confessio amantis-第30章
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Til he be ded I mai noght spede;
So mot I nedes taken hiede
And schape how that he were aweie;
If I therto mai finde a weie。 1530
Mi Sone; tell me now forthi;
Which is that mortiel enemy
That thou manacest to be ded。
Mi fader; it is such a qwed;
That wher I come; he is tofore;
And doth so; that mi cause is lore。
What is his name? It is Daunger;
Which is mi ladi consailer:
For I was nevere yit so slyh;
To come in eny place nyh 1540
Wher as sche was be nyht or day;
That Danger ne was redy ay;
With whom for speche ne for mede
Yit mihte I nevere of love spede;
For evere this I finde soth;
Al that my ladi seith or doth
To me; Daunger schal make an ende;
And that makth al mi world miswende:
And evere I axe his help; bot he
Mai wel be cleped sanz pite; 1550
For ay the more I to him bowe;
The lasse he wol my tale alowe。
He hath mi ladi so englued;
Sche wol noght that he be remued;
For evere he hangeth on hire Seil;
And is so prive of conseil;
That evere whanne I have oght bede;
I finde Danger in hire stede
And myn ansuere of him I have;
Bot for no merci that I crave; 1560
Of merci nevere a point I hadde。
I finde his ansuere ay so badde;
That werse mihte it nevere be:
And thus betwen Danger and me
Is evere werre til he dye。
Bot mihte I ben of such maistrie;
That I Danger hadde overcome;
With that were al my joie come。
Thus wolde I wonde for no Sinne;
Ne yit for al this world to winne; 1570
If that I mihte finde a sleyhte;
To leie al myn astat in weyhte;
I wolde him fro the Court dissevere;
So that he come ayeinward nevere。
Therfore I wisshe and wolde fain
That he were in som wise slain;
For while he stant in thilke place;
Ne gete I noght my ladi grace。
Thus hate I dedly thilke vice;
And wolde he stode in non office 1580
In place wher mi ladi is;
For if he do; I wot wel this;
That owther schal he deie or I
Withinne a while; and noght forthi
On my ladi fulofte I muse;
How that sche mai hirself excuse;
If that I deie in such a plit。
Me thenkth sche mihte noght be qwyt
That sche ne were an homicide:
And if it scholde so betide; 1590
As god forbiede it scholde be;
Be double weie it is pite。
For I; which al my will and witt
Have yove and served evere yit;
And thanne I scholde in such a wise
In rewardinge of my servise
Be ded; me thenkth it were a rowthe:
And furthermor; to telle trowthe;
Sche; that hath evere be wel named;
Were worthi thanne to be blamed 1600
And of reson to ben appeled;
Whan with o word sche mihte have heled
A man; and soffreth him so deie。
Ha; who sawh evere such a weie?
Ha; who sawh evere such destresse?
Withoute pite gentilesse;
Withoute mercy wommanhede;
That wol so quyte a man his mede;
Which evere hath be to love trewe。
Mi goode fader; if ye rewe 1610
Upon mi tale; tell me now;
And I wol stinte and herkne yow。
Mi Sone; attempre thi corage
Fro Wraththe; and let thin herte assuage:
For who so wole him underfonge;
He mai his grace abide longe;
Er he of love be received;
And ek also; bot it be weyved;
Ther mihte mochel thing befalle;
That scholde make a man to falle 1620
Fro love; that nevere afterward
Ne durste he loke thiderward。
In harde weies men gon softe;
And er thei clymbe avise hem ofte:
Men sen alday that rape reweth;
And who so wicked Ale breweth;
Fulofte he mot the werse drinke:
Betre is to flete than to sincke;
Betre is upon the bridel chiewe
Thanne if he felle and overthrewe; 1630
The hors and stikede in the Myr:
To caste water in the fyr
Betre is than brenne up al the hous:
The man which is malicious
And folhastif; fulofte he falleth;
And selden is whan love him calleth。
Forthi betre is to soffre a throwe
Than be to wilde and overthrowe;
Suffrance hath evere be the beste
To wissen him that secheth reste: 1640
And thus; if thou wolt love and spede;
Mi Sone; soffre; as I the rede。
What mai the Mous ayein the Cat?
