Laüstic

[3] After he leaves, the lady mourns the bird's death and the suffering she must accept, knowing she can no longer be at the window at night.

[4] The servants hide traps for the nightingale in hazel trees, a plant that is also found in Chevrefoil and Le Fresne, two of Marie's other lais.

In 1950, William S. Woods commented that Marie's lais display "her feminine attitude and style in a great number of places", which he called "one of the most endearing" qualities of her writing, and says that she has "a true womanly love for forceful and superlative adverbs and expressions".

[5] In 1984, Michelle Freeman discussed the lai in a study that sought to investigate the position of a female author in a tradition of translating to and from Latin and the vernacular languages.

[4] Marie as the artist serves to preserve the story of the two lovers through the act of writing, just as the servant is entrusted with the lady's message and enwrapped nightingale.

The first 12 lines of the British Library’s copy of L’Austic by Maie de France from the first edition 1175-1200 CE.
The first 12 lines of the British Library’s copy of L’Austic by Maie de France from the first edition 1175-1200 CE.