Geoffrey Chaucer

“ And whan he wolde paye his wyf hir dette
In somer seson, thider wolde he go,
And May his wyf, and no wight but they two;
And thinges whiche that were nat doon a-bedde,
He in the gardin parfourned hem and spedde.
And in this wyse, many a mery day,
Lived this Ianuarie and fresshe May. (810)
But worldly Ioye may nat alwey dure 2055
To Ianuarie, ne to no creature.
O sodeyn hap, o thou fortune instable, Auctor.
Lyk to the scorpioun so deceivable,
That flaterest with thyn heed when thou wolt stinge;
Thy tayl is deeth, thurgh thyn enveniminge. 2060
O brotil Ioye! o swete venim queynte! ”

“ A wyf is keper of thyn housbondrye; 1380
Wel may the syke man biwaille and wepe,
Ther-as ther nis no wyf the hous to kepe.
I warne thee, if wysly thou wolt wirche,
Love wel thy wyf, as Crist loveth his chirche. (140)
If thou lovest thy-self, thou lovest thy wyf; 1385
No man hateth his flesh, but in his lyf
He fostreth it, and therfore bidde I thee,
Cherisse thy wyf, or thou shalt never thee.
Housbond and wyf, what so men Iape or pleye,
Of worldly folk holden the siker weye; 1390
They been so knit, ther may noon harm bityde ”

“ Of Ianuarie aboute his mariage.
Many fair shap, and many a fair visage 1580
Ther passeth thurgh his herte, night by night.
As who-so toke a mirour polished bright,
And sette it in a commune market-place,
Than sholde he see many a figure pace (340)
By his mirour; and, in the same wyse, 1585
Gan Ianuarie inwith his thoght devyse
Of maydens, whiche that dwelten him bisyde.
He wiste nat wher that he mighte abyde. ”

“ Now sir,' quod she, 'for aught that may bityde, 2330
I moste han of the peres that I see,
Or I mot dye, so sore longeth me
To eten of the smale peres grene. ”

“ Was no-thing bet to make yow to see
Than strugle with a man up-on a tree. (1130)
God woot, I dide it in ful good entente.' 2375
'Strugle!' quod he, 'ye, algate in it wente!
God yeve yow bothe on shames deeth to dyen! ”

“ Ther-as ye woot that every wight mot nede.
And whan she of this bille hath taken hede,
She rente it al to cloutes atte laste,
And in the privee softely it caste. (710)
Who studieth now but faire fresshe May? 1955
Adoun by olde Ianuarie she lay,
That sleep, til that the coughe hath him awaked;
Anon he preyde hir strepen hir al naked;
He wolde of hir, he seyde, han som plesaunce,
And seyde, hir clothes dide him encombraunce, 1960
And she obeyeth, be hir lief or looth.
But lest that precious folk be with me wrooth,
How that he wroghte, I dar nat to yow telle ”

“ To take a wyf, it is a glorious thing,
And namely whan a man is old and hoor;
Thanne is a wyf the fruit of his tresor. 1270
Than sholde he take a yong wyf and a feir,
On which he mighte engendren him an heir,
And lede his lyf in Ioye and in solas,
Wher-as thise bacheleres singe 'allas,' (30)
Whan that they finden any adversitee 1275
In love, which nis but childish vanitee.
And trewely it sit wel to be so,
That bacheleres have often peyne and wo;
On brotel ground they builde, and brotelnesse
They finde, whan they wene sikernesse. ”

“ T. om.
This sentence, and an hundred thinges worse,
Wryteth this man, ther god his bones corse!
But take no kepe of al swich vanitee;
Deffye Theofraste and herke me. 1310
A wyf is goddes yifte verraily;
Alle other maner yiftes hardily,
As londes, rentes, pasture, or commune,
Or moebles, alle ben yiftes of fortune, (70)
That passen as a shadwe upon a wal. 1315
But dredelees, if pleynly speke I shal,
A wyf wol laste, and in thyn hous endure,
Wel lenger than thee list, paraventure.
Mariage is a ful gret sacrement;
He which that hath no wyf, I holde him shent ”

“ That every man that halt him worth a leek, 1350
Up-on his bare knees oghte al his lyf
Thanken his god that him hath sent a wyf;
Or elles preye to god him for to sende
A wyf, to laste un-to his lyves ende. (110)
For thanne his lyf is set in sikernesse; 1355
He may nat be deceyved, as I gesse,
So that he werke after his wyves reed;
Than may he boldly beren up his heed,
They been so trewe and ther-with-al so wyse ”

“ Lyk to him-self;' and thanne he made him Eve.
Heer may ye se, and heer-by may ye preve, 1330
That wyf is mannes help and his confort,
His paradys terrestre and his disport.
So buxom and so vertuous is she,
They moste nedes live in unitee. (90)
O flesh they been, and o flesh, as I gesse, 1335
Hath but on herte, in wele and in distresse.
A wyf! a! Seinte Marie, benedicite!
How mighte a man han any adversitee
That hath a wyf? certes, I can nat seye.
The blisse which that is bitwixe hem tweye 1340
Ther may no tonge telle, or herte thinke.
If he be povre, she helpeth him to swinke ”

“ To Ianuarie he gaf agayn his sighte, 2355
And made him see, as wel as ever he mighte.
And whan that he hadde caught his sighte agayn,
Ne was ther never man of thing so fayn.
But on his wyf his thoght was evermo;
Up to the tree he caste his eyen two, 2360
And saugh that Damian his wyf had dressed
In swich manere, it may nat ben expressed
But if I wolde speke uncurteisly:
And up he yaf a roring and a cry (1120)
As doth the moder whan the child shal dye: 2365
'Out! help! allas! harrow!' he gan to crye,
'O stronge lady store, what dostow?'
And she answerde, 'sir, what eyleth yow? ”

