was finished, the Duke had been murdered.

Would love to be added 🙏