The Canterbury Tales [297]
find To speak of Love's servants in this wise? For in this world is none so good service To ev'ry wight that gentle is of kind;
"For thereof truly cometh all gladness, All honour and all gentleness, Worship, ease, and all hearte's lust,* *pleasure Perfect joy, and full assured trust, Jollity, pleasance, and freshness,
"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 god 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 worshipful* 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 worshipful service. Now, God 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."*
"For thereof truly cometh all gladness, All honour and all gentleness, Worship, ease, and all hearte's lust,* *pleasure Perfect joy, and full assured trust, Jollity, pleasance, and freshness,
"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 god 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 worshipful* 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 worshipful service. Now, God 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."*