Whan love affrayeth1 alle thing, Me thoughte a-night, in my sleping, Right in my bed, ful redily, That it was by the morowe erly, And up I roos and gan me clothe; Anoon I wissh 2 myn hondes bothe; A sylvre nedle forth I drogh Out of an aguiler3 queynt y-nogh, And gan this nedle threde anon; For out of toun me list to gon The sowne of briddes for to here, That on thise busshes singen clere. And in the swete sesoun that leef is, With a threde basting my slevis,5 Aloon I wente in my playing, The smale foules song harkning; That peyned hem 6 ful many a payre To singe on bowes blosmed fayre. Jolif and gay, ful of gladnesse, Toward a river I gan me dresse, That I herde renne faste by; For fairer playing non saugh I Than playen me by that riveer, For from an hille that stood ther neer Cam doun the streem ful stif and bold. Cleer was the water, and as cold As any welle is, sooth to seyne; And somdel lasse it was than Seine, But it was straighter wel away. And never saugh I, er that day, The water that so wel lyked 7 me; And wonder glad was I to see That lusty place, and that riveer; And with that water that ran so cleer My face I wissh. Tho saugh I wel The botme paved everydel With gravel, ful of stones shene. The medewe softe, swote, and grene, Beet right on the water-syde. Ful cleer was than the morow-tyde, And ful attempre, out of drede. Tho gan I walke through the mede, Dounward ay in my pleying, The river-syde costeying.10

9

THE GARDEN

And whan I had a whyle goon, I saugh a GARDIN right anoon, Ful long and brood, and everydel Enclosed was, and walled wel, With hye walles embatailled, Portrayed without, and wel entailled 11

1 distracts. 2 washed.

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needle-case. 4 dear.

took pains. 7 pleased. 10 coasting, following

They often sewed on the long drooping sleeves each time the garment was donned. 8 Impinged. ⚫ temperate. along. 11 decorated.

With many riche portraitures; And bothe images and peyntures Gan I biholde bisily.

And I wol telle you, redily,

Of thilke images the semblaunce, As fer as I have remembraunce.

HATE

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15

A-midde saugh I HATE stonde, That for hir wrathe, ire, and onde,12 Semed to been a moveresse,1 An angry wight, a chideresse; 14 And ful of gyle, and fel corage, By semblaunt was that ilke image. And she was no-thing wel arrayed, But lyk a wood 16 womman afrayed; Y-frounced 17 foule was hir visage, And grenning 18 for dispitous 19 rage; Hir nose snorted up for tene.20 Ful hidous was she for to sene, Ful foul and rusty was she, this. Hir heed y-writhen 21 was, y-wis, Ful grimly with a greet towayle.

FELONYE

An image of another entayle,2 A lift half,28 was hir faste by: Hir name above hir heed saugh I, And she was called FELONYE.

VILANYE

Another image, that VILANYE
Y-cleped was, saugh I and fond
Upon the walle on hir right hond.
Vilanye was lyk somdel 24

That other image; and, trusteth wel,
She semed a wikked creature.
By countenaunce, in portrayture,
She semed be ful despitous,
And eek ful proud and outrageous.
Wel coude he peynte, I undertake,
That swiche image coude make.
Ful foul and cherlish semed she,
And eek vilaynous for to be,
And litel coude of norture,

To worshipe any creature.25

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[The descriptions of Covetousness, Avarice, Envy, and Poverty are omitted.]

26

Tho gan I go a ful gret pas Envyroning even in compas The closing of the square wal, Til that I fond a wiket smal

12 malice. 13 fomentress of quarrels.

14 scolder.

15 bad disposition. 16 mad. 17 wrinkled. 18 grinning. 19 spiteful. 20 vexation. 21 encircled. 22 fashion. 23 On the left side. 24 somewhat. 25 knew little of manners to be polite to any. 26 Going quite about the circuit.

So shet, that I ne mighte in goon, And other entree was ther noon.

THE DOOR

Upon this dore I gan to smyte, That was [so] fetys1 and so lyte; For other wey coude I not seke. Ful long I shoof,2 and knokked eke, And stood ful long and oft herkning If that I herde a wight coming; Til that the dore of thilke entree A mayden curteys opened me.

