That most like untʊ grene wool, wot I, it was: It was more pleasaunt than I coud devise.
The hegge also that yede in compas,
And closed in al the grene herbere,
With sicamour was set and eglatere,
Wrethen in fere so wel and cunningly,
That every branch and leafe grew by mesure,
Plaine as a bord, of an height by and by.
I see never thing, I you ensure,
So wel done; for he that tooke the cure
It to make, y trow, did all his peine
To make it passe alle tho that men have seine.
And whan his song was ended in this wise,
The nightingale with so mery a note
Answered him, that al the wood ronge
So sodainely, that as it were a sote,
I stood astonied; so was I with the song
Thorow ravished, that til late and longe,
I ne wist in what place I was, ne where;
And ayen, me thought, she songe ever by
mine ere.
Wherefore I waited about busily,
And shapen was this herber, roofe and alle, On every side, if I her might see;
As a prety parlour; and also
The hegge as thicke as a castle walle,
That who that list without to stond or go,
Though he wold al day prien to and fro,
He should not see if there were any wight
Within or no; but one within wel might
And, at the laste, I gan ful wel aspy
Where she sat in a fresh grene laurer tree,
On the further side, even right by me,
That gave so passinge a delicious smelle,
According to the eglentere ful welle.
Whereof I had so inly great pleasure,
That, as me thought, I surely ravished was
Into Paradise, where my desire
Perceive all tho thot yeden there withoute
In the field, that was on every side
Covered with corn and grasse; that out of Was for to be, and no ferther passe
doubt,
As for that day; and on the sote grasse
Though one wold seeke alle the world wide, I sat me downe; for, as for mine entent,
So rich a fielde cold not be espide
On no coast, as of the quantity;
For of alle good thing there was plenty.
And I that al this pleasaunt sight sie,
Thought sodainely I felt so swete an aire
Of the eglentere, that certainely
There is no herte, I deme, in such dispaire,
Ne with thoughtes froward and contraire
So overlaid, but it should soone have bote,
If it had ones felt this savour sote.
And as I stood and cast aside mine eie,
I was ware of the fairest medler tree,
That ever yet in alle my life I sie,
As ful of blossomes as it might be;
Therein a goldfinch leaping pretile
Fro bough to bough; and, as him list, he eet
Here and there of buddes and floures swete.
And to the herber side was joyninge
This faire tree, of which I have you tolde,
And at the laste the brid began to singe,
Whan he had eeten what he ete wolde,
So passing swetely, that by manifolde
The briddes song was more convenient,
And more pleasaunt to me by many folde,
Than meat or drinke, or any other thinge.
Thereto the herber was so fresh and colde,
The wholesome savours eke so comfortinge,
That, as I demed, sith the beginninge
Of the world was never seene or than
So pleasaunt a ground of none earthly man.
And as I sat, the brids hearkening thus,
Me thought that I heard voices sodainely,
The most sweetest and most delicious
That ever any wight, I trowe truely,
Heard in their life; for the armony
And sweet accord was in so good musike,
That the voice to angels most was like.
At the last, out of a grove even by,
That was right goodly and pleasaunt to sight,
I sie where there came, singing lustily,
A world of ladies; but, to tell aright
Their grete beauty, it lieth not in my might,
Ne their array; neverthelesse I shalle
Telle you a part, though I speake not of alle
The surcotes white, of velvet wele sittinge,
They were in cladde, and the semes echone,
As it were a manere garnishinge,
Was set with emerauds, one and one,
By and by; but many a riche stone
Was set on the purfiles, out of doute,
Of collers, sleves, and traines round aboute.
As grete pearles, rounde and orient,
Diamondes fine, and rubies redde,
And many another stone, of which I went
The names now; and everich on her hedde
A rich fret of gold, which without dread,
Was ful of stately riche stones set;
And every lady had a chapelet
On her hedde of branches fresh and grene,
So wele wrought and so marvelously,
That it was a noble sight to sene;
Some of laurer, and some ful pleasauntly
Had chapelets of wood bind, and saddely
Some of agnus castus ware also
Chapelets freshe; but there were many of tho
That daunced and eke songe ful soberly,
But alle they yede in manner of compace;
But one there yede in mid the company,
Sole by her selfe; but alle followed the pace
That she kepte, whose hevenly figured face
So pleasaunt was, and her wele shape person,
That of beauty she past hem everichon.
And more richly beseene, by many folde,
She was also in every maner thing:
On her hedde ful pleasaunt to beholde,
A crowne of golde rich for any king:
A braunch of agnus castus eke bearing
In her hand; and to my sight truely
She lady was of the company.
