2821 A povre wydwe, somdeel
stape in age
2822 Was whilom dwellyng in a
narwe cotage,
2823 Biside a grove, stondynge in
a dale.
2824 This wydwe, of which I telle
yow my tale,
2825 Syn thilke day that she was
last a wyf,
2826 In pacience ladde a ful
symple lyf,
2827 For litel was hir catel and
hir rente.
2828 By housbondrie of swich as
God hire sente
2829 She foond hirself and eek
hir doghtren two.
2830 Thre large sowes hadde she,
and namo,
2831 Three keen, and eek a sheep
that highte malle.
2832 Ful sooty was hire bour and
eek hir halle,
2833 In which she eet ful many a
sklendre meel.
2834 Of poynaunt sauce hir neded
never a deel.
2835 No deyntee morsel passed
thurgh hir throte;
2836 Hir diete was accordant to
hir cote.
2837 Repleccioun ne made hire
nevere sik;
2838 Attempree diete was al hir
phisik,
2839 And exercise, and hertes
suffisaunce.
2840 The goute lette hire nothyng
for to daunce,
2841 N' apoplexie shente nat hir
heed.
2842 No wyn ne drank she, neither
whit ne reed;
2843 Hir bord was served moost
with whit and blak, --
2844 Milk and broun breed, in
which she foond no lak,
2845 Seynd bacoun, and somtyme an
ey or tweye;
2846 For she was, as it were, a
maner deye.
2847 A yeerd she hadde, enclosed
al aboute
2848 With stikkes, and a drye
dych withoute,
2849 In which she hadde a cok,
hight chauntecleer.
2850 In al the land, of crowyng
nas his peer.
2851 His voys was murier than the
murie orgon
2852 On messe-dayes that in the
chirche gon.
2853 Wel sikerer was his crowyng
in his logge
2854 Than is a clokke or an abbey
orlogge.
2855 By nature he knew ech
ascencioun
2856 Of the equynoxial in thilke
toun;
2857 For whan degrees fiftene
weren ascended,
2858 Thanne crew he, that it
myghte nat been amended.
2859 His coomb was redder than
the fyn coral,
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Page 200
2860 And batailled as it were a
castel wal;
2861 His byle was blak, and as
the jeet it shoon;
2862 Lyk asure were his legges
and his toon;
2863 His nayles whitter than the
lylye flour,
2864 And lyk the burned gold was
his colour.
2865 This gentil cok hadde in his
governaunce
2866 Sevene hennes for to doon al
his plesaunce,
2867 Whiche were his sustres and
his paramours,
2868 And wonder lyk to hym, as of
colours;
2869 Of whiche the faireste hewed
on hir throte
2870 Was cleped faire damoysele
pertelote.
2871 Curteys she was, discreet,
and debonaire,
2872 And compaignable, and bar
hyrself so faire,
2873 Syn thilke day that she was
seven nyght oold,
2874 That trewely she hath the
herte in hoold
2875 Of chauntecleer, loken in
every lith;
2876 He loved hire so that wel
was hym therwith.
2877 But swich a joye was it to
here hem synge,
2878 Whan that the brighte sonne
gan to sprynge,
2879 In sweete accord, my lief is
faren in londe!
2880 For thilke tyme, as I have
understonde,
2881 Beestes and briddes koude
speke and synge.
2882 And so bifel that in a
dawenynge,
2883 As chauntecleer among his
wyves alle
2884 Sat on his perche, that was
in the halle,
2885 And next hym sat this faire
pertelote,
2886 This chauntecleer gan gronen
in his throte,
2887 As man that in his dreem is
drecched soore.
2888 And whan that pertelote thus
herde hym roore,
2889 She was agast, and seyde,
herte deere,
2890 What eyleth yow, to grone in
this manere?
2891 Ye been a verray sleper; fy,
for shame!
2892 And he answerde, and seyde
thus: madame,
2893 I pray yow that ye take it
nat agrief.
2894 By god, me mette I was in
swich meschief
2895 Right now, that yet myn
herte is soore afright.
2896 Now god, quod he, my swevene
recche aright,
2897 And kepe my body out of foul
prisoun!
