Today | News | Books | Recipes Adventure | Science Fiction | Ghost stories | Poetry | Children | History Booke hit nat with-seye; *Or him repenteth utterly of this. +He ne hath nat doon so grevously amis +To translaten that olde clerkes wryten, 370 +As thogh that he of malice wolde endyten Despyt of love, and had him-self hit wroght. +This shulde a rightwys lord have in his thoght, +And nat be lyk tiraunts of Lumbardye, Than han no reward but at tirannye. 375 +For he that king or lord is naturel, +Him oghte nat be tiraunt ne cruel, +As is a fermour, to doon the harm he can. +He moste thinke hit is his lige man, *And is his tresour, and his gold in cofre. 380 +This is the sentence of the philosophre: +A king to kepe his liges in Iustyce; +With-outen doute, that is his offyce. Al wol he kepe his lordes hir degree, +As hit is right and skilful that they be 385 +Enhaunced and honoured, and most dere-- +For they ben half-goddes in this world here-- Yit mot he doon bothe right, to pore and riche, Al be that hir estat be nat y-liche, +And han of pore folk compassioun. 390 +For lo, the gentil kynd of the leoun! +For whan a flye offendeth him or byteth, +He with his tayl awey the flye smyteth +Al esily; for, of his genterye, +Him deyneth nat to wreke him on a flye, 395 +As doth a curre or elles another beste. +In noble corage oghte been areste, +And weyen every thing by equitee, +And ever han reward to his owen degree. +For, sir, hit is no maystrie for a lord 400 To dampne a man with-oute answere of word; +And, for a lord, that is ful foul to use. +And if so be he may him nat excuse, But asketh mercy with a dredful herte, +And profreth him, right in his bare sherte, 405 +To been right at your owne Iugement, +Than oghte a god, by short avysement, +Considre his owne honour and his trespas. +For sith no cause of deeth lyth in this cas, +Yow oghte been the lighter merciable; 410 +Leteth your yre, and beth somwhat tretable! +The man hath served yow of his conning, And forthred wel your lawe in his making. 'Al be hit that he can nat wel endyte, Yet hath he maked lewed folk delyte 415 +To serve you, in preysing of your name. +He made the book that hight the Hous of Fame, +And eek the Deeth of Blaunche the Duchesse, +And the Parlement of Foules, as I gesse, +And al the love of Palamon and Arcyte 420 +Of Thebes, thogh the story is knowen lyte; +And many an ympne for your halydayes, +That highten Balades, Roundels, Virelayes; And, for to speke of other holynesse, +He hath in prose translated Boëce, 425 +And mad the Lyf also of seynt Cecyle; +He made also, goon sithen a greet whyl, +Origenes upon the Maudeleyne; +Him oghte now to have the lesse peyne; +He hath mad many a lay and many a thing. 430 +'Now as ye been a god, and eek a king, +I, your Alceste, whylom quene of Trace, +I aske yow this man, right of your grace, +That ye him never hurte in al his lyve; +And he shal sweren yow, and that as blyve, 435 +He shal no more agilten in this wyse; +But he shal maken, as ye wil devyse, +Of wommen trewe in lovinge al hir lyve, +Wher-so ye wil, of maiden or of wyve, +And forthren yow, as muche as he misseyde 440 +Or in the Rose or elles in Creseyde.' +The god of love answerde hir thus anoon, +'Madame,' quod he, 'hit is so long agoon +That I yow knew so charitable and trewe, +That never yit, sith that the world was newe, 445 +To me ne fond I better noon than ye. If that I wolde save my degree, +I may ne wol nat werne your requeste; Al lyth in yow, doth with him as yow leste. +I al foryeve, with-outen lenger space; 450 +For who-so yeveth a yift, or doth a grace, +Do hit by tyme, his thank is wel the more; +And demeth ye what he shal do therfore. +Go thanke now my lady heer,' quod he. +I roos, and doun I sette me on my knee, 455 +And seyde thus: 'Madame, the god above +Foryelde yow, that ye the god of love +Han maked me his wrathe to foryive; +And yeve me grace so long for to live, +That I may knowe soothly what ye be 460 That han me holpe and put in this degree. +But trewely I wende, as in this cas, +Naught have agilt, ne doon to love trespas. +Forwhy a trewe man, with-outen drede, +Hath nat to parten with a theves dede; 465 +Ne a trewe lover oghte me nat blame, +Thogh that I speke a fals lover som shame. +They oghte rather with me for to holde, +For that I of Creseyde wroot or tolde, +Or of the Rose; what-so myn auctour mente, 470 +Algate, god wot, hit was myn entente +To forthren trouthe in love and hit cheryce; +And to be war fro falsnesse and fro vyce +By swich ensample; this was my meninge.' +And she answerde, 'lat be thyn arguinge; 475 +For Love ne wol nat countrepleted be In right ne wrong; and lerne that of me! +Thou hast thy grace, and hold thee right ther-to. +Now wol I seyn what penance thou shalt do +For thy trespas, and understond hit here: 480 +Thou shalt, whyl that thou livest, yeer by yere, The moste party of thy tyme spende +In making of a glorious Legende +Of Gode Wommen, maidenes and wyves, +That weren trewe in lovinge al hir lyves; 485 +And telle of false men that hem bitrayen, +That al hir lyf ne doon nat but assayen +How many wommen they may doon a shame; For in your world that is now holde a game. And thogh thee lyke nat a lover be, 490 +Spek wel of love; this penance yive I thee. +And to the god of love I shal so preye, +That he shal charge his servants, by any weye, +To forthren thee, and wel thy labour quyte; Go now thy wey, this penance is but lyte. 495 *And whan this book is maad, yive hit the quene *On my behalfe, at Eltham, or at Shene.' +The god of love gan smyle, and than he seyde, +'Wostow,' quod he, 'wher this be wyf or mayde, +Or quene, or countesse, or of what degree, 500 +That hath so litel penance yiven thee, +That hast deserved sorer for to smerte? +But pitee renneth sone in gentil herte; +That maystow seen, she kytheth what she is.' +And I answerde, 'nay, sir, so have I blis, 505 +No more but that I see wel she is good.' +'That is a trewe tale, by myn hood,' +Quod Love, 'and that thou knowest wel, pardee, +If hit be so that thou avyse thee. +Hastow nat in a book, lyth in thy cheste, 510 +The grete goodnesse of the quene Alceste, +That turned was into a dayesye: +She that for hir husbonde chees to dye, +And eek to goon to helle, rather than he, +And Ercules rescowed hir, pardee, 515 +And broghte hir out of helle agayn to blis?' +And I answerde ageyn, and seyde, 'yis, +Now knowe I hir! And is this good Alceste, +The dayesye, and myn owne hertes reste? +Now fele I wel the goodnesse of this wyf, 520 +That bothe after hir deeth, and in hir lyf, +Hir grete bountee doubleth hir renoun! +Wel hath she quit me myn affeccioun +That I have to hir flour, the dayesye! +No wonder is thogh Iove hir stellifye, 525 +As telleth Agaton, for hir goodnesse! +Hir whyte coroun berth of hit witnesse; +For also many vertues hadde she, +As smale floures in hir coroun be. +In remembraunce of hir and in honour, 530 +Cibella made |