confessio amantis-第71章
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That to myn Ere gret confort
Thei don; as thei that ben delices。
For al the metes and the spices;
That eny Lombard couthe make;
Ne be so lusti forto take
Ne so ferforth restauratif;
I seie as for myn oghne lif; 860
As ben the wordes of hire mouth:
For as the wyndes of the South
Ben most of alle debonaire;
So whan hir list to speke faire;
The vertu of hire goodly speche
Is verraily myn hertes leche。
And if it so befalle among;
That sche carole upon a song;
Whan I it hiere I am so fedd;
That I am fro miself so ledd; 870
As thogh I were in paradis;
For certes; as to myn avis;
Whan I here of hir vois the stevene;
Me thenkth it is a blisse of hevene。
And ek in other wise also
Fulofte time it falleth so;
Min Ere with a good pitance
Is fedd of redinge of romance
Of Ydoine and of Amadas;
That whilom weren in mi cas; 880
And eke of othre many a score;
That loveden longe er I was bore。
For whan I of here loves rede;
Min Ere with the tale I fede;
And with the lust of here histoire
Somtime I drawe into memoire
Hou sorwe mai noght evere laste;
And so comth hope in ate laste;
Whan I non other fode knowe。
And that endureth bot a throwe; 890
Riht as it were a cherie feste;
Bot forto compten ate leste;
As for the while yit it eseth
And somdel of myn herte appeseth:
For what thing to myn Ere spreedeth;
Which is plesant; somdel it feedeth
With wordes suche as he mai gete
Mi lust; in stede of other mete。
Lo thus; mi fader; as I seie;
Of lust the which myn yhe hath seie; 900
And ek of that myn Ere hath herd;
Fulofte I have the betre ferd。
And tho tuo bringen in the thridde;
The which hath in myn herte amidde
His place take; to arraie
The lusti fode; which assaie
I mot; and nameliche on nyhtes;
Whan that me lacketh alle sihtes;
And that myn heringe is aweie;
Thanne is he redy in the weie 910
Mi reresouper forto make;
Of which myn hertes fode I take。
This lusti cokes name is hote
Thoght; which hath evere hise pottes hote
Of love buillende on the fyr
With fantasie and with desir;
Of whiche er this fulofte he fedde
Min herte; whanne I was abedde;
And thanne he set upon my bord
Bothe every syhte and every word 920
Of lust; which I have herd or sein。
Bot yit is noght mi feste al plein;
Bot al of woldes and of wisshes;
Therof have I my fulle disshes;
Bot as of fielinge and of tast;
Yit mihte I nevere have o repast。
And thus; as I have seid aforn;
I licke hony on the thorn;
And as who seith; upon the bridel
I chiewe; so that al is ydel 930
As in effect the fode I have。
Bot as a man that wolde him save;
Whan he is seck; be medicine;
Riht so of love the famine
I fonde in al that evere I mai
To fiede and dryve forth the day;
Til I mai have the grete feste;
Which al myn hunger myhte areste。
Lo suche ben mi lustes thre;
Of that I thenke and hiere and se 940
I take of love my fiedinge
Withoute tastinge or fielinge:
And as the Plover doth of Eir
I live; and am in good espeir
That for no such delicacie
I trowe I do no glotonie。
And natheles to youre avis;
Min holi fader; that be wis;
I recomande myn astat
Of that I have be delicat。 950
Mi Sone; I understonde wel
That thou hast told hier everydel;
And as me thenketh be thi tale;
It ben delices wonder smale;
Wherof thou takst thi loves fode。
Bot; Sone; if that thou understode
What is to ben delicious;
Thou woldest noght be curious
Upon the lust of thin astat
To ben to sore delicat; 960
Wherof that thou reson excede:
For in the bokes thou myht rede;
If mannes wisdom schal be suied;
It oghte wel to ben eschuied
In love als wel as other weie;
For; as these holi bokes seie;
The bodely delices alle
In every point; hou so thei falle;
