Imatges de pàgina
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But hit be other up-on the haly-day,
Or elles in the Ioly tyme of May;
Whan that I here the smale foules singe,
And that the floures ginne for to springe,
Farwel my studie, as lasting that sesoun!
Now have I therto this condicioun
†That, of alle the floures in the mede,

†Than love I most these floures whyte and rede,

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40

†Swiche as men callen daysies in our toun.

†To hem have I so greet affeccioun,

†As I seyde erst, whan comen is the May,

45

†That in my bed ther daweth me no day
†That I nam up, and walking in the mede
To seen these floures agein the sonne sprede,
Whan hit up-riseth by the morwe shene,
*The longe day, thus walking in the grene.

But hit be seldom, on the holyday;
Save, certeynly, whan that the month of May
Is comen, and that I here the foules singe,
And that the floures ginnen for to springe,
Farwel my book and my devocioun !

Now have I than swich a condicioun,

†That, of alle the floures in the mede,

†Than love I most these floures whyte and rede,
†Swiche as men callen daysies in our toun.

To hem have I so greet affeccioun,
†As I seyde erst, whan comen is the May,
†That in my bed ther daweth me no day
That I nam up, and walking in the mede
To seen this flour agein the sonne sprede,
Whan hit upryseth erly by the morwe;
*That blisful sighte softneth al my sorwe,

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40

45

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A. 39. stodye; lastynge. 48. sen; flouris a-gen; sunne to sprede. 49. be (for by); schene. drawith it.

50. walkynge.

51. sunne be-gynnys.

53. it; a-ferid. 54. it; dayis. 55. flouris.

58. wyntyr; somyr.

B. 36. Tn. A. Th. month; B. P. moneth; F. monethe.

52. it; 57. frosch.

39. C. Th.

From

This dayesye, of alle floures flour,

Fulfild of vertu and of alle honour,

(B. 53)

A. 55-58. †And ever y-lyke fair and fresh of hewe,
As wel in winter as in somer newe-

And whan the sonne ginneth for to weste, (B. 61)
Than closeth hit, and draweth hit to reste.
So sore hit is afered of the night,

*Til on the morwe, that hit is dayes light.

This dayesye, of alle floures flour,
Fulfild of vertu and of alle honour,
†And ever y-lyke fair and fresh of hewe,
As wel in winter as in somer newe,

*So glad am I whan that I have presence
*Of hit, to doon al maner reverence,
As she, that is of alle floures flour,
Fulfilled of al vertu and honour,

†And ever y-lyke fair, and fresh of hewe;
And I love hit, and ever y-lyke newe,
*And ever shal, til that myn herte dye;
*Al swere I nat, of this I wol nat lye,
*Ther loved no wight hotter in his lyve.

*And whan that hit is eve, I renne blyve,
As sone as ever the sonne ginneth weste,
To seen this flour, how it wol go to reste,
For fere of night, so hateth she derknesse!

From
B. 53-56.

As she, that is of alle floures flour,
Fulfilled of al vertu and honour,
And ever y-lyke fair, and fresh of hewe;
And I love hit, and ever y-lyke newe.

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55

бо

Farwel; F. Faire wel. F. boke. 40. F. thanne. F. B. suche a; T. Th. eke thys; A. lo this; Tn. ek; P. eke a. 41. F. al. 42. F. Thanne; thise. 43. C. Swyche; F. Suche. F. her (for our); rest our. 44. F. grete. 45. C. whan; F. whanne. 47. F. vppe. 48. F. floure ayein. 49. F. vprysith. 50. All sight: read sighte. 52. A. all maner; Add. hit alle maner; Th. alle; F. Th. it al; Tn. B. it alle; P. it alle. F. al (wrongly). 54. F. vertue. 55. F. faire; fressh.

Tn. herte.

61. F. evere.

53. Tn. T. alle;

57. F. hert;

Fain wolde I preisen, if I coude aright;
*But wo is me, hit lyth nat in my might!

For wel I wot, that folk han her-beforn
+Of making ropen, and lad a-wey the corn;
†And I come after, glening here and there,
†And am ful glad if I may finde an ere
Of any goodly word that they han left.
And, if hit happe me rehersen eft
That they han in her fresshe songes sayd,
I hope that they wil nat ben evel apayd,
Sith hit is seid in forthering and honour
Of hem that either serven leef or flour.

(B. 67)

60

(B. 73)

*Hir chere is pleynly sprad in the brightnesse
*Of the sonne, for ther hit wol unclose.
*Allas! that I ne had English, ryme or prose,
Suffisant this flour to preyse aright!

*But helpeth, ye that han conning and might,
*Ye lovers, that can make of sentement;
*In this cas oghte ye be diligent
*To forthren me somwhat in my labour,
*Whether ye ben with the leef or with the flour.
For wel I wot, that ye han her-biforn
†Of making ropen, and lad awey the corn;
†And I come after, glening here and there,
†And am ful glad if I may finde an ere
Of any goodly word that ye han left.
And thogh it happen me rehercen eft
That ye han in your fresshe songes sayd,
For-bereth me, and beth nat evel apayd,
Sin that ye see I do hit in the honour
Of love, and eek in service of the flour,

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C. om. And; aftyr glenynge; ther.

reherse. 67. here frosche songis.
70. eythir seruyn lef.
74. a-gen; shef.

ho seruyth lef.