And she began a roundel lustely,
That "Suse le foyle, devers moy," men calle.
"Siene et mon joly couer est endormy,"
And than the company answered alle,
With voices sweet entuned, and so smale,
That me thought it the sweetest melody
That ever I heard in my life sothly.
And thus they came, dauncinge and singinge,
Into the middes of the mede echone,
Before the herber where I was sittinge;
And, God wot, me thought I was wel bigone;
For than I might avise hem one by one, Who fairest was, who coud best dance or singe,
Or who most womanly was in alle thinge.
They had not daunced but a little throwe,
Whan that I hearde ferre of sodainely,
So great a noise of thundering trumpes blowo
As though it should have departed the skie
And, after that, within a while I sie,
From the same grove where the ladies came
oute,
Of men of armes cominge such a route,
As alle the men on earth had been assembled
In that place, wele horsed for the nones,
Steringe so fast, that al the earth trembled:
But for to speke of riches and of stones,
And men and horse, I trowe the large wones,
Of Prestir John, ne all his tresory,
Might not unneth have boght the tenth party
Of their array: who so list heare more,
I shal rehearse so as I can a lite.
Out of the grove, that I spake of before,
I sie come firste, al in their clokes white,
A company, that ware, for their delite,
Chapelets freshe of okes serialle,
Newly sprong, and trumpets they were alle.
On every trumpe hanging a broad banere
Of fine tartarium were ful richely bete;
Every trumpet his lordes armes bere;
About their neckes, with great pearles sete.
Collers brode; for cost they would not lete,
As it would seem, for their scochones echone,
Were set aboute with many a precious stone
Their horse harneis was al white also.
And after them next in one company,
Came kinges of armes, and no mo,
In clokes of white cloth of gold richely,
Chapelets of greene on their hedes on hie;
The crownes that they on their scochones ber
Were sette with pearle, ruby, and saphere,
And eke great diamondes many one:
But al their horse harneis and other gere
Was in a sute accordinge, everichone,
As ye have herd the foresaid trumpetes were:
And by seeminge, they were nothing to lere,
And their guidinge they did so manerly.
And, after hem, came a great company
Of heraudes and pursevauntes eke,
Arraied in clothes of white velvette,
And, hardily, they were no thing to seke,
How they on them should the harneis sette;
And every man had on a chapelet;
Scochones, and eke harneis, indede,
Some of hauthorne, and some of the wood binde,
And many mo which I had not in minde.
And so they came, their horres freshely ster
inge,
With bloody sownes of hir trompes loude;
In the array of these knightes proude,
There sie I many an uncouth disguisinge
And at the last, as evenly as they coude,
They took their places in middes of the mede,
They had in sute of hem that fore hem yede. And every knight turned his horses hede`
Next after hem came, in armour bright
All save their heades, seemely knightes nine;
And every claspe and naile, as to my sight,
Of their harneis were of rad golde fine;
With cloth of gold, and furred with ermine
Were the trappoures of their stedes stronge,
Wide and large, that to the ground did honge.
And every bosse of bridle and paitrel
That they had, was worth, as I wold wene,
A thousand pounde; and on their heddes, wel
Dressed, were crownes of laurer grene,
The best made that ever I had sene;
And every knight had after him ridinge
Three henchemen on hem awaitinge.
Of whiche every first, on a short tronchoun,
His lordes helme bare, so richly dight,
That the worst was worthe the ransoun
Of any king; the second a shield bright
Bare at his backe; the thred bare upright
A mighty spere, full sharpe ground and kene,
And every childe ware of leaves grene
A fresh chapelet upon his haires bright;
And clokes white of fine velvet they ware;
Their steedes trapped and raied right,
Without difference, as their lordes were;
And after hem, on many a fresh corsere,
There came of armed knightes such a route,
That they besprad the large field aboute.
And al they ware, after their degrees,
Chapelets newe male of laurer grene;
Some of the oke, and some of other trees,
Some in their honds bare boughes shene,
Some of laurer, and some of okes kene,
To his fellow, and lightly laid a spere
In the rest; and so justes began
On every part about, here and there;
Some brake his spere, some drew down tors
and man;
About the field astray the steedes ran;
And, to behold their rule and governaunce,
I you ensure, it was a great pleasaunce.
And so the justes laste an houre and more;
But tho that crowned were in laurer grene
Wanne the prise; their dintes was so sore,
That there was none ayent hem might sustene
And the justinge al was left off clene,
And fro their horse the ninth alight anone,
And so did al the remnant everichone.