2898 Me mette how that I romed up
and doun
2899 Withinne our yeerd, wheer as
I saugh a beest
2900 Was lyk an hound, and wolde
han maad areest
2901 Upon my body, and wolde han
had me deed.
2902 His colour was bitwixe yelow
and reed,
2903 And tipped was his tayl and
bothe his eeris
2904 With blak, unlyk the
remenant of his heeris;
2905 His snowte smal, with
glowynge eyen tweye.
2906 Yet of his look for feere
almoost I deye;
2907 This caused me my gronyng,
doutelees.
2908 Avoy! quod she, fy on yow,
hertelees!
2909 Allas! quod she, for, by
that God above,
2910 Now han ye lost myn herte
and al my love.
2911 I kan nat love a coward, by
my feith!
2912 For certes, what so any
womman seith,
2913 We alle desiren, if it
myghte bee,
2914 To han housbondes hardy,
wise, and free,
2915 And secree, and no nygard,
ne no fool,
2916 Ne hym that is agast of
every tool,
2917 Ne noon avauntour, by that
God above!
2918 How dorste ye seyn, for
shame, unto youre love
2919 That any thyng myghte make
yow aferd?
2920 Have ye no mannes herte, and
han a berd?
2921 Allas! and konne ye been
agast of swevenys?
2922 Nothyng, God woot, but
vanitee in sweven is.
2923 Swevenes engendren of
replecciouns,
2924 And ofte of fume and of
complecciouns,
2925 Whan humours been to
habundant in a wight.
2926 Certes this dreem, which ye
han met to-nyght,
2927 Cometh of the greete
superfluytee
2928 Of youre rede colera, pardee,
2929 Which causeth folk to dreden
in hir dremes
2930 Of arwes, and of fyr with
rede lemes,
2931 Of rede beestes, that they
wol hem byte,
2932 Of contek, and of whelpes,
grete and lyte;
2933 Right as the humour of
malencolie
2934 Causeth ful many a man in
sleep to crie
2935 For feere of blake beres, or
boles blake,
2936 Or elles blake develes wole
hem take.
2937 Of othere humours koude I
telle also
2938 That werken many a man sleep
ful wo;
2939 But I wol passe as lightly
as I kan.
2940 Lo catoun, which that was so
wys a man,
2941 Seyde he nat thus, -- ne do
no fors of dremes? --
2942 Now sire, quod she, whan we
flee for the bemes,
2943 For goddes love, as taak som
laxatyf.
2944 Up peril of my soule and of
my lyf,
2945 I conseille yow the beste, I
wol nat lye,
2946 That bothe of colere and of
malencolye
2947 Ye purge yow; and for ye
shal nat tarie,
2948 Though in this toun is noon
apothecarie,
2949 I shal myself to gerbes
techen yow
2950 That shul been for youre
hele and for youre prow;
2951 And in oure yeerd tho herbes
shal I fynde
2952 The whiche han of hire
propretee by kynde
2953 To purge yow bynethe and eek
above.
2954 Foryet nat this, for goddes
owene love!
2955 Ye been ful coleryk of
compleccioun;
2956 Ware the sonne in his
ascencioun
2957 Ne fynde yow nat repleet of
humours hoote.
2958 And if it do, I dar wel leye
a grote,
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Page 201
2959 That ye shul have a fevere
tercaine,
2960 Of an agu, that may be youre
bane.
2961 A day or two ye shul have
digestyves
2962 Of wormes, er ye take youre
laxatyves
2963 Of lawriol, centaure, and
fumetere,
2964 Or elles of ellebor, that
groweth there,
2965 Of katapuce, or of gaitrys
beryis,
2966 Of herbe yve, growyng in
oure yeerd, ther mery is;
2967 Pekke hem up right as they
growe and ete hem yn.
2968 By myrie, housbonde, for
youre fader kyn~
2969 Dredeth no dreem, I kan sey
yow namoore.
2970 Madame, quod he, graunt
mercy of youre loore.
2971 But nathelees, as touchyng
daun catoun,
2972 That hath of wysdom swich a
greet renoun,
2973 Though that he bad no dremes
for to drede,
2974 By god, men may in olde
bookes rede
2975 Of many a man moore of
auctorite
2976 Than evere caton was, so
moot I thee,
2977 That al the revers seyn of
this sentence,
2978 And han wel founden by
experience
2979 That dremes been
significaciouns
2980 As wel of joye as of
tribulaciouns
2981 That folk enduren in this
lif present.