B. 64. F. Hire.

rest sentement.

64. er.

62. makynge ropyn.

65. ony; laft.

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68. wele; euele a-payed. 69. Sithe.

71. trustyth; vndyr-take. 72. lef a-gayn. 73. lef. 75. lefere non; lothere. 76. witholde; nothire.

80. old.

77.

66. F. englyssh. 68. F. konnyng. 69. F. sentment; 70. F. case. All oght, ought (wrongly); read oghte.

F. Whethir; read Whe'r.

73. F. -biforne.

72. 74. F. makynge; corne.

For trusteth wel, I ne have nat undertake
As of the leef, ageyn the flour, to make;
Ne of the flour to make, ageyn the leef,

†No more than of the corn ageyn the sheef.
For, as to me, is leefer noon ne lother;
I am with-holde yit with never nother.

I not who serveth leef, ne who the flour;
That nis nothing the entent of my labour.
For this werk is al of another tunne,
Of olde story, er swich stryf was begunne.

From

B. 188-196.

But natheles, ne wene nat that I make
In preysing of the flour agayn the leef,
+No more than of the corn agayn the sheef.
For as to me, nis lever noon ne lother;
I nam with-holden yit with never nother.
Ne I not who serveth leef, ne who the flour;
Wel brouken they hir service or labour.

For this thing is al of another tonne,

Of olde story, er swich thing was begonne.

*Whom that I serve as I have wit or might.

*She is the clernesse and the verray light,

*That in this derke worlde me wynt and ledeth,

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*The herte in-with my sorowful brest yow dredeth,

*And loveth so sore, that ye ben verrayly

*The maistresse of my wit, and nothing I.

*My word, my werk, is knit so in your bonde,

*That, as an harpe obeyeth to the honde

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*And maketh hit soune after his fingeringe,

*Right so mowe ye out of myn herte bringe

*Swich vois, right as yow list, to laughe or pleyne.
*Be ye my gyde and lady sovereyne ;

*As to myn erthly god, to yow I calle,

*Bothe in this werke and in my sorwes alle.

79. F. fresshe; A. fresche; Th. fresshe. F. sayede; Tn. said. apayede; Tn. euylle a-paid. 82. F. eke; Tn. ek.

wit.

95

80. F. euele 83. F. witte; Tn. 84. F. clerenesse ; Tn. clernesse. 85. F. ledyth. 86. All hert. F. sorwfull; dredith. 88. F. witte; Tn. wyt. F. not thing (over erasure); rest nothyng. 89. F. worde. F. werkes; Tn. werkes; T. werke; A. werk. F. youre. Tn. bonde; F. bond. 90. Tn. honde; F. hond. 92. F. oute. Th. B. herte; rest hert. 93. F. pleyn; Tn. pleyne. 94. F. souereyn; Tn. souereyne. 95. F. eithely; yowe. 96 A. B. in my; rest omit 2nd in.

†But wherfor that I spak, to yeve credence (B. 97)
To bokes olde and doon hem reverence,

Is for men shulde autoritees beleve,

Ther as ther lyth non other assay by preve.
*For myn entent is, or I fro yow fare,
*The naked text in English to declare

*Of many a story, or elles of many a geste,
*As autours seyn; leveth hem if yow leste!

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Whan passed was almost the month of May, (B. 108) 89

†But wherfor that I spak, to give credence
To olde stories, and doon hem reverence,
And that men mosten more thing beleve
Then men may seen at eye or elles preve?
*That shal I seyn, whan that I see my tyme;
*I may not al at ones speke in ryme.
*My besy gost, that thrusteth alwey newe

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*To seen this flour so yong, so fresh of hewe,
*Constreyned me with so gledy desyr,

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*That in my herte I fele yit the fyr,

*That made me to ryse er hit wer day

And this was now the firste morwe of May—
*With dredful herte and glad devocioun,
*For to ben at the resureccioun

*Of this flour, whan that it shuld unclose
*Agayn the sonne, that roos as rede as rose,
*That in the brest was of the beste that day,
*That Agenores doghter ladde away.

93. souht (!).

110

84. There;

A. 81. -fore. 82. bokys; don. 83. schulde autoriteis. there; othyr a-say; be. 86. nakede tixt; englis. 87. manye (twice); ellis. 88. autourys; leuyth. 89. monyth. 90. hadde; somerys. 91. medewe. 92. frosche dayseie. 94. clothede (error for closed). 97. lytyl. 98. I-benchede; 100. somerys. 101. flouris. our. 104. medewe. 100. Tn. Th. B. P. men; A. ror. Tn. whan; F. whanne.

95. derknese; nyht; sche dradde. 96. spadde.
turwis frorsche I-grawe (!). 99. schulde; myn.
102. hadde; hid (for hed). 103. with-Inne;
B. 97. F. wherfore. A. spak; F. spake.
man; T. they; F. om. F. eighe.

I02.

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