Imatges de pàgina
PDF
EPUB

And I had romed, al the someres day,
*The grene medew, of which that I yow tolde,
Upon the fresshe daysy to beholde,

And that the sonne out of the south gan weste,
And closed was the flour and goon to reste
For derknesse of the night, of which she dredde,
Hoom to myn hous ful swiftly I me spedde;
†And, in a litel erber that I have,

Y-benched newe with turves fresshe y-grave,
†I bad men shulde me my couche make;
†For deyntee of the newe someres sake,
+I bad hem strowe floures on my bed.
†Whan I was layd, and had myn eyen hed,
I fel a-slepe with-in an houre or two.
Me mette how I was in the medew tho,

90

95

100

*And doun on knees anon-right I me sette,
*And, as I coude, this fresshe flour I grette;
*Kneling alwey, til hit unclosed was,

*Upon the smale softe swote gras,

From

B. 180, 182.

From
B. 197-200.

The longe day I shoop me for to abyde
But for to loke upon the dayesye.

Whan that the sonne out of the south gan weste,
And that this flour gan close and goon to reste
For derknesse of the night, the which she dredde,
+Hoom to myn hous ful swiftly I me spedde;

+And, in a litel herber that I have,

That benched was on turves fresshe y-grave,
+I bad men sholde me my couche make;
From +For deyntee of the newe someres sake,
B. 203-210. +I bad hem strawen floures on my bed.
+Whan I was leyd, and had my eyen hed,
I fel on slepe in-with an houre or two;
Me mette how I lay in the medew tho,

115

F. (only) om. al. A. B. thrustith; gledy; T. glad; 109. F. hert. reed, as in Th. 116. F. koude.

T. A. at ones; Tn. atones; F. attones.
Tn. Th. P. thursteth. 104. F. fressh.
Th. gredy. 106. F. feele yet the fire.
111. F. om. that.
114. F. doghtre.

F. fresshe; A. fresche.

103. F. trusteth (!); 105. F. Tn. A. B. P. 108. F. om. this. 112. F. Agayne. F. rede; better 115. F. dovne; knes anoon ryght. 118. Tn. T. smale; F. smal.

4.294

*And that I romed in that same gyse,
To seen that flour, as ye han herd devyse.
*Fair was this medew, as thoughte me overal;
With floures swote enbrowded was it al;

As for to speke of gomme, or erbe, or tree,
†Comparisoun may noon y-maked be.

For hit surmounted pleynly alle odoures, †And eek of riche beaute alle floures.

Forgeten had the erthe his pore estat

†Of winter, that him naked made and mat,

And with his swerd of cold so sore had greved.
Now had the atempre sonne al that releved,
And clothed him in grene al newe agayn.
†The smale foules, of the seson fayn,
†That from the panter and the net ben scaped,

105

ΠΙΟ

115

From

B. 211.

To seen this flour, that I so love and drede,

That was with floures swote enbrouded al,
*Of swich swetnesse and swich odour over-al,

That, for to speke of gomme, or herbe, or tree,
+Comparisoun may noon y-maked be;

For hit surmounteth pleynly alle odoures,
†And eek of riche beautee alle floures.
Forgeten had the erthe his pore estat
†Of winter, that him naked made and mat,
And with his swerd of cold so sore greved;
Now hath the atempre sonne al that releved
That naked was, and clad hit new agayn.
†The smale foules, of the seson fayn,
†That from the panter and the net ben scaped,

[blocks in formation]

120

125

130

[blocks in formation]

om. eek; beute; flourys. 113. Forgetyn hadde. 114. wyntyr; nakede.
115. hadde greuyd. 116. hadde the tempre; releuyd.
a-geyn. 127. I supply layes. 128. I supply May.
hire. 130. somerys. 131. sungyn blyssede; volentyn.
For; ches.

124. A. eke; rest omit. 125. F. estate; C. Tn. estat.

B. 120. F. suetnesse. of (for alle).

117. clothede; 129. worschepe ; 132. I supply

F. beaute. F. (only) 126. F. wynter. F. B.

+Upon the fouler, that hem made a-whaped
†In winter, and distroyed had hir brood,

In his despyt, hem thoughte hit did hem good
†To singe of him, and in hir song despyse
†The foule cherl that, for his covetyse,

+Had hem betrayed with his sophistrye.
†This was hir song 'the fouler we defye!'
Somme songen [layes] on the braunches clere (B. 139)
Of love and [May], that Ioye hit was to here,
In worship and in preysing of hir make,
And of the newe blisful someres sake,

That songen, 'blissed be seynt Valentyn!
[For] at his day I chees yow to be myn,

120

125

130

(B. 145) 14

+Upon the fouler, that hem made a-whaped
†In winter, and distroyed had hir brood,
+In his despyt, hem thoughte hit did hem good
†To singe of him, and in hir song despyse

135

†The foule cherl that, for his covetyse,

†Had hem betrayed with his sophistrye.