Unto the Soule don grievance。
And forto take in remembrance; 970
A tale acordant unto this;
Which of gret understondinge is
To mannes soule resonable;
I thenke telle; and is no fable。
Of Cristes word; who wole it rede;
Hou that this vice is forto drede
In thevangile it telleth plein;
Which mot algate be certein;
For Crist himself it berth witnesse。
And thogh the clerk and the clergesse 980
In latin tunge it rede and singe;
Yit for the more knoulechinge
Of trouthe; which is good to wite;
I schal declare as it is write
In Engleissh; for thus it began。
Crist seith: 〃Ther was a riche man;
A mihti lord of gret astat;
And he was ek so delicat
Of his clothing; that everyday
Of pourpre and bisse he made him gay; 990
And eet and drank therto his fille
After the lustes of his wille;
As he which al stod in delice
And tok non hiede of thilke vice。
And as it scholde so betyde;
A povere lazre upon a tyde
Cam to the gate and axed mete:
Bot there mihte he nothing gete
His dedly hunger forto stanche;
For he; which hadde his fulle panche 1000
Of alle lustes ate bord;
Ne deigneth noght to speke a word;
Onliche a Crumme forto yive;
Wherof the povere myhte live
Upon the yifte of his almesse。
Thus lai this povere in gret destresse
Acold and hungred ate gate;
Fro which he mihte go no gate;
So was he wofulli besein。
And as these holi bokes sein; 1010
The houndes comen fro the halle;
Wher that this sike man was falle;
And as he lay ther forto die;
The woundes of his maladie
Thei licken forto don him ese。
Bot he was full of such desese;
That he mai noght the deth eschape;
Bot as it was that time schape;
The Soule fro the bodi passeth;
And he whom nothing overpasseth; 1020
The hihe god; up to the hevene
Him tok; wher he hath set him evene
In Habrahammes barm on hyh;
Wher he the hevene joie syh
And hadde al that he have wolde。
And fell; as it befalle scholde;
This riche man the same throwe
With soudein deth was overthrowe;
And forth withouten eny wente
Into the helle straght he wente; 1030
The fend into the fyr him drouh;
Wher that he hadde peine ynouh
Of flamme which that evere brenneth。
And as his yhe aboute renneth;
Toward the hevene he cast his lok;
Wher that he syh and hiede tok
Hou Lazar set was in his Se
Als ferr as evere he mihte se
With Habraham; and thanne he preide
Unto the Patriarch and seide: 1040
〃Send Lazar doun fro thilke Sete;
And do that he his finger wete
In water; so that he mai droppe
Upon my tunge; forto stoppe
The grete hete in which I brenne。〃
Bot Habraham answerde thenne
And seide to him in this wise:
〃Mi Sone; thou thee miht avise
And take into thi remembrance;
Hou Lazar hadde gret penance; 1050
Whyl he was in that other lif;
Bot thou in al thi lust jolif
The bodily delices soghtest:
Forthi; so as thou thanne wroghtest;
Nou schalt thou take thi reward
Of dedly peine hierafterward
In helle; which schal evere laste;
And this Lazar nou ate laste
The worldes peine is overronne;
In hevene and hath his lif begonne 1060
Of joie; which is endeles。
Bot that thou preidest natheles;
That I schal Lazar to the sende
With water on his finger ende;
Thin hote tunge forto kiele;
Thou schalt no such graces fiele;
For to that foule place of Sinne;
For evere in which thou schalt ben inne;
Comth non out of this place thider;
Ne non of you mai comen hider; 1070
Thus be yee parted nou atuo。〃
The riche ayeinward cride tho:
〃O Habraham; sithe it so is;
That Lazar mai noght do me this
Which I have axed in this place;
I wolde preie an other grace。
For I have yit of brethren fyve;
That with mi fader ben alyve
Togedre duellende in on hous;
To whom; as thou art gracious; 1080
I preie that thou woldest sende
Lazar; so that he mihte wende
