My martyrdom, my smart, another knows;
One unto whom I secretly invoke,
Who is the cause of this my fire, my smoke.
She hath a salve to cure my endless grief,
And only she may yield me some relief.
Leonor, sweet Rose, all other flowers excelling,
For thee I feel strange thoughts in me[188:A] rebelling.
You should know by what occasion Amadis made this song for the Princess Leonoreta. One day, as he was talking with Queen Brisena, Oriana, Mabilia, and Olinda, told Leonoreta to go and ask Amadis to be her Knight, and that he would then serve her and no one else. The little girl went to him, and did so; and Amadis, smiling, took her
in his arms, and placed her on the estrado. Since you would have me be your Knight, said he, give me some jewel in token that you hold me
for yours; and then she took from her head a gold clasp set with gems, and gave it him. All began to laugh at seeing how verily she believed the jest, and Amadis, being thus chosen her Knight, made for her this song. And when she and her damsels sung it they were dressed alike, having garlands on their heads, and garments of the same costliness and fashion as Leonoreta wore. She was a fair princess, albeit not so fair as Oriana, who had no peer, and afterwards she became Empress of Rome, and her twelve little damsels were all daughters of Counts and noble chiefs. So having sung their song, they knelt before Lisuarte, and then returned to the Queen.