The Canterbury Tales, and Other Poems Part 83

"Lowlihead, largess, and courtesy, Seemelihead, and true company, Dread of shame for to do amiss; For he that truly Love's servant is, Were lother* to be shamed than to die. *more reluctant

"And that this is sooth that I say, In that belief I will live and dey; And, Cuckoo, so I rede* that thou, do y-wis." *counsel "Then," quoth he, "let me never have bliss, If ever I to that counsail obey!

"Nightingale, thou speakest wondrous fair, But, for all that, is the sooth contrair; For love is in young folk but rage, And in old folk a great dotage; Who most it useth, moste shall enpair.* *suffer harm

"For thereof come disease and heaviness, Sorrow and care, and many a great sickness, Despite, debate, anger, envy, Depraving,* shame, untrust, and jealousy, *loss of fame or character Pride, mischief, povert', and woodness.* *madness

"Loving is an office of despair, And one thing is therein that is not fair; For who that gets of love a little bliss, *But if he be away therewith, y-wis, He may full soon of age have his hair.* *see note <5>*

"And, Nightingale, therefore hold thee nigh; For, 'lieve me well, for all thy quainte cry, If thou be far or longe from thy make,* *mate Thou shalt be as other that be forsake, And then thou shalt hoten* as do I." *be called

"Fie," quoth she, "on thy name and on thee!

The G.o.d of Love let thee never the!* *thrive For thou art worse a thousand fold than wood,* *mad For many one is full worthy and full good, That had been naught, ne hadde Love y-be.

"For evermore Love his servants amendeth, And from all evile taches* them defendeth, *blemishes And maketh them to burn right in a fire, In truth and in wors.h.i.+pful* desire, *honourable And, when him liketh, joy enough them sendeth."

"Thou Nightingale," he said, "be still!

For Love hath no reason but his will; For ofttime untrue folk he easeth, And true folk so bitterly displeaseth, That for default of grace* he lets them spill."** *favour **be ruined

Then took I of the nightingale keep, How she cast a sigh out of her deep, And said, "Alas, that ever I was bore!

I can for teen* not say one worde more;" *vexation, grief And right with that word she burst out to weep.

"Alas!" quoth she, "my hearte will to-break To heare thus this lewd bird speak Of Love, and of his wors.h.i.+pful service.

Now, G.o.d of Love, thou help me in some wise, That I may on this cuckoo be awreak!"* *revenged

Methought then I start up anon, And to the brook I ran and got a stone, And at the cuckoo heartly cast; And for dread he flew away full fast, And glad was I when he was gone.

And evermore the cuckoo, as he flay,* *flew He saide, "Farewell, farewell, popinjay,"

As though he had scorned, thought me; But ay I hunted him from the tree, Until he was far out of sight away.

And then came the nightingale to me, And said, "Friend, forsooth I thank thee That thou hast lik'd me to rescow;* *rescue And one avow to Love make I now, That all this May I will thy singer be."

I thanked her, and was right *well apaid:* *satisfied "Yea," quoth she, "and be thou not dismay'd, Though thou have heard the cuckoo *erst than* me; <6> *before For, if I live, it shall amended be The next May, if I be not afraid.

"And one thing I will rede* thee also, Believe thou not the cuckoo, the love's foe, For all that he hath said is strong leasing."* *falsehood "Nay," quoth I, "thereto shall nothing me bring For love, and it hath done me much woe."

"Yea? Use," quoth she, "this medicine, Every day this May ere thou dine: Go look upon the fresh daisy, And, though thou be for woe in point to die, That shall full greatly less thee of thy pine.* *sorrow

"And look alway that thou be good and true, And I will sing one of my songes new For love of thee, as loud as I may cry:"

And then she began this song full high: "I shrew* all them that be of love untrue." *curse

And when she had sung it to the end, "Now farewell," quoth she, "for I must wend,* *go And, G.o.d of Love, that can right well and may, As much joy sende thee this day, As any lover yet he ever send!"

Thus took the nightingale her leave of me.

I pray to G.o.d alway with her be, And joy of love he send her evermore, And s.h.i.+eld us from the cuckoo and his lore; For there is not so false a bird as he.

Forth she flew, the gentle nightingale, To all the birdes that were in that dale, And got them all into a place in fere,* *together And besought them that they would hear Her disease,* and thus began her tale. *distress, grievance

"Ye witte* well, it is not for to hide, *know How the cuckoo and I fast have chide,* *quarrelled Ever since that it was daylight; I pray you all that ye do me right On that foul false unkind bride."* *bird

Then spake one bird for all, by one a.s.sent: "This matter asketh good advis.e.m.e.nt; For we be fewe birdes here in fere, And sooth it is, the cuckoo is not here, And therefore we will have a parlement.

"And thereat shall the eagle be our lord, And other peers that been *of record,* *of established authority*

And the cuckoo shall be *after sent;* *summoned There shall be given the judgment, Or else we shall finally *make accord.* *be reconciled*

"And this shall be, withoute nay,* *contradiction The morrow after Saint Valentine's Day, Under a maple that is fair and green, Before the chamber window of the Queen, <7> At Woodstock upon the green lay."* *lawn

She thanked them, and then her leave took, And into a hawthorn by that brook, And there she sat and sang upon that tree, *"Term of life love hath withhold me;"* *love hath me in her So loude, that I with that song awoke. service all my life*

Explicit.* *The End

The Author to His Book.

O LEWD book! with thy foul rudeness, Since thou hast neither beauty nor eloquence, Who hath thee caus'd or giv'n the hardiness For to appear in my lady's presence?

I am full sicker* thou know'st her benevolence, *certain Full agreeable to all her abying,* *merit For of all good she is the best living.

Alas! that thou ne haddest worthiness, To show to her some pleasant sentence, Since that she hath, thorough her gentleness, Accepted thee servant to her dign reverence!

O! me repenteth that I n'had science, And leisure als', t'make thee more flouris.h.i.+ng, For of all good she is the best living.

Beseech her meekly with all lowliness, Though I be ferre* from her in absence, *far To think on my truth to her and steadfastness, And to abridge of my sorrows the violence, Which caused is whereof knoweth your sapience;* *wisdom She like among to notify me her liking, For of all good she is the best living.

Explicit.

L'Envoy; To the Author's Lady.

Aurore of gladness, day of l.u.s.tiness, Lucern* at night with heav'nly influence *lamp Illumin'd, root of beauty and goodness, Suspires* which I effund** in silence! *sighs **pour forth Of grace I beseech, allege* let your writing *declare Now of all good, since ye be best living.

Explicit.

Notes to the Cuckoo and the Nightingale

1. These two lines occur also in The Knight's Tale; they commence the speech of Theseus on the love follies of Palamon and Arcite, whom the Duke has just found fighting in the forest.

2. A stronger reading is "all."

3. "Ocy, ocy," is supposed to come from the Latin "occidere,"

to kill; or rather the old French, "occire," "occis," denoting the doom which the nightingale imprecates or supplicates on all who do offence to Love.

4. Grede: cry; Italian, "grido."

5."But if he be away therewith, y-wis, He may full soon of age have his hair": Unless he be always fortunate in love pursuits, he may full soon have gray hair, through his anxieties.

6. It was of evil omen to hear the cuckoo before the nightingale or any other bird.