To warne hem hou the world is went;
That afterward thei be noght schent
Of suche peines as I drye。
Lo; this I preie and this I crie;
Now I may noght miself amende。〃
The Patriarch anon suiende
To his preiere ansuerde nay;
And seide him hou that everyday 1090
His brethren mihten knowe and hiere
Of Moi5ses on Erthe hiere
And of prophetes othre mo;
What hem was best。 And he seith no;
Bot if ther mihte a man aryse
Fro deth to lyve in such a wise;
To tellen hem hou that it were;
He seide hou thanne of pure fere
Thei scholden wel be war therby。
Quod Habraham: 〃Nay sikerly; 1100
For if thei nou wol noght obeie
To suche as techen hem the weie;
And alday preche and alday telle
Hou that it stant of hevene and helle;
Thei wol noght thanne taken hiede;
Thogh it befelle so in dede
That eny ded man were arered;
To ben of him no betre lered
Than of an other man alyve。〃
If thou; mi Sone; canst descryve 1110
This tale; as Crist himself it tolde;
Thou schalt have cause to beholde;
To se so gret an evidence;
Wherof the sothe experience
Hath schewed openliche at ije;
That bodili delicacie
Of him which yeveth non almesse
Schal after falle in gret destresse。
And that was sene upon the riche:
For he ne wolde unto his liche 1120
A Crumme yiven of his bred;
Thanne afterward; whan he was ded;
A drope of water him was werned。
Thus mai a mannes wit be lerned
Of hem that so delices taken;
Whan thei with deth ben overtaken;
That erst was swete is thanne sour。
Bot he that is a governour
Of worldes good; if he be wys;
Withinne his herte he set no pris 1130
Of al the world; and yit he useth
The good; that he nothing refuseth;
As he which lord is of the thinges。
The Nouches and the riche ringes;
The cloth of gold and the Perrie
He takth; and yit delicacie
He leveth; thogh he were al this。
The beste mete that ther is
He ett; and drinkth the beste drinke;
Bot hou that evere he ete or drinke; 1140
Delicacie he put aweie;
As he which goth the rihte weie
Noght only forto fiede and clothe
His bodi; bot his soule bothe。
Bot thei that taken otherwise
Here lustes; ben none of the wise;
And that whilom was schewed eke;
If thou these olde bokes seke;
Als wel be reson as be kinde;
Of olde ensample as men mai finde。 1150
What man that wolde him wel avise;
Delicacie is to despise;
Whan kinde acordeth noght withal;
Wherof ensample in special
Of Nero whilom mai be told;
Which ayein kinde manyfold
Hise lustes tok; til ate laste
That god him wolde al overcaste;
Of whom the Cronique is so plein;
Me list nomore of him to sein。 1160
And natheles for glotonie
Of bodili Delicacie;
To knowe his stomak hou it ferde;
Of that noman tofore herde;
Which he withinne himself bethoghte;
A wonder soubtil thing he wroghte。
Thre men upon eleccioun
Of age and of complexioun
Lich to himself be alle weie
He tok towardes him to pleie; 1170
And ete and drinke als wel as he。
Therof was no diversite;
For every day whan that thei eete;
Tofore his oghne bord thei seete;
And of such mete as he was served;
Althogh thei hadde it noght deserved;
Thei token service of the same。
Bot afterward al thilke game
Was into wofull ernest torned;
For whan thei weren thus sojorned; 1180
Withinne a time at after mete
Nero; which hadde noght foryete
The lustes of his frele astat;
As he which al was delicat;
To knowe thilke experience;
The men let come in his presence:
And to that on the same tyde;
A courser that he scholde ryde
Into the feld; anon he bad;
Wherof this man was wonder glad; 1190
And goth to prike and prance aboute。
That other; whil that he was oute;
He leide upon his bedd to slepe:
The thridde; which he wolde kepe
Withinne his chambre; faire and softe
He goth now doun nou up fulofte;
Wa