Crazy in Love

The system of scoring in tennis is strange,
With “love,” 15, 30, and 40, then “game.”
How’s that a pragmatic numerical range?
Why isn’t the interval always the same?

The 40 was once 45, as I thought.
It seems they just liked it one syllable short.
An alternate theory: The score would be brought
To still less than 60 with deuce on the court.

Now let me explain: When the players are tied
At 40, that’s “deuce,” and the next one to score
Receives an “advantage” but won’t have the pride
Of winning except if he does it once more.

And why set the limit at 60? Who knows?
It’s commonly thought that a clock formed the base.
The scoring began as advances arose
To tell quarter hours by chime or by face.

It also might come from the old jeu de paume,
Precursor to tennis, where players would move,
On scoring, a given length closer to home,
Say 10 or 15 feet, but that’s hard to prove.

And “love” meaning zero? The answer I’d heard
In youth was a basis in l’oeuf, French for “egg.”
The Dutch iets voor lof doen is sometimes preferred:
“Do something for praise.” Are they pulling my leg?

It might not be foreign: The players might play
For love of the game, not with money at stake.
Perhaps when they’re starting, ill will is at bay;
They still love each other. Well, that’s a sweet take.