The 48 Laws Of Power

totastethat

joy,

hedecidedto

try

onemoretime:Hedroveher

away

with

harshwordsand

threateninggestures.

She

left,

thistime

vowing

neverto

seehim

again.

Thenext

morning

thetroubadour

regretted

whathehaddone. He

rodebackto

javiac,

butthe

lady

wouldnotreceive

him,

andorderedher

servantstochasehim

away,

acrossthe

drawbridge

andoverthehill.Guil-

laumefled.Backinhischamberhe

collapsed

andstarted

to

cry:

Hehad

madeaterriblemistake.Overthenext

year,

unableto

seehis

lady,

he

ex-

perienced

the

absence,

theterrible

absence,

thatcan

only

inflamelove.He

wroteoneofhismostbeautiful

poems,

“Mysong

ascendsfor

mercypray-

ing.”

Andhesent

many

lettersto

Guillelma,

explaining

whathehad

done,

and

beggingforgiveness.

After

a

great

deal

of

this,

Lady

Guillelma,

remembering

hisbeautiful

songs,

his

handsome

figure,

andhisskills

in

dancing

and

falconry,

found

herself

yearning

tohavehimback.As

penance

forhis

cruelty,

sheordered

himtoremovethenailfromthelittle

finger

ofhis

right

hand,

andtosendit

toher

along

witha

poemdescribing

hismiseries.

Hedidas

sheasked.

Finally

GuillaumedeBalaunwasabletotastethe

ultimatesensation—-areconciliation even

surpassing

thatofhisfriend

Pierre.

Interpretation

Trying

todiscoverthe

joys

of

reconciliation,

GuillaumedeBalauninadver—

tentlyexperienced

thetruthofthelawofabsenceand

presence.

Atthe

startofan

affair,

you

needto

heightenyourpresence

inthe

eyes

ofthe

other.If

you

absent

yourself

too

early,youmay

be

forgotten.

Butonce

your

lover‘semotionsare

engaged,

andthe

feeling

oflovehas

crystallized,

absenceinflamesandexcites.

Giving

noreasonfor

your

absence

excites

evenmore:Theother

person

assumesheorsheisatfault.While

you

are

away,

thelover’s

imagination

takes

flight,

andastimulated

imagination

cannot

help

butmakelove

grow

stronger.Conversely,

themoreGuillelma

pursued

Guillaume,

thelesshelovedher—shehadbecometoo

present,

too

accessible,

leaving

noroomforhis

imagination

and

fancy,

sothat

his

feelings

were

suffocating.

Whenshe

finallystoppedsendingmessengers,

hewasabletobreathe

again,

andtoreturntohis

plan.

What

withdraws,

whatbecomes

scarce,suddenly

seemstodeserveour

respect

andhonor.What

stays

too

long,inundating

uswithits

presence,

makesusdisdainit.IntheMiddle

Ages,

ladieswere

constantlyputting

their

knightsthrough

trialsof

love,

sending

them

on

some

long

andardu-

ous

quest—-all

tocreatea

pattern

ofabsenceand

presence.

Indeed,

had

Guillaumenotlefthis

lady

inthefirst

place,

she

might

havebeenforcedto

sendhim

away,

creating

anabsenceofherown.

Absencediminishes

minarrpassianr

and

inflame:great

ones,

asthewindclausesacandle

andfamsaflre.

La

Rot/wfo1u‘auId,

1P§I3-I680

I'MI‘\|ll'll

l',\'

(H-

l'Hl.z.<)<1k

lVhiIu

.wr\'iIzg

under

theLlulw

flit:/'l.1(.

T'iz’II

Jur),rlnwrllirzg

his

obscure

pnrimm,

mid

tohirrrmslcr‘.

“I

am

goilzg

tn

wnmlz.-rfar

away

like:1M10141

goose,

“

“Whatdo

you

Imnuzn

by

llml?"

inquired

the

Duke.

"Do

you

see111:’trade?

"

said'l"ien./anin

reply.

“Its5"/£5!is’/2

symbolof

rivililyz

its

powerful

mlrms

rzlggesl

xlrmgtlz:

ilx

(luring

m

fighrany

enemy

zimz.~(e.r

cuura3ge,'i1.s

1m~Iim;Ito

inviteoIhcr.~: 5

fund

isubminczlshows

/r.-mevolenrz-;nru1.

[ml

butnotleast,its

p1mc—

rzmlily

In

keeping

the

Iinte

I/trough

the

nigh!

gives

usan

(tr/mtpleof

wrarilxtIn

.s'[11't¢‘,

/mwcw’r.

of

v',h(¢Sf‘

five

virtmo,Ihecockis

duil_r

killed

In,/ill

a(lixlaon

your

table.

Why?

The

rwmalzis(hm1'1Ls‘

fnurzd

withinourrmrli.

Ontheother

hzmrl.

the

wow

goose

trovt'rrr5in

zmefligiar

(IIlmmumlii.

Re,vtir1g

in

yourgarden.

i1

;>wy'.‘

an

_vuur,ti.shu.v

am]Inr/(esand

pm‘/t'_<

your

mific»/.

Tlmuglz

devoid

ufanyofllzc

CrI1'k3

/in’

virzurls.

yet

youprize

I/nix‘bird

for

thesilky

nfm

s~ca:'z'irv.

'I“lu’s

bt'iug.

.

l.s'hal/fly

fur

likea.\m/w

game.

"

K(?llf?1>'(’J’

AN/.'ll‘Nl’I'lllt‘\F.'>l|-,

Iwmm

'

YoHsu.SLIV.

H)”

1974

LAW 16 I17