Geoffrey Chaucer

“ The roote springith, thurgh hoot brenning, 4815
Into disordinat desiring
For to kissen and enbrace,
And at her lust them to solace.
Of other thing love recchith nought,
But setteth hir herte and al hir thought 4820
More for delectacioun
Than any procreacioun
Of other fruyt by engendring;
Which love to god is not plesing;
For of hir body fruyt to get 4825
They yeve no force, they are so set
Upon delyt, to pley in-fere.
And somme have also this manere,
To feynen hem for love seke;
Sich love I preise not at a leke. 4830
For paramours they do but feyne ”

“ Of gredy brenning avaryce.
The riche man ful fond is, y-wis,
That weneth that he loved is.
If that his herte it undirstood,
It is not he, it is his good; 5370
He may wel witen in his thought,
His good is loved, and he right nought.
For if he be a nigard eke,
Men wole not sette by him a leke,
But haten him; this is the soth. ”

“ Thyn hondis wasshe, thy teeth make whyte, 2280
And let no filthe upon thee be.
Thy nailes blak if thou mayst see,
Voide it awey deliverly,
And kembe thyn heed right Iolily.
[Fard] not thy visage in no wyse, 2285
For that of love is not thempryse;
For love doth haten, as I finde,
A beaute that cometh not of kinde.
Alwey in herte I rede thee
Glad and mery for to be, 2290
And be as Ioyful as thou can;
Love hath no Ioye of sorowful man.
That yvel is ful of curtesye
That [lauhwith] in his maladye ”

“ For hert fulfilled of gentilnesse
Can yvel demene his distresse.
And man that worthy is of name
To asken often hath gret shame. 5240
A good man brenneth in his thought
For shame, whan he axeth ought. ”

“ For Hope so sore doth hem desyre
To suffre ech harm that men devyse,
For Ioye that aftir shal aryse.
⁠Hope, in desire [to] cacche victorie; 2775
In Hope, of love is al the glorie,
For Hope is al that love may yive ”

“ Whiche I to lovers yeve of right.'
⁠'Ah, sire, for goddis love,' seide I, 2135
Er ye passe hens, ententifly
Your comaundementis to me ye say,
And I shal kepe hem, if I may;
For hem to kepen is al my thought.
And if so be I wot hem nought, 2140
Than may I [sinne] unwitingly. ”

“ Aftir his rente may him yive,
And not desyreth more to have,
That may fro povertee him save: 5670
A wys man seide, as we may seen,
Is no man wrecched, but he it wene,
Be he king, knight, or ribaud. ”

“ There for to liven in penaunce.
And for to do him more grevaunce,
[Ther] hath ordeyned Ielousye 4285
An olde vekke, for to espye
The maner of his governaunce;
The whiche devel, in hir enfaunce,
Had lerned [muche] of Loves art,
And of his pleyes took hir part; 4290
She was [expert] in his servyse.
She knew ech wrenche and every gyse
Of love, and every [loveres] wyle,
It was [the] harder hir to gyle. ”

“ If he might finde hole or trace, 4095
Wher-thurgh that men mot forth-by pace,
Or any gappe, he dide it close,
That no man mighte touche a rose
Of the roser al aboute;
He shitteth every man withoute. ”

“ But yvel she spendith hir servyse,
For no man wol hir love, ne pryse; 4960
She is hated, this wot I wele.
Hir acqueyntaunce wolde no man fele,
Ne han of Elde companye,
Men hate to be of hir alye. ”

“ Of brenning fyr a blasing brond;
Wherof the flawme and hote fyr
Hath many a lady in desyr
Of love brought, and sore het,
And in hir servise hir hertes set. 3710
This lady was of good entayle,
Right wondirful of apparayle;
By hir atyre so bright and shene,
Men might perceyve wel, and seen,
She was not of religioun. 3715
Nor I nil make mencioun
Nor of [hir] robe, nor of tresour,
Of broche, [nor] of hir riche attour ”

“ For which a man hath suffred sore.
Certis, no wo ne may atteyne
Unto the sore of loves peyne.
Non yvel therto ne may amounte, 2745
No more than a man [may] counte
The dropes that of the water be. ”

“ Both arise; read ryse. 3125. Both And late (lette) it growe. 3127, 8. Both were, bere. 3136. G. om. Th. His eyes reed sparclyng as the fyre-glowe (too long) ; F. S'ot les yex rouges comme feus. 3037. Both kirked. ”

“ For love is over-al vendable.
We see that no man loveth now 5805
But for winning and for prow;
And love is thralled in servage
Whan it is sold for avauntage;
Yit wommen wol hir bodies selle;
Suche soules goth to the devel of helle.' 5810
[Here ends l. 5170 of the F. text. A great gap follows. The next line answers to l. 10717 of the same.] 1711. Th. thystels; G. thesteles. 1713. Ful] Both For. Th. moche; G. mych.
1721. G. botheum; Th. bothum; read botoun. 1727. Th. shotte. 1728. G. me nye (!) 1732. Both Sithen; Th. chyuered. 1733. I supply that. 1736. I supply ther; F. iluec. ”