About the brinkès of these wells,
And by the streamès over all else,
Sprang up the grass, as thick y-set
And softè as any velvet....
There sprang the violet all new,
And fresh pervinkè1 rich of hue,
And flowers yellow, white, and red;
Such plenty grew there never in mead.
Full gay was all the ground, and quaint,2
And powdred, as men had it paint.
With many a fresh and sundry flow er
That casten up full good savour.
I went on right hand and on left
About the place; it was not left
Till I had all the garden been
In the esters3 that men might seen.
And thus while I went in my play
The God of Love me followed aye,
Right as an hunter can abide1
The beast, till he seeth his tide
To shooten at goodness to the deer,
When that him needeth go no near.
And so befell, I rested me
Beside a well under a tree,
Which tree in France men call a pine;
But, sith the time of King Pepine,
Ne grew there tree in mannès sight
So fair, ne so well wox? in hight:
In all that yard so high was none.
And, springing in a marble stone,
Had nature set, the sooth9 to tell,
Under that pine-tree a well;
And on the border all without
Was written on the stone about
Letters small that saiden thus,-
Here starf10 the faire Narcissus.
LOVE'S COMMANDMENTS.
"Villainy at the beginning,
I woll," said Love, "over all thing
Thou leave, if thou wolt ne be
False and trespass against me.
I curse and blame generally
All them that loven villainy;
For villany maketh villein,
And by his deeds a churl is seen.
These villains1 are without pitie,
Friendship, love, and all bountie.2
I n'ill3 receive to my servise
Them that been villains of emprise.*
But understond in thine entent,
This is not mine intendement,
To clepè no wight in no ages
Only gentle for his linages ;"
But whoso is virtuous
And in his port not outrageous,
When such one thou seest thee beforn,8
Though he be not gentle born,
Thou mayest well sayn this in soth
That he is gentle, because he doth
As longeth to a gentleman. . . .
For nothing eke thy tongue apply
To speake words of ribaldry.
To villain speech in no degree
Let never thy lip unbounden be.
For I nought hold him, in good faith,
Curteis9 that foulè wordès saith.
And all women serve and praise,
And to thy power their honour raise.
And, if that any mis-sayere 10
Despise women, that thou mayst hear,
Blame him, and bid him hold him still.
And set thy might and all thy will
Women and ladies for to please,
And to do thing that may them ease,
That they ever speak good of thee,
For so thou mayst best praisèd be....
And alway with good cheer
Thou give, if that thou have richesse;
And, if thou have not, spend the less.
Alway be merry if thou may,
But waste not thy good alway.
Have hat of flowers fresh as May,
Chaplet of roses of Whitsunday..
1 The reverse of gentlemen.
will not.
4 Of low calling.
7 Descent.
Alway in heartè I rede1 thee
Glad and merry for to be,
And be as joyful as thou can:
Love hath no joy of sorrowful man.
If ever thou knew of love distress,
Thou shalt mo2 learn in that sickness;
And thus enduring shalt thou lie,
And rise on morrow up early
Out of thy bed, and harness thee
Ere ever dawning thou mayst see.
All privily then shalt thou gone,
Whatwhither it be, thy self alone,
For rain or hail, for snow, for sleet,
Thither she dwelleth that is so sweet.
The which may fall asleepè be,
And thinketh but little upon thee...
Women well ought pity to take
Of them that sorrowen for their sake.
FROM THE FLOWER AND THE LEAF.
When that Phoebus his chair of gold so high
Had whirled up the starry sky aloft,
And in the Bull was entered certainly;
When showers sweet of rain descended soft,
Causing the ground feole1 times and oft
Up for to give many a wholesome air;
And every plainè was y-clothed fair
With newè green; and maketh smallè flowers
To springen here and there in field and mead :
So very good and wholesome be the showers
That it reneweth that was old and dead
In winter time; and out of every seed
Springeth the herbe, so that every wight5
Of this season wexeth glad and light;
I curse and blame generally
All them that loven villainy;
For villany maketh villein,
And by his deeds a churl is seen.
These villains1 are without pitie,
Friendship, love, and all bountie.2
I n'ill3 receive to my servise
Them that been villains of emprise.1
But understond in thine entent,
This is not mine intendement,5
To clepè no wight in no ages
Only gentle for his linages;"
But whoso is virtuous
And in his port not outrageous,
When such one thou seest thee beforn,
Though he be not gentle born,
Thou mayest well sayn this in soth
That he is gentle, because he doth
As longeth to a gentleman. . . .
For nothing eke thy tongue apply
To speake words of ribaldry.
To villain speech in no degree
Let never thy lip unbounden be.
For I nought hold him, in good faith,
Curteis9 that foulè wordès saith.
And all women serve and praise,
And to thy power their honour raise.
And, if that any mis-sayere
Despise women, that thou mayst hear,
Blame him, and bid him hold him still.
And set thy might and all thy will
Women and ladies for to please,
And to do thing that may them ease,
That they ever speak good of thee,
For so thou mayst best praised be. . . .
And alway with good cheer
Thou give, if that thou have richesse;
And, if thou have not, spend the less.
Alway be merry if thou may,
But waste not thy good alway.
Have hat of flowers fresh as May,
Chaplet of roses of Whitsunday.
1 The reverse of gentlemen.
will not.
4 Of low calling.
7 Descent.
Alway in heartè I rede1 thee
Glad and merry for to be,
And be as joyful as thou can:
Love hath no joy of sorrowful man.
If ever thou knew of love distress,
Thou shalt mo2 learn in that sickness;
And thus enduring shalt thou lie,
And rise on morrow up early
Out of thy bed, and harness thee
Ere ever dawning thou mayst see.
All privily then shalt thou gone,
Whatwhither it be, thy self alone,
For rain or hail, for snow, for sleet,
Thither she dwelleth that is so sweet.
The which may fall asleepè be,
And thinketh but little upon thee...
Women well ought pity to take
Of them that sorrowen for their sake.
FROM THE FLOWER AND THE LEAF.
When that Phoebus his chair of gold so high
Had whirled up the starry sky aloft,
And in the Bull was entered certainly;
When showers sweet of rain descended soft,
Causing the ground feole1 times and oft
Up for to give many a wholesome air;
And every plainè was y-clothed fair
With newè green; and maketh smallè flowers
To springen here and there in field and mead :
So very good and wholesome be the showers
That it reneweth that was old and dead
In winter time; and out of every seed
Springeth the herbe, so that every wight5
Of this season wexeth glad and light;
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