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829 Of goodlihede so wel beseye --

  830 Shortly, what shal I more seye?

  831 By god, and by his halwes twelve,

  832 It was my swete, right al hir-selve!

  833 She had so stedfast countenaunce,

  834 So noble port and meyntenaunce.

  835 And Love, that had herd my bone,

  836 Had espyed me thus sone,

  837 That she ful sone, in my thoght,

  838 As helpe me god, so was y-caught

  839 So sodenly, that I ne took

  840 No maner reed but at hir look

  841 And at myn herte; for-why hir eyen

  842 So gladly, I trow, myn herte seyen,

  843 That purely tho myn owne thoght

  844 Seyde hit were bet serve hir for noght

  845 Than with another to be wel.

  846 And hit was sooth, for, everydel,

  847 I wil anoon-right telle thee why.

  848 I saw hir daunce so comlily,

  849 Carole and singe so swetely,

  850 Laughe and pleye so womanly,

  851 And loke so debonairly,

  852 So goodly speke and so frendly,

  853 That certes, I trow, that evermore

  854 Nas seyn so blisful a tresore.

  855 For every heer upon hir hede,

  856 Soth to seyn, hit was not rede,

  857 Ne nouther yelw, ne broun hit nas;

  858 Me thoghte, most lyk gold hit was.

  859 And whiche eyen my lady hadde!

  860 Debonair, goode, glade, and sadde,

  861 Simple, of good mochel, noght to wyde;

  862 Therto hir look nas not a-syde,

  863 Ne overthwert, but beset so wel,

  864 Hit drew and took up, everydel,

  865 Alle that on hir gan beholde.

  866 Hir eyen semed anoon she wolde

  867 Have mercy; fooles wenden so;

  868 But hit was never the rather do.

  869 Hit nas no countrefeted thing,

  870 It was hir owne pure loking,

  871 That the goddesse, dame Nature,

  872 Had made hem opene by mesure,

  873 And close; for, were she never so glad,

  874 Hir loking was not foly sprad,

  875 Ne wildely, thogh that she pleyde;

  876 But ever, me thoght, hir eyen seyde,

  877 "By god, my wrathe is al for-yive!"

  878 `Therwith hir liste so wel to live,

  879 That dulnesse was of hir a-drad.

  880 She nas to sobre ne to glad;

  881 In alle thinges more mesure

  882 Had never, I trowe, creature.

  883 But many oon with hir loke she herte,

  884 And that sat hir ful lyte at herte,

  885 For she knew no-thing of her thoght;

  886 But whether she knew, or knew hit noght,

  887 Algate she ne roghte of hem a stree!

  888 To gete hir love no ner was he

  889 That woned at home, than he in Inde;

  890 The formest was alway behinde.

  891 But goode folk, over al other,

  892 She loved as man may do his brother;

  893 Of whiche love she was wonder large,

  894 In skilful places that bere charge.

  895 `Which a visage had she ther-to!