2982 Ther nedeth make of this
noon argument;
2983 The verray preeve sheweth it
in dede.
2984 Oon of the gretteste auctour
that men rede
2985 Seith thus: that whilom two
felawes wente
2986 On pilgrimage, in a ful good
entente;
2987 And happed so, yhey coomen
in a toun
2988 Wher as ther was swich
congregacioun
2989 Of peple, and eek so streit
of herbergage,
2990 That they ne founde as muche
as cotage
2991 In which they bothe myghte
ylogged bee.
2992 Wherfore they mosten of
necessitee,
2993 As for that nyght,departen
compaignye;
2994 And ech of hem gooth to his
hostelrye,
2995 And took his loggyng as it
wolde falle.
2996 That oon of hem was logged
in a stalle,
2997 Fer in a yeerd, with oxen of
the plough;
2998 That oother man was logged
wel ynough,
2999 As was his aventure or his
fortune,
3000 That us governeth alle as in
commune.
3001 And so bifel that, longe er
it were day,
3002 This man mette in his bed,
ther as he lay
3003 How that his felawe gan upon
hym calle,
3004 And seyde,, -- allas! for in
an oxes stalle
3005 This nyght I shal be mordred
ther I lye.
3006 Now help me,deere brother,
or I dye.
3007 In alle haste com to me! --
he sayde.
3008 This man out of his sleep
for feere abrayde;
3009 But whan that he was wakened
of this sleep,
3010 He turned hym, and took of
this no keep.
3011 Hym thoughte his dreem nas
but a vanitte.
3012 Thus twies in his slepyng
dremed hee;
3013 And atte thridde tyme yet
his felawe
3014 Cam, as hym thoughte, and
seide, -- I am now slawe.
3015 Bihood my bloody woundes
depe and wyde!
3016 Arys up erly in the morwe
tyde,
3017 And at the west gate of the
toun, -- quod he,
3018 -- A carte ful of dong ther
shaltow se,
3019 In which my body is hid ful
prively;
3020 Do thilke carte arresten
boldely.
3021 My gold caused my mordre,
sooth to sayn.,
3022 And tolde hym every point
how he was slayn,
3023 With a ful pitous face, pale
of hewe.
3024 And truste wel, his dreem he
foond ful trewe,
3025 For on the morwe, as soone
as it was day,
3026 To his felawes in he took
the way;
3027 And whan that he cam to his
oxes stalle,
3028 After his felawe he bigan to
calle.
3029 The hostiler answerede hym
anon,
3030 And seyde,,sire, your felawe
is agon.
3031 As soone as day he wente out
of the toun.,
3032 This man gan fallen
suspecioun,
3033 Remembrynge on his dremes
that he mette,
3034 And forth he gooth no lenger
wolde he lette
3035 Unto the west gate of the
toun, and fond
3036 A dong carte, wente as it
were to donge lond,
3037 That was arrayed in that
same wise
3038 As ye han herd the dede man
devyse.
3039 And with an hardy herte he
gan to crye
3040 Vengeance and justice of
this felonye.
3041 My felawe mordred is this
same nyght,
3042 And in this carte he lith
gapyng upright.
3043 I crye out on the ministres,
-- quod he,
3044 -- That sholden kepe and
reulen this citee.
3045 Harrow! allas! heere lith my
felawe slayn! --
3046 What sholde I moore unto
this tale sayn?
3047 The peple out sterte and
caste the cart to grounde,
3048 And in the myddel of the
dong they founde
3049 The dede man, that mordred
was al newe.
3050 O blisful god, that art so
just and trewe,
3051 Lo, how that thou biwryest
mordre alway!
3052 Mordre wol out, that se we
day by day.
3053 Mordre is so wlatsom and
abhomynable
3054 To god, that is so just and
resonable,
3055 That he ne wol nat suffre it
heled be,
3056 Though it abyde a yeer, or
two, or thre.
3057 Mordre wol out, this my
conclusioun.