And forth they yede togider, twain and twain
That to beholde it was a worthy sight,
Toward the ladies on the grene plain,
That songe and daunced, as I said now right
The ladies, as soone as they goodly might,
They brake of both the song and daunce,
And yede to meet hem with ful glad sem
blaunce.
And every lady tooke, ful womanly,
By the hond a knight, and forth they yede
Unto a faire laurer that stood fast by,
With levis lade, the boughes of grete brede;
And to my dome there never was, indede,
Man that had seene halfe so faire a tre;
For underneath there might it well have be
An hundred persones, at their owne plesaunce
Shadowed fro the hete of Phebus bright,
So that they sholde have felt no grevaunce
Of raine ne haile that hem hurte might.
The savour eke rejoice would any wight
That had be sicke or melancolious, It was so very good and vertuous.
And with great reverence they inclined lowe
To the tree so soote, and faire of hewe;
And after that, within a little throwe,
They began to singe and daunce of newe
Some songe of love, some plaininge of untrewe,
Environinge the tree that stood upright;
And ever yede a lady and a knight.
And at the last I cast mine eye aside,
And was ware of a lusty company
That come rominge out of the field wide,
Hond in hond a knight and a lady;
The ladies all in surcotes, that richely
Purfiled were with many a riche stone,
Forshronke with heat; the ladies eke to-brent, That they ne wiste where they hem might
The knightes swelt, for lack of shade nie shent;
And after that, within a little throwe.
The wind began so sturdily to blowe,
That down goeth all the floures everichone,
So that in al the mede there left not one;
Save such as succoured were among the levcs Fro every storme that might hem assaile, Growinge under the hegges and thicke greves: And after that there came a storme of haile And raine in fere, so that, withouten faile, The ladies ne the knightes nade o threed Drie on them, so dropping was hir weed.
And every knight of grene ware mantles on, And whan the storm was cleane passed away,
In like wise ech of them tooke a knight Cladde in greene, and forthe with hem they fare,
To an hegge, where they anon right,
To make their justes, they wolde not spare Boughes to hewe down, and eke trees square, Wherwith they made hem stately fires grete, To drye their clothes that were wringinge
And after that, of herbes that there grewe, They made, for blisters of the sunne brenninge,
Very good and wholesome ointmentes new,
Wherewith they yede the sick fast anointinge;
And after that they yede about gaderinge
Pleasaunt salades, which they made hem ete,
For to refreshe their great unkindly hete.
The lady of the Leafe than began to praye
Her of the Floure (for so to my seeminge
They sholde be, as by their arraye)
To soupe with her, and eke, for any thinge,
That she shold with her alle her people bringe:
And she ayen, in right goodly manere,
Thanked her of her most friendly chere,
Saying plainely, that she would obaye
With all her herte, all her commaundement;
And then anon, without lenger delaye,
The lady of the Leafe hath one ysent,
For a palfray, after her intent,
Arrayed wel and faire in harneis of gold,
For nothing lacked, that to him long shold.
And after that, to al her company
She made to purveye horse and every thinge
That they needed; and than ful lustily,
Even by the herber where I was sittinge
They passed alle, so pleasantly singinge,
That it would have comforted any wight.
But than I sie a passing wonder sight;
For than the nightingale, that al the day
Had in the laurer sate, and did her might
The whole service to singe longing to May,
All sodainely began to take her flight;
And to the lady of the Leefe, forthright,
She flew, and set her on her hond softely,
Which was a thing I marveled of gretely.
The goldfinch eke, that fro the medler tree
Was fled for heat into the bushes colde.
Unto the lady of the Floure gan flee,
And on her hond he sit him as he wolde,
And pleasauntly his winges gan to fold;
And for to singe they pained hem both, as sore
As they had do of al the day before.
And so these ladies rode forth a great pace
And al the rout of knightes eke in fere;
And I that had seen al this wonder case,
Thought I wold assaye in some manere,
To know fully the trouth of this matere;
And what they were that rode so pleasauntly.
And whan they were the herber passed by,
"Which ye se of that herbe chapelets weare, Be such as han kept alway hir maidenheed: And alle they that of laurer chapelets beare, Be such as hardy were, and manly in deed, Victorious name which never may be dede! And alle they were so worthy of hir hond, In hir time, that none might hem withstond.
"And tho that weare chapelets on their hede Of fresh woodbinde, be such as never were To love untrue in word, thought, ne dede, But aye stedfast; ne for pleasaunce, ne fere,
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