  896 Allas! myn herte is wonder wo

  897 That I ne can discryven hit!

  898 Me lakketh bothe English and wit

  899 For to undo hit at the fulle;

  900 And eek my spirits be so dulle

  901 So greet a thing for to devyse.

  902 I have no wit that can suffyse

  903 To comprehenden hir beaute;

  904 But thus moche dar I seyn, that she

  905 Was rody, fresh, and lyvely hewed;

  906 And every day hir beaute newed.

  907 And negh hir face was alder-best;

  908 For certes, Nature had swich lest

  909 To make that fair, that trewly she

  910 Was hir cheef patron of beautee,

  911 And cheef ensample of al hir werke,

  912 And moustre; for, be hit never so derke,

  913 Me thinketh I see hir ever-mo.

  914 And yet more-over, thogh alle tho

  915 That ever lived were not a-lyve,

  916 They ne sholde have founde to discryve

  917 In al hir face a wikked signe;

  918 For hit was sad, simple, and benigne.

  919 `And which a goodly, softe speche

  920 Had that swete, my lyves leche!

  921 So frendly, and so wel y-grounded,

  922 Up al resoun so wel y-founded,

  923 And so tretable to alle gode,

  924 That I dar swere by the rode,

  925 Of eloquence was never founde

  926 So swete a sowninge facounde,

  927 Ne trewer tonged, ne scorned lasse,

  928 Ne bet coude hele; that, by the masse,

  929 I durste swere, thogh the pope hit songe,

  930 That ther was never yet through hir tonge

  931 Man ne woman gretly harmed;

  932 As for hir, ther was al harm hid;

  933 Ne lasse flatering in hir worde,

  934 That purely, hir simple recorde

  935 Was founde as trewe as any bonde,

  936 Or trouthe of any mannes honde.

  937 Ne chyde she coude never a del,

  938 That knoweth al the world ful wel.

  939 `But swich a fairnesse of a nekke

  940 Had that swete that boon nor brekke

  941 Nas ther non sene, that mis-sat.

  942 Hit was whyt, smothe, streght, and flat,

  943 Withouten hole; and canel-boon,

  944 As by seming, had she noon.

  945 Hir throte, as I have now memoire,

  946 Semed a round tour of yvoire,

  947 Of good gretnesse, and noght to grete.

  948 `And gode faire Whyte she hete,

  949 That was my lady name right.

  950 She was bothe fair and bright,

  951 She hadde not hir name wrong.

  952 Right faire shuldres, and body long

  953 She hadde, and armes; every lith

  954 Fattish, flesshy, not greet therwith;

  955 Right whyte handes, and nayles rede,

  956 Rounde brestes; and of good brede

  957 Hyr hippes were, a streight flat bake.

  958 I knew on hir non other lak

  959 That al hir limmes nere sewing,

  960 In as fer as I had knowing.

  961 `Therto she coude so wel pleye,

  962 Whan that hir liste, that I dar seye,

  963 That she was lyk to torche bright,

  964 That every man may take of light

  965 Ynogh, and hit hath never the lesse.

  966 `Of maner and of comlinesse

  967 Right so ferde my lady dere;

  968 For every wight of hir manere

  969 Might cacche ynogh, if that he wolde,

  970 If he had eyen hir to beholde.

  971 For I dar sweren, if that she

  972 Had among ten thousand be,

  973 She wolde have be, at the leste,

  974 A cheef mirour of al the feste,

  975 Thogh they had stonden in a rowe,

  976 To mennes eyen coude have knowe.

  977 For wher-so men had pleyd or waked,

  978 Me thoghte the felawship as naked

  979 Withouten hir, that saw I ones,

  980 As a coroune withoute stones.

  98
1 Trewly she was, to myn ye,

  982 The soleyn fenix of Arabye,

  983 For ther liveth never but oon;

  984 Ne swich as she ne know I noon.

  985 `To speke of goodnesse; trewly she

  986 Had as moche debonairte

  987 As ever had Hester in the bible

  988 And more, if more were possible.

  989 And, soth to seyne, therwith-al

  990 She had a wit so general,

  991 So hool enclyned to alle gode,

  992 That al hir wit was set, by the rode,

  993 Withoute malice, upon gladnesse;

  994 Therto I saw never yet a lesse

  995 Harmul, than she was in doing.

  996 I sey nat that she ne had knowing

  997 What harm was; or elles she

  998 Had coud no good, so thinketh me.

  999 `And trewly, for to speke of trouthe,

  1000 But she had had, hit had be routhe.

  1001 Therof she had so moche hir del --

  1002 And I dar seyn and swere hit wel --

  1003 That Trouthe him-self, over al and al,

  1004 Had chose his maner principal

  1005 In hir, that was his resting-place.

  1006 Ther-to she hadde the moste grace,

  1007 To have stedfast perseveraunce,

  1008 And esy, atempre governaunce,

  1009 That ever I knew or wiste yit;

  1010 So pure suffraunt was hir wit.

  1011 And reson gladly she understood,

  1012 Hit folowed wel she coude good.

  1013 She used gladly to do wel;

  1014 These were hir maners every-del.

  1015 `Therwith she loved so wel right,

  1016 She wrong do wolde to no wight;

  1017 No wight might do hir no shame,

  1018 She loved so wel hir owne name.

  1019 Hir luste to holde no wight in honde;

  1020 Ne, be thou siker, she nolde fonde

  1021 To holde no wight in balaunce,

  1022 By half word ne by countenaunce,

  1023 But-if men wolde upon hir lye;

  1024 Ne sende men in-to Walakye,

  1025 To Pruyse, and in-to Tartarye,

  1026 To Alisaundre, ne in-to Turkye,

  1027 And bidde him faste, anoon that he

  1028 Go hoodles to the drye see,

  1029 And come hoom by the Carrenare;

  1030 And seye, "Sir, be now right ware

  1031 That I may of yow here seyn

  1032 Worship, or that ye come ageyn!'

  1033 She ne used no suche knakkes smale.

  1034 `But wherfor that I telle my tale?

  1035 Right on this same, as I have seyd,

  1036 Was hoolly al my love leyd;

  1037 For certes, she was, that swete wyf,

  1038 My suffisaunce, my lust, my lyf,

  1039 Myn hap, myn hele, and al my blisse,

  1040 My worldes welfare, and my lisse,

  1041 And I hires hoolly, everydel.'

  1042 `By our lord,' quod I, `I trowe yow wel!

  1043 Hardely, your love was wel beset,

  1044 I not how ye mighte have do bet.'

  1045 `Bet? ne no wight so wel!' quod he.

  1046 `I trowe hit, sir,' quod I, `parde!'