†This was hir song-'the fouler we defye,

[ocr errors]

And al his craft!' And somme songen clere
Layes of love, that Ioye hit was to here,
In worshipinge and preisinge of hir make.
And, for the newe blisful somers sake,
*Upon the braunches ful of blosmes softe,
*In hir delyt, they turned hem ful ofte,
And songen, 'blessed be seynt Valentyn!
For on his day I chees yow to be myn,

127. F. colde.

140

145

128.

hem; rest him. C. mat; Tn. maat; rest mate.
Th. the atempre; Tn. A. B. the attempre; F. thatempre; P. the a-tempred.

F. alle. 131. C. T. A. from; rest of. F. nette; C. Tn. net.

T. A. fouler; F. foweler.

C. dispit. F. goode; C. good.

133. F. hadde; broode.

132. Tn.
134. F. dispite;
135. C. song; F. songe. C. Tn. despise; F.
138. F. hire. Tn. T. A. fouler; C. foulere
139. F. crafte; T. A. craft.
141. F. Tn. B. in preysinge;
144. F. hire.
146. C. ches; T. chase; P. chose; F.

136. F. cherle.

dispise.

F. foweler.

rest om. in.

chees (rightly); rest chese.

+With-oute repenting, myn herte swete!'
And therwith-al hir bekes gonnen mete.
[They dide honour and] humble obeisaunces,
And after diden other observaunces
Right [plesing] un-to love and to nature;
*So ech of hem [doth wel] to creature.

*This song to herkne I dide al myn entente,
*For-why I mette I wiste what they mente.

+Withouten repenting, myn herte swete!'
+And therwith-al hir bekes gonnen mete,
Yelding honour and humble obeisaunces
To love, and diden hir other observaunces
That longeth unto love and to nature;
*Construeth that as yow list, I do no cure.
*And tho that hadde doon unkindenesse-
*As dooth the tydif, for new-fangelnesse-
*Besoghte mercy of hir trespassinge,
*And humblely songen hir repentinge,
*And sworen on the blosmes to be trewe,
*So that hir makes wolde upon hem rewe,
*And at the laste maden hir acord.

*Al founde they Daunger for a tyme a lord,
*Yet Pitee, through his stronge gentil might,
*Forgaf, and made Mercy passen Right,
*Through innocence and ruled curtesye.
*But I ne clepe nat innocence folye,
*Ne fals pitee, for 'vertu is the mene,'
*As Etik saith, in swich maner I mene.
*And thus thise foules, voide of al malyce,
*Acordeden to love, and laften vyce
*Of hate, and songen alle of oon acord,
*Welcome, somer, our governour and lord!'

135

140

150

155

160

165

170

A. 133. repentynge. 134. here bekys gunne. 135. C. is here corrupt; it has-The honour and the humble obeysaunce. I try to give some sense; in any case we must read obeisaunces. 136. dedyn othere. 137, 138. C. is again corrupt and imperfect; I supply plesing and doth wel. C. has natures, cryaturys; but read nature.

139. herkenyn; dede; entent. 140. ment. 148. F. alle hire. 150. F. hire othere. 153. F. thoo. Tn. vnkyndenesse ; 156. F. Tn. B. humblely (trisyllabic); 158. F. hire.

B. 147. C. herte; F. hert.
151. F. Tn. on to; T. A. Th. B. vnto.
154. F. dooth.

F. vnkyndnesse.
T. Th. humbly. A. P. songen; T. sangen; rest songe.

[blocks in formation]

(B. 188)

For trusteth wel, I ne have nat undertake
From
As of the leef, ageyn the flour, to make;
A. 71-74. Ne of the flour to make, ageyn the leef,
+No more than of the corn ageyn the sheef.

*And Zephirus and Flora gentilly
*Yaf to the floures, softe and tenderly,
*Hir swote breth, and made hem for to sprede,
*As god and goddesse of the floury mede;
*In which me thoghte I mighte, day by day,
*Dwellen_alwey, the Ioly month of May,
*Withouten sleep, withouten mete or drinke.
*A-doun ful softely I gan to sinke;

*And, leninge on myn elbowe and my syde,
The longe day I shoop me for to abyde
*For nothing elles, and I shal nat lye,
But for to loke upon the dayesye,
*That wel by reson men hit calle may
*The dayesye' or elles the 'ye of day,'

*The emperice and flour of floures alle.
*I pray to god that faire mot she falle,
*And alle that loven floures, for hir sake!
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:

[blocks in formation]

175

180

185

190

162. Tn. T. Th. B. 164. F. Tn. Th. P. clepe it nat; 165. F. vertue 167. Tn. foules; F. F. Tn. acorde;

but T. A. om. it. T. also om. nat; and A. has that for nat.
166. Tn. A. Etic; B. Etyk; F. etike; T. Ethik.
foweles. 169. A. songen; T. songyn; F. Tn. B. songe.
170. F. Oure. F. Tn. lorde; T. A. lord.

T. acord; A. accord.
Tn. zephirus; F. Zepherus.
thoght; myght.

173. F. Hire swoote.

171. 175. F. whiche;

176. F. Duellen. Tn. A. month; T. moneth; F. monyth.

[blocks in formation]
« AnteriorContinua »