Hi Lauris, tough question. Épervier is a kind of hawk (Sparrow hawk). You probably know that hawks, like eagles, are traditionally considered a very noble kind of birds. The poet is actually refering to a medieval celebration from Flanders (a region that covered the North of France and part of the Nederlands, and is now entirely located in Belgium, if I am not mistaken). That celebration was called "fête de l'épinette": it basically consisted in feasts, dances, and a knight tournament. The winner of the tournament would receive a golden sparrow hawk (un "épervier d'or") as a reward. I don't know if it was to decorate their helmet like in the poem, but obviously it was a proof for one's value as a knight. (here's the website where I got that information, in case you wanna read more about it: http://portail.atilf.fr/cgi-bin/getobject_?a.38:0./var/artfla/encyclopedie/textdata/image/) So what the poet is saying is: not only is my heart noble, but it's even more noble than the noble bird (épervier) forged in a noble metal (or), that I put on my noble head... ok, actually he doesn't say noble head, but he says "casque" (helmet), and only knights wear helmets, and as far as I know, knights were only members of the aristocracy at that time - and, as you might already know, the aristocracy was called "la noblesse" in French. Of course, he doesn't mean "noble" as a synonym for highly born, he's talking about the "noblesse" of his heart, that is to say his loyalty and love for his friend (the one for whom he's writing) ; but he's a poet so he plays on the words. It might also be a private joke that only him and his friend could understand, but that we'll never know.

Onlu some times near your mistress Remember that one heart that proved its nobility/bravery Better than the gold sparrowhawk that orn/arm my helm I don't know really the sense of this but it's beautiful!