  1047 `Nay, leve hit wel!' `Sir, so do I;

  1048 I leve yow wel, that trewely

  1049 Yow thoghte, that she was the beste,

  1050 And to beholde the alderfaireste,

  1051 Who so had loked hir with your eyen.'

  1052 `With myn? Nay, alle that hir seyen

  1053 Seyde and sworen hit was so.

  1054 And thogh they ne hadde, I wolde tho

  1055 Have loved best my lady fre,

  1056 Thogh I had had al the beautee

  1057 That ever had Alcipyades,

  1058 And al the strengthe of Ercules,

  1059 And therto had the worthinesse

  1060 Of Alisaundre, and al the richesse

  1061 That ever was in Babiloyne,

  1062 In Cartage, or in Macedoyne,

  1063 Or in Rome, or in Ninive;

  1064 And therto al-so hardy be

  1065 As was Ector, so have I Ioye,

  1066 That Achilles slow at Troye --

  1067 And therfor was he slayn also

  1068 In a temple, for bothe two

  1069 Were slayn, he and Antilegius,

  1070 And so seyth Dares Frigius,

  1071 For love of hir Polixena --

  1072 Or ben as wys as Minerva,

  1073 I wolde ever, withoute drede,

  1074 Have loved hir, for I moste nede!

  1075 "Nede!" nay, I gabbe now,

  1076 Noght "nede", and I wol telle how,

  1077 For of good wille myn herte hit wolde,

  1078 And eek to love hir I was holde

  1079 As for the fairest and the beste.

  1080 `She was as good, so have I reste,

  1081 As ever was Penelope of Grece,

  1082 Or as the noble wyf Lucrece,

  1083 That was the beste -- he telleth thus,

  1084 The Romayn Tytus Livius --

  1085 She was as good, and no-thing lyke,

  1086 Thogh hir stories be autentyke;

  1087 Algate she was as trewe as she.

  1088 `But wherfor that I telle thee

  1089 Whan I first my lady say?

  1090 I was right yong, the sooth to sey,

  1091 And ful gret need I hadde to lerne;

  1092 Whan my herte wolde yerne

  1093 To love, it was a greet empryse.

  1094 But as my wit coude best suffyse,

  1095 After my yonge childly wit,

  1096 Withoute drede, I besette hit

  1097 To love hir in my beste wise,

  1098 To do hir worship and servyse

  1099 That I tho coude, be my trouthe,

  1100 Withoute feyning outher slouthe;

  1101 For wonder fayn I wolde hir see.

  1102 So mochel hit amended me,

  1103 That, whan I saw hir first a-morwe,

  1104 I was warished of al my sorwe

  1105 Of al day after, til hit were eve;

  1106 Me thoghte no-thing mighte me greve,

  1107 Were my sorwes never so smerte.

  1108 And yit she sit so in myn herte,

  1109 That, by my trouthe, I nolde noghte,

  1110 For al this worlde, out of my thoght

  1111 Leve my lady; no, trewly!'

  1112 `Now, by my trouthe, sir,' quod I,

  1113 `Me thinketh ye have such a chaunce

  1114 As shrift withoute repentaunce.'

  1115 `Repentaunce! nay, fy,' quod he;

  1116 `Shulde I now repente me

  1117 To love? nay, certes, than were I wel

  1118 Wers than was Achitofel,

  1119 Or Anthenor, so have I Ioye,

  1120 The traytour that betraysed Troye,

  1121 Or the false Genelon,

  1122 He that purchased the treson

  1123 Of Rowland and of Olivere.

  1124 Nay, why! I am a-lyve here

  1125 I nil foryete hir never-mo.'

  1126 `Now, goode sir,' quod I right tho,

  1127 `Ye han wel told me her-before.

  1128 It is no need reherse hit more

  1129 How ye sawe hir first, and where;

  1130 But wolde ye telle me the manere,

  1131 To hir which was your firste speche --

  1132 Therof I wolde yow be-seche --

  1133 And how she knewe first your thoght,

  1134 Whether ye loved hir or noght,

  1135 And telleth me eek
what ye have lore;

  1136 I herde yow telle her-before.'

  1137 `Ye,' seyde he,`thow nost what thou menest;

  1138 I have lost more than thou wenest.'

  1139 `What los is that, sir?' quod I tho;

  1140 `Nil she not love yow? Is hit so?

  1141 Or have ye oght y-doon amis,

  1142 That she hath left yow? is hit this?

  1143 For goddes love, telle me al.'

  1144 `Before god,' quod he, `and I shal.

