That I nolde entren for to se
Thassemble - God kepe it fro care!
Of briddis, whiche therynne ware,
That songen thorgh her mery throtes,
Daunws of love, and mery notes.
Whan I thus herde foules synge,
I felle fast in a weymentyng,
By which art, or by what engyne,
I myghte come into that gardyne ;
But way I couthe fynde noon,
Into that gardyne for to goon.
Ne nought wist I if that ther were
Eyther hole or place where,
By which I myghte have entre,
Ne ther was noon to teche me,
For I was al aloone i-wys,
For wo and angwishis of this.
Til atte last bithought I me,
That by no weye ne myght it be,
That ther nas laddre or wey to passe,
Or hole, into so faire a place.
Tho gan I go a fulle grete pas,*
Envyronyng evene in compas
The closing of the square walle,
Tyl that I fonde a wiket smalle
So shett, that I ne myght in gon,
And other entre was ther noon.
Uppon this dore I gan to smyte
That was so fetys,' and so lite,"
For other weye coude I not seke.
Ful long I shof, and knokkide eke,
And stood ful long and of herknyng
If that I herde ony wight comyng;
Til thilke dore of that entre
A mayden curteys openyde me.
Hir heer was as yelowe of hewe
As ony basyn scoured newe.
Hir flesh tendre as is a chike,
With bent browis, smothe and slyke;
And by mesure large were
The openyng of hir yen clere.
Hir nose of good proporcioun,
Hir yen grey, as is a faucoun,
With swete breth and wel savoured.
Hir face white and wel coloured,
With litel mouth, and rounde to see;
A clove chynne eke hadde she.
Hir nekke was of good fasoun
In lengthe and gretnesse by resoun,"
Withoute bleyne, scabbe, or royne.
Fro Jerusalem unto Burgoyne
Ther nys a fairer nekke, iwys,
Te fele how smothe and softe it is.
Hi throte also white of hewe,
As snawe on braunche snawed newe.
Of body ful wel wrought was she;
1 Well made. 2 Little. jacon). 5 Proportion. Like It, act ii., sc. a, l. 8.
8 That is, dimpled. 4 Fashion (Fr • Pimple (Fr. rogne, itch). Cf. As You
"OF BODY FUL WEL WROUGHT." 227
Men nedede not in no cuntre
A fairer body for to seke.
And of fyn orfrays 1 hadde she eke
A chapelet; so semly oon
Ne werede never mayde upon.
And faire above that chapelet
A rose gerland hadde she sett.
She hadde a gay mirrour,
And with a riche gold tresour
Hir heed was tressed queyntely;
Hir sleves sewid fetously.2
And for to kepe hir hondis faire
Of gloves white she had a paire.
And she hadde on a cote of grene
Of cloth of Gaunt; withouten wene,
Wel semyde by hir apparayle
She was not wont to gret travayle.
For whan she kempte was fetisly,
And wel arayed and richely,
Thanne hadde she don al hir journe ;*
For merye and wel bigoon was she.
She hadde a lusty lyf in May,
She hadde no thought, by nyght ne day,
Of no thyng but if it were oonly
To graythe hir wel and uncouthly."
Whan that this dore hadde opened me
This May, semely for to see,
I thanked hir as I best myghte,
1 Cloth of gold. Neatly. Doubt. Day's work. In a good 6 Dress. Uncommonly, elegantly.
And axide hir how that she highte,
And what she was, I axide eke.
And she to me was nought unmeke,
Ne of hir answer daungerous,
But faire answeride, and seide thus :
"Lo, sir, my name is YDELNESSE;
So clepe men me, more and lesse.1
Ful myghty and ful riche am I,
And that of oon thyng, namely,'
For I entende to no thyng
But to my joye, and my pleyng,
And for to kembe and tresse me.
"Aqueynted am I and pryve
With MYRTHE, lord of this gardyne,
That fro the lande of Alexandryne
Made the trees hidre be fette,3
That in this gardyne ben y-sette.
And whan the trees were woxen on hight,
This walle, that stant heere in thi sight,
Dide Myrthe enclosen al aboute;
And these ymages al withoute
He dide hem bothe entaile and peynte,
That neithir ben jolyf ne queynte,
But they ben ful of sorowe and woo,
As thou hast seen a while agoo.
And ofte tyme hym to solace
Sir Myrthe cometh into this place,
And eke with hym cometh his meynee,*
That lyven in lust and jolite.
1 Great and small. 2 Especially. Fetched. Retinue.
"NOW IS MYRTHE THERYNNE."
And now is Myrthe therynne to here
The briddis how they syngen clere,
The mavys and the nyghtyngale,
And other joly briddis smale.
And thus he walketh to solace
Hym and his folk; for swetter place
To pleyen ynne he may not fynde,
Al-though he sought oon in tyl Ynde.
The alther-faireste 2 folk to see
That in this world may founde be
Hathe Mirthe with hym in his route,
That folowen hym always aboute."
Whan Ydelnesse tolde had al this,
And I hadde herkned wel, ywys,
Thanne seide I to dame Ydelnesse,
"Now also wisly God me blesse,
Sith Myrthe, that is so faire and fre,
Is in this yerde with his meyne,
Fro thilk assemble, if I may,
Shal no man werne me to-day,
That I this nyght ne mote it see.
For wel wene I there with hym be
A faire and joly companye
Fulfilled of alle curtesie."
And forth withoute wordis mo
In at the wiket went I tho,
That Ydelnesse hadde opened me,
Into that gardyne faire to see.
And whan I was ther-inne, wys,
Song thrush. Fairest of all. Hinder.
|