And for this cause I axe that;
Who mai to love make a werre;
That he ne hath himself the werre?
Love axeth pes and evere schal;
And who that fihteth most withal
Schal lest conquere of his emprise:
For this thei tellen that ben wise; 1650
Wicke is to stryve and have the werse;
To hasten is noght worth a kerse;
Thing that a man mai noght achieve;
That mai noght wel be don at Eve;
It mot abide til the morwe。
Ne haste noght thin oghne sorwe;
Mi Sone; and tak this in thi witt;
He hath noght lost that wel abitt。
Ensample that it falleth thus;
Thou miht wel take of Piramus; 1660
Whan he in haste his swerd outdrowh
And on the point himselve slowh
For love of Tisbee pitously;
For he hire wympel fond blody
And wende a beste hire hadde slain;
Wher as him oghte have be riht fain;
For sche was there al sauf beside:
Bot for he wolde noght abide;
This meschief fell。 Forthi be war;
Mi Sone; as I the warne dar; 1670
Do thou nothing in such a res;
For suffrance is the welle of Pes。
Thogh thou to loves Court poursuie;
Yit sit it wel that thou eschuie
That thou the Court noght overhaste;
For so miht thou thi time waste;
Bot if thin happ therto be schape;
It mai noght helpe forto rape。
Therfore attempre thi corage;
Folhaste doth non avantage; 1680
Bot ofte it set a man behinde
In cause of love; and that I finde
Be olde ensample; as thou schalt hiere;
Touchende of love in this matiere。
A Maiden whilom ther was on;
Which Daphne hihte; and such was non
Of beaute thanne; as it was seid。
Phebus his love hath on hire leid;
And therupon to hire he soghte
In his folhaste; and so besoghte; 1690
That sche with him no reste hadde;
For evere upon hire love he gradde;
And sche seide evere unto him nay。
So it befell upon a dai;
Cupide; which hath every chance
Of love under his governance;
Syh Phebus hasten him so sore:
And for he scholde him haste more;
And yit noght speden ate laste;
A dart thurghout his herte he caste; 1700
Which was of gold and al afyre;
That made him manyfold desire
Of love more thanne he dede。
To Daphne ek in the same stede
A dart of Led he caste and smot;
Which was al cold and nothing hot。
And thus Phebus in love brenneth;
And in his haste aboute renneth;
To loke if that he mihte winne;
Bot he was evere to beginne; 1710
For evere awei fro him sche fledde;
So that he nevere his love spedde。
And forto make him full believe
That no Folhaste mihte achieve
To gete love in such degree;
This Daphne into a lorer tre
Was torned; which is evere grene;
In tokne; as yit it mai be sene;
That sche schal duelle a maiden stille;
And Phebus failen of his wille。 1720
Be suche ensamples; as thei stonde;
Mi Sone; thou miht understonde;
To hasten love is thing in vein;
Whan that fortune is therayein。
To take where a man hath leve
Good is; and elles he mot leve;
For whan a mannes happes failen;
Ther is non haste mai availen。
Mi fader; grant merci of this:
Bot while I se mi ladi is 1730
No tre; but halt hire oghne forme;
Ther mai me noman so enforme;
To whether part fortune wende;
That I unto mi lyves ende
Ne wol hire serven everemo。
Mi Sone; sithen it is so;
I seie nomor; bot in this cas
Bewar how it with Phebus was。
Noght only upon loves chance;
Bot upon every governance 1740
Which falleth unto mannes dede;
Folhaste is evere forto drede;
And that a man good consail take;
Er he his pourpos undertake;
For consail put Folhaste aweie。
Now goode fader; I you preie;
That forto wisse me the more;
Som good ensample upon this lore
Ye wolden telle of that is write;
That I the betre mihte wite 1750
How I Folhaste scholde eschuie;
And the wisdom of conseil suie。
