- First thing's first: Check out “What’s Up With the Epigraph?” for a decoding of who the dedication is for and what it means.
- Now onto the business of summarizing.
- The author dedicates these idylls to the memory of someone who loved them, speculating that he may find an image of himself in them.
- This mystery man seems to him just like “my king’s ideal knight,” especially because he followed his conscience above all else and was completely dedicated to one woman.
- He was faithful to a woman for whom his loss is particularly devastating. Ooh, a clue.
- Now that he’s gone, everyone realizes how great he was. Even though his position on the throne made him especially vulnerable to criticism, he appears blameless.
- Who could wish for a better life for his only son, or hope for more for his son’s sons than that they resemble such an excellent father—Albert the Good?
- Now the author addresses the widowed queen, telling her to be strong and endure in the memory of the light they two shared.
- He ends by saying something along the lines of, "May Albert’s love, the love of her children, and the love of her people surround her until God’s love reunites her with her husband again."