Today | News | Books | Recipes Adventure | Science Fiction | Ghost stories | Poetry | Children | History Bookght him nor his folk despysest, (130) Although thou mayst go in the daunce Of hem that him list not avaunce. 640 'Wherfor, as I seyde, y-wis, Iupiter considereth this, And also, beau sir, other thinges; That is, that thou hast no tydinges Of Loves folk, if they be glade, 645 Ne of noght elles that god made; And noght only fro fer contree That ther no tyding comth to thee, (140) But of thy verray neyghebores, That dwellen almost at thy dores, 650 Thou herest neither that ne this; For whan thy labour doon al is, And hast y-maad thy rekeninges, In stede of reste and newe thinges, Thou gost hoom to thy hous anoon; 655 And, also domb as any stoon, Thou sittest at another boke, Til fully daswed is thy loke, (150) And livest thus as an hermyte, Although thyn abstinence is lyte. 660 'And therfor Ioves, through his grace, Wol that I bere thee to a place, Which that hight THE HOUS OF FAME, To do thee som disport and game, In som recompensacioun 665 Of labour and devocioun That thou hast had, lo! causeles, To Cupido, the reccheles! (160) And thus this god, thorgh his meryte, Wol with som maner thing thee quyte, 670 So that thou wolt be of good chere. For truste wel, that thou shalt here, When we be comen ther I seye, Mo wonder thinges, dar I leye, Of Loves folke mo tydinges, 675 Bothe soth-sawes and lesinges; And mo loves newe begonne, And longe y-served loves wonne, (170) And mo loves casuelly That been betid, no man wot why, 680 But as a blind man stert an hare; And more Iolytee and fare, Whyl that they finde love of stele, As thinketh hem, and over-al wele; Mo discords, and mo Ielousyes, 685 Mo murmurs, and mo novelryes, And mo dissimulaciouns, And feyned reparaciouns; (180) And mo berdes in two houres Withoute rasour or sisoures 690 Y-maad, then greynes be of sondes; And eke mo holdinge in hondes, And also mo renovelaunces Of olde forleten aqueyntaunces; Mo love-dayes and acordes 695 Then on instruments ben cordes; And eke of loves mo eschaunges Than ever cornes were in graunges; (190) Unethe maistow trowen this?'-- Quod he. 'No, helpe me god so wis!'-- 700 Quod I. 'No? why?' quod he. 'For hit Were impossible, to my wit, Though that Fame hadde al the pyes In al a realme, and al the spyes, How that yet she shulde here al this, 705 Or they espye hit.' 'O yis, yis!' Quod he to me, 'that can I preve By resoun, worthy for to leve, (200) So that thou yeve thyn advertence To understonde my sentence. 710 'First shall thou heren wher she dwelleth, And so thyn owne book hit telleth; Hir paleys stant, as I shal seye, Right even in middes of the weye Betwixen hevene, erthe, and see; 715 That, what-so-ever in al these three Is spoken, in privee or aperte, The wey therto is so overte, (210) And stant eek in so Iuste a place, That every soun mot to hit pace, 720 Or what so comth fro any tonge, Be hit rouned, red, or songe, Or spoke in seurtee or drede, Certein, hit moste thider nede. 'Now herkne wel; for-why I wille 735 Tellen thee a propre skile, And worthy demonstracioun In myn imagynacioun. (220) 'Geffrey, thou wost right wel this, That every kindly thing that is, 730 Hath a kindly stede ther he May best in hit conserved be; Unto which place every thing, Through his kindly enclyning, Moveth for to come to, 735 Whan that hit is awey therfro; As thus; lo, thou mayst al day see That any thing that hevy be, (230) As stoon or leed, or thing of wighte, And ber hit never so hye on highte, 740 Lat go thyn hand, hit falleth doun. 'Right so seye I by fyre or soun, Or smoke, or other thinges lighte, Alwey they seke upward on highte; Whyl ech of hem is at his large, 745 Light thing up, and dounward charge. 'And for this cause mayst thou see, That every river to the see (240) Enclyned is to go, by kinde. And by these skilles, as I finde, 750 Hath fish dwellinge in floode and see, And treës eek in erthe be. Thus every thing, by this resoun, Hath his propre mansioun, To which hit seketh to repaire, 755 As ther hit shulde not apaire. Lo, this sentence is knowen couthe Of every philosophres mouthe, (250) As Aristotle and dan Platon, And other clerkes many oon; 760 And to confirme my resoun, Thou wost wel this, that speche is soun, Or elles no man mighte hit here; Now herkne what I wol thee lere. 'Soun is noght but air y-broken, 765 And every speche that is spoken, Loud or privee, foul or fair, In his substaunce is but air; (260) For as flaumbe is but lighted smoke, Right so soun is air y-broke. 770 But this may be in many wyse, Of which I wil thee two devyse, As soun that comth of pype or harpe. For whan a pype is blowen sharpe, The air is twist with violence, 775 And rent; lo, this is my sentence; Eek, whan men harpe-stringes smyte, Whether hit be moche or lyte, (270) Lo, with the strook the air to-breketh; Right so hit breketh whan men speketh. 780 Thus wost thou wel what thing is speche. 'Now hennesforth I wol thee teche, How every speche, or noise, or soun, Through his multiplicacioun, Thogh hit were pyped of a mouse, 785 Moot nede come to Fames House. I preve hit thus--tak hede now-- By experience; for if that thou (280) Throwe on water now a stoon, Wel wost thou, hit wol make anoon 790 A litel roundel as a cercle, Paraventure brood as a covercle; And right anoon thou shalt see weel, That wheel wol cause another wheel, And that the thridde, and so forth, brother, 795 Every cercle causing other, Wyder than himselve was; And thus, fro roundel to compas, (290) Ech aboute other goinge, Caused of othres steringe, 800 And multiplying ever-mo, Til that hit be so fer y-go That hit at bothe brinkes be. Al-thogh thou mowe hit not y-see Above, hit goth yet alway under, 805 Although thou thenke hit a gret wonder. And who-so seith of trouthe I varie, Bid him proven the contrarie. (300) And right thus every word, y-wis, That loude or privee spoken is, 810 Moveth first an air aboute, And of this moving, out of doute, Another air anoon is meved, As I have of the water preved, That every cercle causeth other. 815 Right so of air, my leve brother; Everich air in other stereth More and more, and speche up bereth, (310) Or vois, or noise, or word, or soun, Ay through multiplicacioun, 820 Til hit be atte House of Fame;-- Tak hit in ernest or in game. 'Now have I told, if thou have minde, How speche or soun, of pure kinde, Enclyned is upward to meve; 825 This, mayst thou fele, wel I preve. And that [the mansioun], y-wis, That every thing enclyned to is, (320) Hath his kindeliche stede: That sheweth hit, withouten drede, 830 That kindely the mansioun Of every speche, of every soun, Be hit either foul or fair, Hath his kinde place in air. And sin that every thing, that is 835 Out of his kinde place, y-wis, Moveth thider for to go If hit a-weye be therfro, (330) As I before have preved thee, Hit seweth, every soun, pardee, |