YDELNESSE

Hir heer was as yelowe of hewe

As any basin 3 scoured newe.

Hir flesh [as] tendre as is a chike,

And by mesure large were

With bente 4 browes, smothe and slike;

The opening of hir yën clere.
Hir nose of good proporcioun,
Hir yen greye as a faucoun,

With swete breeth and wel savoured.
Hir face whyt and wel coloured,
With litel mouth, and round to see;
A clove chin eek hadde she.
Hir nekke was of good fasoun
In lengthe and gretnesse, by resoun,
Withoute bleyne, scabbe, or royne.
Fro Jerusalem unto Burgoyne
Ther nis a fairer nekke, y-wis,
To fele how smothe and softe it is.
Hir throte, al-so whyt of hewe
As snow on braunche snowed newe.
Of body ful wel wrought was she;
Men neded not, in no cuntree,
A fairer body for to seke.

And of fyn orfrays had she eke

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The basin would be of roughness.

latten. 4 arched. 5 cloven, i.e. dimpled.

7 gold-work. 8 pretty. head-dress, caul. 10 Ghent. 11 beyond doubt.

She was not wont to greet travayle. For whan she kempt 12 was fetisly, And wel arayed and richely, Thanne had she doon al hir journee; and wel bigoon 14

For

was she.

13

mery
She ladde a lusty lyf in May,
She hadde no thought, by night ne day,
Of no-thing, but it were oonly

To graythe 15 hir wel and uncouthly.16
Whan that this dore hadde opened me
This mayden, semely for to see,
I thanked hir as I best mighte,
And axede hir how that she highte,17
And what she was, I axede eke.
And she to me was nought unmeke,
Ne of hir answer daungerous, 18
But faire answerde, and seide thus:
'Lo, sir, my name is YDELNESSE;
So clepe men me, more and lesse.
Ful mighty and ful riche am I,
And that of oon thing, namely; 19
For I entende 20 to no-thing
But to my joye, and my pleying,
And for to kembe and tresse 21
Aqueynted am I, and privee
With Mirthe, lord of this gardyn,
That fro the lande Alexandryn
Made the trees be hider fet,

That in this gardin been y-set.

me.

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And when the trees were woxen 22 on highte,
This wal, that stant here in thy sighte,
Dide Mirthe enclosen 23 al aboute;
And these images, al withoute,

He dide hem bothe entaile 24 and peynte,
That neither ben jolyf ne queynte,
But they ben ful of sorowe and wo,
As thou hast seen a whyle ago.

And ofte tyme, him to solace,
Sir Mirthe cometh into this place,
And eek with him cometh his meynee,
That liven in lust and jolitee.

And now is Mirthe therin, to here
The briddes, how they singen clere,
The mavis and the nightingale,

And other joly briddes smale.
And thus he walketh to solace
Him and his folk; for swetter place
To pleyen in he may not finde,
Although he soughte oon in-til Inde.
The alther-fairest 25 folk to see
That in this world may founde be

Hath Mirthe with him in his route, That folowen him alwayes aboute.'

When Ydelnesse had told al this, And I hadde herkned wel, y-wis, Than seide I to dame Ydelnesse, Now al-so wisly1 God me blesse, Sith Mirthe, that is so fair and free, Is in this yerde with his meynee,2 Fro thilke assemblee, if I may, Shal no man werne 8 me to-day, That I this night ne mote it see. For, wel wene I, ther with him be A fair and joly companye Fulfilled of alle curtesye.' And forth, without wordes mo, In at the wiket wente I tho, That Ydelnesse hadde opened me, Into that gardin fair to see.

THE GARDEN

And whan I was [ther]in, y-wis,
Myn herte was ful glad of this.
For wel wende I ful sikerly
Have been in paradys erth[e]ly;
So fair it was, that, trusteth wel,
It semed a place espirituel.
For certes, as at my devys,
Ther is no place in paradys
So good in for to dwelle or be

As in that GARDIN, thoughte me;
For there was many a brid singing,
Throughout the yerd al thringing.4
In many places were nightingales,
Alpes, finches, and wodewales,
That in her swete song delyten
In thilke place as they habyten.7
Ther mighte men see many flokkes
Of turtles and [of] laverokkes.
Chalaundres 8 fele saw I there,
That wery, nigh forsongen were.
And thrustles, terins, 10 and mavys,11
That songen for to winne hem prys,12
And eek to sormounte in hir song
These other briddes hem among.
By note made fair servyse
These briddes, that I you devyse;
They songe hir song as faire and wel
As angels doon espirituel.

