Today | News | Books | Recipes Adventure | Science Fiction | Ghost stories | Poetry | Children | History Bookew tho, *Til at the laste a larke song above: 141 *'I see,' quod she, 'the mighty god of love! *Lo! yond he cometh, I see his winges sprede!' _From_ A. 106. To seen that flour, as ye han herd devyse, Tho gan I loken endelong the mede, (B. 212) And saw him come, and in his hond a quene, 145 Clothed in ryal abite al of grene. +A fret of gold she hadde next hir heer, +And up-on that a whyt coroun she beer With many floures, and I shal nat lye; For al the world, right as the dayesye 150 +I-coroned is with whyte leves lyte, Swich were the floures of hir coroun whyte. For of o perle fyn and oriental +Hir whyte coroun was y-maked al; +For which the whyte coroun, above the grene, 155 +Made hir lyk a daysie for to sene, Considered eek the fret of gold above. +Y-clothed was this mighty god of love Of silk, y-brouded ful of grene greves; A garlond on his heed of rose-leves 160 *Steked al with lilie floures newe; *But of his face I can nat seyn the hewe. For sekirly his face shoon so brighte, *That with the gleem a-stoned was the sighte; A furlong-wey I mighte him nat beholde. 165 But at the laste in hande I saw him holde +Two fyry dartes, as the gledes rede; And aungellich his wenges gan he sprede. +And al be that men seyn that blind is he, Al-gate me thoughte he mighte wel y-see; 170 +For sternely on me he gan biholde, +So that his loking doth myn herte colde. +And by the hande he held the noble quene, +Corouned with whyte, and clothed al in grene, +So womanly, so benigne, and so meke, 175 +That in this world, thogh that men wolde seke, +Half hir beautee shulde men nat finde +In creature that formed is by kinde, Hir name was Alceste the debonayre; I prey to god that ever falle she fayre! 180 +For ne hadde confort been of hir presence, +I had be deed, withouten any defence, +For drede of Loves wordes and his chere, +As, whan tyme is, her-after ye shal here. Byhind this god of love, up-on this grene, 185 +I saw cominge of ladyës nyntene +In ryal abite, a ful esy pas, +And after hem com of wemen swich a tras That, sin that god Adam made of erthe, The thredde part of wemen, ne the ferthe, 190 +Ne wende I nat by possibilitee Hadden ever in this world y-be; (B. 289) +And trewe of love thise wemen were echoon. +Now whether was that a wonder thing or noon, +That, right anoon as that they gonne espye 195 +This flour, which that I clepe the dayesye, +Ful sodeinly they stinten alle at-ones, And kneled adoun, as it were for the nones. *And after that they wenten in compas, *Daunsinge aboute this flour an esy pas, 200 *And songen, as it were in carole-wyse, *This balade, which that I shal yow devyse. BALADE. +Hyd, Absolon, thy gilte tresses clere; +Ester, ley them thy meknesse al a-doun; +Hyd, Ionathas, al thy frendly manere; 205 +Penalopee, and Marcia Catoun, +Mak of your wyfhod no comparisoun; +Hyde ye your beautes, Isoude and Eleyne, Alceste is here, that al that may desteyne. +Thy faire body, lat hit nat appere, 210 +Lavyne; and thou, Lucresse of Rome toun, +And Polixene, that boghte love so dere, Eek Cleopatre, with al thy passioun, Hyde ye your trouthe in love and your renoun; And thou, Tisbe, that hast for love swich peyne: 215 Alceste is here, that al that may desteyne. Herro, Dido, Laudomia, alle in-fere, Eek Phyllis, hanging for thy Demophoun, +And Canace, espyed by thy chere, Ysiphile, betrayed with Jasoun, 220 Mak of your trouthe in love no bost ne soun; Nor Ypermistre or Adriane, ne pleyne; Alceste is here, that al that may desteyne. Whan that this balade al y-songen was, (B. 270) _From_ A. 179-198. Hir name was Alceste the debonayre; I prey to god that ever falle she fayre! 180 +For ne hadde confort been of hir presence, +I had be deed, withouten any defence, +For drede of Loves wordes and his chere, +As, whan tyme is, her-after ye shal here. Byhind this god of love, up-on this grene, 185 +I saw cominge of ladyës nyntene +In ryal abite, a ful esy pas, +And after hem com of wemen swich a tras, That, sin that god Adam made of erthe, The thredde part of wemen, ne the ferthe, 190 +Ne wende I nat by possibilitee Hadden ever in this world y-be. +And trewe of love these wemen were echoon. +Now whether was that a wonder thing or noon, +That, right anon as that they gonne espye 195 +This flour, which that I clepe the dayesye, +Ful sodeinly they stinten alle atones, And kneled adoun, as it were for the nones. *Upon the softe and swote grene gras 225 +They setten hem ful softely adoun, (B. 301) By ordre alle in compas, alle enveroun. First sat the god of love, and than this quene +With the whyte coroun, clad in grene; +And sithen al the remenant by and by, 230 As they were of degree, ful curteisly; +Ne nat a word was spoken in the place +The mountance of a furlong-wey of space. I, lening faste by under a bente, +Abood, to knowen what this peple mente, 235 +As stille as any stoon; til at the laste, The god of love on me his eye caste, And seyde, 'who resteth ther?' and I answerde Un-to his axing, whan that I him herde, +And seyde, 'sir, hit am I'; and cam him neer, 240 +And salued him. Quod he, 'what dostow heer In my presence, and that so boldely? +For it were better worthy, trewely, A werm to comen in my sight than thou.' +'And why, sir,' quod I, 'and hit lyke yow?' 245 +'For thou,' quod he, 'art ther-to nothing able. *My servaunts been alle wyse and honourable. Thou art my mortal fo, and me warreyest, (B. 322) +And of myne olde servaunts thou misseyest, +And hinderest hem with thy translacioun, 250 And lettest folk to han devocioun +To serven me, and haldest hit folye To troste on me. Thou mayst hit nat denye; For in pleyn text, hit nedeth nat to glose, +Thou hast translated the Romauns of the Rose, 255 +That is an heresye ageyns my lawe, +And makest wyse folk fro me withdrawe. *And thinkest in thy wit, that is ful cool. *That he nis but a verray propre fool *That loveth paramours, to harde and hote. 260 *Wel wot I ther-by thou beginnest dote *As olde foles, whan hir spirit fayleth; *Than blame they folk, and wite nat what hem ayleth. *Hast thou nat mad in English eek the book How that Crisseyde Troilus forsook, (B. 332) 265 In shewinge how that wemen han don mis? *But natheles, answere me now to this, *Why noldest thou as wel han seyd goodnesse *Of wemen, as thou hast seyd wikkednesse? *Was ther no good matere in thy minde, 270 *Ne in alle thy bokes coudest thou nat finde *Sum story of wemen that were goode and trewe? *Yis! god wot, sixty bokes olde and newe *Hast thou thy-self, alle fulle of stories grete, *That bothe Romains and eek Grekes trete 275 *Of sundry wemen, which lyf that they ladde, *And ever an hundred gode ageyn oon badde. *This knoweth god, and alle clerkes eke, *That usen swiche materes for to seke. *What seith Valerie, Titus, or Claudian? 280 *What seith Ierome ageyns Iovinian? *How clene may |