Book Of The Duchesse Page 4

1257 For-why I loved hir in no gere.

  1258 `So hit befel, another yere,

  1259 I thoughte ones I wolde fonde

  1260 To do hir knowe and understonde

  1261 My wo; and she wel understood

  1262 That I ne wilned thing but good,

  1263 And worship, and to kepe hir name

  1264 Over al thing, and drede hir shame,

  1265 And was so besy hir to serve; --

  1266 And pite were I shulde sterve,

  1267 Sith that I wilned noon harm, y-wis.

  1268 So whan my lady knew al this,

  1269 My lady yaf me al hoolly

  1270 The noble yift of hir mercy,

  1271 Saving hir worship, by al weyes;

  1272 Dredles, I mene noon other weyes.

  1273 And therwith she yaf me a ring;

  1274 I trowe hit was the firste thing;

  1275 But if myn herte was y-waxe

  1276 Glad, that is no need to axe!

  1277 As helpe me god, I was as blyve,

  1278 Reysed, as fro dethe to lyve,

  1279 Of alle happes the alder-beste,

  1280 The gladdest and the moste at reste.

  1281 For trewely, that swete wight,

  1282 Whan I had wrong and she the right,

  1283 She wolde alwey so goodely

  1284 For-yeve me so debonairly.

  1285 In alle my youthe, in alle chaunce,

  1286 She took me in hir governaunce.

  1287 `Therwith she was alway so trewe,

  1288 Our Ioye was ever y-liche newe;

  1289 Our hertes wern so even a payre,

  1290 That never nas that oon contrayre

  1291 To that other, for no wo.

  1292 For sothe, y-liche they suffred tho

  1293 Oo blisse and eek oo sorwe bothe;

  1294 Y-liche they were bothe gladde and wrothe;

  1295 Al was us oon, withoute were.

  1296 And thus we lived ful many a yere

  1297 So wel, I can nat telle how.'

  1298 `Sir,' quod I, `where is she now?'

  1299 `Now!' quod he, and stinte anoon.

  1300 Therwith he wex as deed as stoon,

  1301 And seyde, `allas! that I was bore,

  1302 That was the los, that her-before

  1303 I tolde thee, that I had lorn.

  1304 Bethenk how I seyde her-beforn,

  1305 "Thou wost ful litel what thou menest;

  1306 I have lost more than thou wenest" --

  1307 God wot, allas! right that was she!'

  1308 `Allas! sir, how? what may that be?'

  1309 `She is deed!' `Nay!' `Yis, by my trouthe!'

  1310 `Is that your los? By god, hit is routhe!'

  1311 And with that worde, right anoon,

  1312 They gan to strake forth; al was doon,

  1313 For that tyme, the hert-hunting.

  1314 With that, me thoghte, that this king

  1315 Gan quikly hoomward for to ryde

  1316 Unto a place ther besyde,

  1317 Which was from us but a lyte,

  1318 A long castel with walles whyte,

  1319 Be seynt Iohan! on a riche hil,

  1320 As me mette; but thus it fil.

  1321 Right thus me mette, as I yow telle,

  1322 That in the castel was a belle,

  1323 As hit had smiten houres twelve. --

  1324 Therwith I awook my-selve,

  1325 And fond me lying in my bed;

  1326 And the book that I had red,

  1327 Of Alcyone and Seys the king,

  1328 And of the goddes of sleping,

  1329 I fond it in myn honde ful even.

  1330 Thoghte I, `this is so queynt a sweven,

  1331 That I wol, be processe of tyme,

  1332 Fonde to putte this sweven in ryme

  1333 As I can best'; and that anoon. --

  1334 This was my sweven; now hit is doon.

  Explicit the Boke of the Duchesse.

  End of "The Book of the Duchess"