  1145 I saye right as I have seyd,

  1146 On hir was al my love leyd;

  1147 And yet she niste hit never a del

  1148 Noght longe tyme, leve hit wel.

  1149 For be right siker, I durste noght

  1150 For al this worlde telle hir my thoght,

  1151 Ne I wolde have wratthed hir, trewely.

  1152 For wostow why? she was lady

  1153 Of the body; she had the herte,

  1154 And who hath that, may not asterte.

  1155 `But, for to kepe me fro ydelnesse,

  1156 Trewly I did my besinesse

  1157 To make songes, as I best coude,

  1158 And ofte tyme I song hem loude;

  1159 And made songes a gret del,

  1160 Al-thogh I coude not make so wel

  1161 Songes, ne knowe the art al,

  1162 As coude Lamekes sone Tubal,

  1163 That fond out first the art of songe;

  1164 For, as his brothers hamers ronge

  1165 Upon his anvelt up and doun,

  1166 Therof he took the firste soun;

  1167 But Grekes seyn, Pictagoras,

  1168 That he the firste finder was

  1169 Of the art; Aurora telleth so,

  1170 But therof no fors, of hem two.

  1171 Algates songes thus I made

  1172 Of my feling, myn herte to glade;

  1173 And lo! this was the alther-firste,

  1174 I not wher that hit were the werst. --

  1175 "Lord, hit maketh myn herte light,

  1176 Whan I thenke on that swete wight

  1177 That is so semely on to see;

  1178 And wisshe to god hit might so be,

  1179 That she wolde holde me for hir knight,

  1180 My lady, that is so fair and bright!" --

  1181 `Now have I told thee, sooth to saye,

  1182 My firste song. Upon a daye

  1183 I bethoghte me what wo

  1184 And sorwe that I suffred tho

  1185 For hir, and yet she wiste hit noght,

  1186 Ne telle hir durste I nat my thoght.

  1187 `Allas!' thoghte I, `I can no reed;

  1188 And, but I telle hir, I nam but deed;

  1189 And if I telle hir, to seye sooth,

  1190 I am a-dred she wol be wrooth;

  1191 Allas! what shal I thanne do?"

  1192 `In this debat I was so wo,

  1193 Me thoghte myn herte braste a-tweyn!

  1194 So atte laste, soth to sayn,

  1195 I me bethoghte that nature

  1196 Ne formed never in creature

  1197 So moche beaute, trewely,

  1198 And bounte, withouten mercy.

  1199 `In hope of that, my tale I tolde,

  1200 With sorwe, as that I never sholde;

  1201 For nedes, and, maugree my heed,

  1202 I moste have told hir or be deed.

  1203 I not wel how that I began,

  1204 Ful evel rehersen hit I can;

  1205 And eek, as helpe me god with-al,

  1206 I trowe hit was in the dismal,

  1207 That was the ten woundes of Egipte;

  1208 For many a word I over-skipte

  1209 In my tale, for pure fere

  1210 Lest my wordes mis-set were.

  1211 With sorweful herte, and woundes dede,

  1212 Softe and quaking for pure drede

  1213 And shame, and stinting in my tale

  1214 For ferde, and myn hewe al pale,

  1215 Ful ofte I wex bothe pale and reed;

  1216 Bowing to hir, I heng the heed;

  1217 I durste nat ones loke hir on,

  1218 For wit, manere, and al was gon.

  1219 I seyde "mercy!" and no more;

  1220 Hit nas no game, hit sat me sore.

  1221 `So atte laste, sooth to seyn,

  1222 Whan that myn herte was come ageyn,

  1223 To telle shortly al my speche,

  1224 With hool herte I gan hir beseche

  1225 That she wolde be my lady swete;

  1226 And swor, and gan hir hertely hete

  1227 Ever to be stedfast and trewe,

  1228 And love hir alwey freshly newe,

  1229 And never other lady have,

  1230 And al hir worship for to save

  1231 As I best coude; I swor hir this --

  1232 "For youres is al that ever ther is

  1233 For evermore, myn herte swete!

  1234 And never false yow, but I mete,

  1235 I nil, as wis god helpe me so!"

  1236 `And whan I had my tale y-do,

  1237 God wot, she acounted nat a stree

  1238 Of al my tale, so thoghte me.

  1239 To telle shortly as hit is,

  1240 Trewly hir answere, hit was this;

  1241 I can not now wel counterfete

  1242 Hir wordes, but this was the grete

  1243 Of hir answere: she sayde, "nay"

  1244 Al-outerly. Allas! that day

  1245 The sorwe I suffred, and the wo!

  1246 That trewly Cassandra, that so

  1247 Bewayled the destruccioun.

  1248 Of Troye and of Ilioun,

  1249 Had never swich sorwe as I tho.

  1250 I durste no more say therto

  1251 For pure fere, but stal away;

  1252 And thus I lived ful many a day;

  1253 That trewely, I hadde no need

  1254 Ferther than my beddes heed

  1255 Never a day to seche sorwe;

  1256 I fond hit redy every morwe,