“ But nathelees, considereth this,' quod he,
'Ther nis no werkman, what-so-ever he be,
That may bothe werke wel and hastily;
This wol be doon at leyser parfitly. (590)
It is no fors how longe that we pleye; 1835
In trewe wedlok wedded be we tweye;
And blessed be the yok that we been inne,
For in our actes we mowe do no sinne.
A man may do no sinne with his wyf,
Ne hurte him-selven with his owene knyf ”

“ And clapte to the wiket sodeynly.
'Now, wyf,' quod he, 'heer nis but thou and I, 2160
That art the creature that I best love.
For, by that lord that sit in heven above,
Lever ich hadde dyen on a knyf,
Than thee offende, trewe dere wyf! (920)
For goddes sake, thenk how I thee chees, 2165
Noght for no coveityse, doutelees,
But only for the love I had to thee.
And though that I be old, and may nat see,
Beth to me trewe, and I shal telle yow why.
Three thinges, certes, shul ye winne ther-by; 2170
First, love of Crist, and to your-self honour,
And al myn heritage, toun and tour ”

“ And she knew eek the fyn of his entente.
O Ianuarie, what mighte it thee availle, Auctor.
Thou mightest see as fer as shippes saille?
For also good is blind deceyved be,
As be deceyved whan a man may se. ”

“ Ther no wight coude han founde out swich a sleighte.
But now to purpos; er that dayes eighte
Were passed, er the monthe of Iuil, bifil
That Ianuarie hath caught so greet a wil, (890)
Thurgh egging of his wyf, him for to pleye 2135
In his gardin, and no wight but they tweye,
That in a morwe un-to this May seith he:
'Rys up, my wyf, my love, my lady free;
The turtles vois is herd, my douve swete;
The winter is goon, with alle his reynes wete ”

“ That coude climbe; allas! allas!' quod he,
'That I am blind.' 'Ye, sir, no fors,' quod she: 2340
'But wolde ye vouche-sauf, for goddes sake,
The pyrie inwith your armes for to take,
(For wel I woot that ye mistruste me)
Thanne sholde I climbe wel y-nogh,' quod she, (1100)
'So I my foot mighte sette upon your bak.' 2345
'Certes,' quod he, 'ther-on shal be no lak,
Mighte I yow helpen with myn herte blood.'
He stoupeth doun, and on his bak she stood,
And caughte hir by a twiste, and up she gooth.
Ladies, I prey yow that ye be nat wrooth; 2350
I can nat glose, I am a rude man. ”

“ For sondry scoles maken sotil clerkis;
Womman of manye scoles half a clerk is. ”

“ For sith that verray hevene is boght so dere,
With tribulacioun and greet penaunce,
How sholde I thanne, that live in swich plesaunce 1650
As alle wedded men don with hir wyvis,
Come to the blisse ther Crist eterne on lyve is? ”

“ But ther I lete him wepe y-nough and pleyne,
Til fresshe May wol rewen on his peyne.
O perilous fyr, that in the bedstraw bredeth! Auctor.
O famulier foo, that his servyce bedeth! (540)
O servant traitour, false hoomly hewe, 1785
Lyk to the naddre in bosom sly untrewe,
God shilde us alle from your aqueyntaunce!
O Ianuarie, dronken in plesaunce
Of mariage, see how thy Damian,
Thyn owene squyer and thy borne man, 1790
Entendeth for to do thee vileinye.
God graunte thee thyn hoomly fo tespye.
For in this world nis worse pestilence
Than hoomly foo al day in thy presence. ”

“ Yet hath ther founde many another man 2280
Wommen ful trewe, ful gode, and vertuous.
Witnesse on hem that dwelle in Cristes hous,
With martirdom they preved hir constance.
The Romayn gestes maken remembrance (1040)
Of many a verray trewe wyf also. 2285
But sire, ne be nat wrooth, al-be-it so,
Though that he seyde he fond no good womman,
I prey yow take the sentence of the man;
He mente thus, that in sovereyn bontee
Nis noon but god, that sit in Trinitee. 2290
Ey! ”

“ His squyeres, whiche that stoden ther bisyde,
Excused him by-cause of his siknesse,
Which letted him to doon his bisinesse; (660)
Noon other cause mighte make him tarie. 1905
'That me forthinketh,' quod this Ianuarie,
'He is a gentil squyer, by my trouthe!
If that he deyde, it were harm and routhe;
He is as wys, discreet, and as secree
As any man I woot of his degree; 1910
And ther-to manly and eek servisable,
And for to been a thrifty man right able. ”

“ To han his wyf allone, trusteth me.
Ye shul nat plese hir fully yeres three,
This is to seyn, to doon hir ful plesaunce.
A wyf axeth ful many an observaunce. (320)
I prey yow that ye be nat yvel apayd.' 1565
'Wel,' quod this Ianuarie, 'and hastow sayd?
Straw for thy Senek, and for thy proverbes,
I counte nat a panier ful of herbes
Of scole-termes; wyser men than thow,
As thou hast herd, assenteden right now 1570
To my purpos ”

“ That may bothe werke wel and hastily; ”

“ By god, ther nis no man in al this toun 1510
Nin al Itaille, that coude bet han sayd;
Crist halt him of this conseil wel apayd.
And trewely, it is an heigh corage
Of any man, that stopen is in age, (270)
To take a yong wyf ”