Imatges de pàgina
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46 THE YE OF DAY."

85

Al founde they Daunger1 for a tyme a lord, 160
Yet Pitee, thurgh his stronge gentil myght,
Forgaf, and made mercy passen ryght
Thurgh Innocence, and ruled Curtesye.
But I ne clepe yt nat innocence folye,2
Ne fals pitee, for "vertue is the mene,"
As Ethike seith, in swich maner I mene.
And thus thise foweles, voide of al malice,
Acordeden to love, and laften vice

171

Of hate, and songe alle of oon acorde,
"Welcome, Somer, oure governour and lorde."
And Zepherus and Flora gentilly
Gaf to the floures, softe and tenderly,
Hire swoote breth, and made hem for to sprede,
As god and goddesse of the floury mede.
In whiche me thoght I myghte, day by day,
Dwellen alwey, the joly monyth of May,
Withouten slepe, withouten mete or drynke.
Adoune ful softely I gan to synke,

And lenynge on myn elbowe and my syde,
The longe day I shoope me for tabide
For nothing ellis, and I shal nat lye,
But for to loke upon the daysie,
That men by resoun wel it calle may
The daisie, or elles the ye of day,
The emperice, and floure of floures alle.
I pray to God that faire mote she falle,

180

1 Although they found haughtiness. 2 Foolish. 3 Ethics, probably Aristotle's, though the expression is common. Cleobulus of Rhodes is said to have spoken of the "Golden Mean" three centu ries before the Stagirite. Arranged.

And alle that loven floures, for hire sake!1
But, natheles, ne wene nat that I make
In preysing of the flour agayn the leef,2
No more than of the corne agayn the sheef:
For as to me nys lever noon, ne lother,3

191

I nam withholden yit with never nother.
Ne I not who serveth leef, ne who the flour,
Wel browken they her service or labour,

For this thing is al of another tonne,

6

Of olde storye, er swiche thinge was begonne. Whan that the sonne out of the south gan

weste,

And that this floure gan close, and goon to

reste,

For derknesse of the nyght, the which she

dredde,

201

Home to myn house full swiftly I me spedde
To goon to reste, and erly for to ryse,
To seen this floure sprede, as I devyse.
And in a litel herber that I have,
That benched was on turves fressh ygrave,
I bad men sholde me my couche make;
For deyntee of the newe someres sake,
I bad hem strawen floures on my bed.

Whan I was leyde, and hadde myn eyen hed, I fel on slepe, in-with an houre or twoo,

Me mette how I lay in the medewe thoo, 210

1 Lines 152-187 are not found in the MS. marked Gg, 4, 27, in the Cambridge University Library, which is evidently an earlier one than the one followed in the text, Fairfax 16, Bodleian Library, Ox ford. 2 Cf. 1. 72. 3 More loath. 4 Know not. 5 Enjoy. 6 Cf Canterbury Tales, 1. 10,219. 7 Arbor. 8 Hidden. 9 Dreamed.

THE DAISY-LIKE QUEEN.

To seen this flour that I love so and drede;
And from a fer come walkyng in the mede
The god of Love, and in his hand a quene,
And she was clad in real1 habite grene;
A fret 2 of gold she hadde next her heer,
And upon that a white crorone she beer,
With flourouns smale, and, I shal nat lye,
For al the worlde ryght as a daysye
Ycorouned ys with white leves lyte,

87

So were the flowrouns of hire coroune white; For of oo perle, fyne, oriental,

Hire white coroune was imaked al,

221

For which the white coroune above the grene Made hire lyke a daysie for to sene, Considered eke hir fret of golde above.

Yclothed was this myghty god of Love
In silke enbrouded, ful of grene greves, 8
In-with a fret of rede rose leves,

The fresshest syn the worlde was first begonne.
His gilte here was corowned with a sonne 230
In stede of golde, for hevynesse and wyghte;
Therwith me thoght his face shoon so brighte
That wel unnethes 5 myght I him beholde;
And in his hand me thoght I saugh him holde
Twoo firy dartes, as the gledes rede,
And aungelyke hys wynges saugh I sprede.
And, al be that men seyn that blynd ys he,
Algate me thoghte that he myghte se;

1 Regal. 'Weight.

6

2 Ornament. 8 Things carved (graven), or groves Scarcely. Live coals.

For sternely on me he gan byholde,

So that his loking dooth myn herte colde. 240 And by the hande he helde this noble quene, Corowned with white, and clothed al in grene, So womanly, so benigne, and so meke,

That in this world, thogh that men wolde seke,

Half hire beute shulde men nat fynde

In creature that formed ys by Kynde.

And therfore may I seyn, as thynketh me,
This songe in preysyng of this lady fre.1

Ballad sung to Alceste.

Hyd, Absalon, thy gilte tressis clere;
Ester, ley thou thy mekenesse al adoune;
Hyde, Jonathas, al thy frendly manere;
Penelopee, and Marcia Catoun,2

Make of youre wifhode no comparysoune;
Hyde ye youre beautes, Ysoude and Eleyne,
My lady comith, that al this may disteyne.3

Thy faire body lat yt nat appere,

4

25c

Lavyne; and thou Lucresse of Rome toune, ·
And Polixene, that boghten love so dere,
And Cleopatre, with al thy passyoun,
Hyde ye your trouthe of love, and your renoun,

259

1 MS. Gg, 4, 27, which differs in many lines from the text here given, proves that "this lady fre" was Alceste, who died for Admetus, er husband. Cf. 1. 432. 2 Marcia, wife of Cato the younger. Se Clough's Plutarch, iv. 394. 8 Outshine. Lavinia, wife of Eneas Most of these names are taken from Ovid.

OF WYMEN SWICH A TRAAS!"

And thou, Tesbe, that hast of love suche peyne, My lady comith, that al this may disteyne.

Hero, Dido, Laudomia, alle yfere,
And Phillis, hangyng for thy Demophoun,
And Canace, espied by thy chere,
Ysiphile betraysed with Jasoun,

Maketh of your trouthe neythir boost ne soun,
Nor Ypermystre, or Adriane,2 ye tweyne,
My lady cometh, that al thys may dysteyne.

8

89

270

This balade may ful wel ysongen be, As I have seyde erst, by my lady fre; For certeynly al thise mowe nat suffise To apperen wyth my lady in no wyse. For as the sonne wole the fire disteyne, So passeth al my lady sovereyne, That ys so good, so faire, so debonayre, I prey to God that ever falle hire faire. For nadde comfort ben of hire presence, I hadde ben dede, withouten any defence, For drede of Loves wordes, and his chere, 280 As, when tyme ys, herafter ye shal here.

Behynde this god of Love upon the grene I saugh comyng of ladyes nientene

In real habite, a ful esy paas;

And after hem come of wymen swich a traas,5

That syn that God Adam hadde made of

erthe,

Together. 2 Ariadne. Concerning. Regal. Train

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