9

And, trusteth wel, whan I hem herde,
Full lustily and wel I ferde;
For never yit swich melodye
Was herd of man that mighte dye.

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Swich swete song was hem among,
That me thoughte it no briddes song,
But it was wonder lyk to be
Song of mermaydens of the see;
That, for her singing is so clere,
Though we mermaydens clepe hem here
In English, as in our usaunce,

Men clepe[n] hem sereyns 18 in Fraunce.
Ententif 14 weren for to singe
These briddes that nought unkunninge
Were of hir craft, and apprentys,
But of [hir] song sotyl and wys.
And certes, whan I herde hir song,
And saw the grene place among,
In herte I wex so wonder gay,
That I was never erst, er that day,
So jolyf, nor so wel bigo,
Ne mery in herte, as I was tho.
And than wiste I, and saw ful wel,
That Ydelnesse me served wel,
That me putte in swich jolitee.
Hir freend wel onghte I for to be,
Sith she the dore of that gardyn
Hadde opened, and me leten in.

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From hennesforth how that I wroughte, I shal you tellen, as me thoughte. First, whereof Mirthe served 15 there, And eek what folk ther with him were, Without[e] fable I wol descryve. And of that gardin eek as bly ve 16 I wol you tellen after this.

The faire fasoun al, y-wis,

That wel [y-]wrought was for the nones, I may not telle you al at ones:

But as I may and can, I shal

By ordre tellen you it al.

Ful fair servyse and eek ful swete These briddes maden as they sete. Layes of love, ful wel sowning

They songen in hir jargoning;

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Summe highe and summe eek lowe songe Upon the braunches grene y-spronge. The sweetnesse of hir melodye Made al myn herte in reverdye.17 And whan that I hadde herd, I trowe, 670 These briddes singing on a rowe, Than mighte I not withholde me That I ne wente 18 in for to see Sir Mirthe; for my desiring Was him to seen, over alle thing, His countenaunce and his manere: That sighte was to me ful dere.

1 so sure as. 2 retinue. 3 forbid. 5 Bullfinches. 6 green woodpeckers. which they inhabit. 8 Larks. 9 sung out. siskins. 11 song-thrush. 12 reputation.

THE PROEM

THE lyf so short, the craft so long to

lerne,

Of usage, what for luste what for lore,2
On bokes rede I ofte, as I yow tolde.
But wherfor that I speke al this? Not yore
Agon hit happed me for to beholde
Upon a boke, was write with lettres olde;
And ther-upon, a certeyn thing to lerne, 20
The longe day ful faste I radde and yerne.3

For out of olde feldes, as men seith,
Cometh al this newe corn fro yeer to yere;
And out of olde bokes, in good feith,
Cometh al this newe science that men lere.4
But now to purpos as of this matere
To rede forth hit gan me so delyte,
That al the day me thoughte but a lyte.

Than telleth hit that, fro a sterry place,
How African hath him Cartage shewed,
And warned him before of al his grace,
And seyde him, what man, lered other
lewed,

That loveth comun profit, wel y-thewed,9
He shal unto a blisful place wende,
Ther as joye is that last withouten ende.

Than asked he if folk that heer be dede
Have lyf and dwelling in another place;
And African seyde, ‘Ye, withoute drede,'
And that our present worldes lyves space
Nis but a maner deth, what wey we trace,
And rightful folk shal go, after they dye,
To heven; and shewed him the galaxye.

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Than shewed he him the litel erthe, that heer is,

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At regard of 10 the hevenes quantite;
And after shewed he him the nyne speres,11
And after that the melodye herde he
That cometh of thilke speres thryes three,
The welle 12 is of musyke and melodye
In this world heer, and cause of armonye.

Than bad he him, sin erthe was so lyte,
And ful of torment and of harde grace,
That he ne shulde him in the world delyte.
Than tolde he him, in certyn yeres space,
That every sterre shulde come into his place
Ther hit was first; and al shulde 13 out of
minde
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That in this worlde is don of al mankinde.