Mi Sone; that thou miht enforme
Thi pacience upon the forme
Of old essamples; as thei felle;
Now understond what I schal telle。
Whan noble Troie was belein
And overcome; and hom ayein
The Gregois torned fro the siege;
The kinges founde here oghne liege 1760
In manye places; as men seide;
That hem forsoke and desobeide。
Among the whiche fell this cas
To Demephon and Athemas;
That weren kinges bothe tuo;
And bothe weren served so:
Here lieges wolde hem noght receive;
So that thei mote algates weyve
To seche lond in other place;
For there founde thei no grace。 1770
Wherof they token hem to rede;
And soghten frendes ate nede;
And ech of hem asseureth other
To helpe as to his oghne brother;
To vengen hem of thilke oultrage
And winne ayein here heritage。
And thus thei ryde aboute faste
To gete hem help; and ate laste
Thei hadden pouer sufficant;
And maden thanne a covenant; 1780
That thei ne scholden no lif save;
Ne prest; ne clerc; ne lord; ne knave;
Ne wif; ne child; of that thei finde;
Which berth visage of mannes kinde;
So that no lif schal be socoured;
Bot with the dedly swerd devoured:
In such Folhaste here ordinance
Thei schapen forto do vengance。
Whan this pourpos was wist and knowe
Among here host; tho was ther blowe 1790
Of wordes many a speche aboute:
Of yonge men the lusti route
Were of this tale glad ynowh;
Ther was no care for the plowh;
As thei that weren Folhastif;
Thei ben acorded to the strif;
And sein it mai noght be to gret
To vengen hem of such forfet:
Thus seith the wilde unwise tonge
Of hem that there weren yonge。 1800
Bot Nestor; which was old and hor;
The salve sih tofore the sor;
As he that was of conseil wys:
So that anon be his avis
Ther was a prive conseil nome。
The lordes ben togedre come;
This Demephon and Athemas
Here pourpos tolden; as it was;
Thei sieten alle stille and herde;
Was non bot Nestor hem ansuerde。 1810
He bad hem; if thei wolde winne;
They scholden se; er thei beginne;
Here ende; and sette here ferste entente;
That thei hem after ne repente:
And axeth hem this questioun;
To what final conclusioun
Thei wolde regne Kinges there;
If that no poeple in londe were;
And seith; it were a wonder wierde
To sen a king become an hierde; 1820
Wher no lif is bot only beste
Under the liegance of his heste;
For who that is of man no king;
The remenant is as no thing。
He seith ek; if the pourpos holde
To sle the poeple; as thei tuo wolde;
Whan thei it mihte noght restore;
Al Grece it scholde abegge sore;
To se the wilde beste wone
Wher whilom duelte a mannes Sone: 1830
And for that cause he bad hem trete;
And stinte of the manaces grete。
Betre is to winne be fair speche;
He seith; than such vengance seche;
For whanne a man is most above;
Him nedeth most to gete him love。
Whan Nestor hath his tale seid;
Ayein him was no word withseid;
It thoghte hem alle he seide wel:
And thus fortune hire dedly whiel 1840
Fro werre torneth into pes。
Bot forth thei wenten natheles;
And whan the Contres herde sein
How that here kinges be besein
Of such a pouer as thei ladde;
Was non so bold that hem ne dradde;
And forto seche pes and grith
Thei sende and preide anon forthwith;
So that the kinges ben appesed;
And every mannes herte is esed; 1850
Al was foryete and noght recorded。
And thus thei ben togedre acorded;
The kinges were ayein received;
And pes was take and wraththe weived;
And al thurgh conseil which was good
Of him that reson understod。
Be this ensample; Sone; attempre
Thin herte and let no will distempre
Thi wit; and do nothing be myht
Which mai be do be love and riht。 1860
Folhaste is