Tho gan I loken endelong the mede, (B. 212) And saw him come, and in his hond a quene, 145 Clothed in ryal abite al of grene. +A fret of gold she hadde next hir heer, +And up-on that a whyt coroun she beer With many floures, and I shal nat lye; For al the world, right as the dayesye 150 +I-coroned is with whyte leves lyte, Swich were the floures of hir coroun whyte. For of o perle fyn and oriental +Hir whyte coroun was y-maked al; +For which the whyte coroun, above the grene, 155 +Made hir lyk a daysie for to sene, Considered eek the fret of gold above. +Y-clothed was this mighty god of love Of silk, y-brouded ful of grene greves; A garlond on his heed of rose-leves 160 *Steked al with lilie floures newe; *But of his face I can nat seyn the hewe. For sekirly his face shoon so brighte, *That with the gleem a-stoned was the sighte; A furlong-wey I mighte him nat beholde. 165 But at the laste in hande I saw him holde +Two fyry dartes, as the gledes rede; And aungellich his wenges gan he sprede. +And al be that men seyn that blind is he, Al-gate me thoughte he mighte wel y-see; 170 +For sternely on me he gan biholde, +So that his loking doth myn herte colde. +And by the hande he held the noble quene, +Corouned with whyte, and clothed al in grene, +So womanly, so benigne, and so meke, 175 +That in this world, thogh that men wolde seke, +Half hir beautee shulde men nat finde +In creature that formed is by kinde, Hir name was Alceste the debonayre; I prey to god that ever falle she fayre! 180 +For ne hadde confort been of hir presence, +I had be deed, withouten any defence, +For drede of Loves wordes and his chere, +As, whan tyme is, her-after ye shal here. Byhind this god of love, up-on this grene, 185 +I saw cominge of ladyës nyntene +In ryal abite, a ful esy pas, +And after hem com of wemen swich a tras That, sin that god Adam made of erthe, The thredde part of wemen, ne the ferthe, 190 +Ne wende I nat by possibilitee Hadden ever in this world y-be; (B. 289) +And trewe of love thise wemen were echoon. +Now whether was that a wonder thing or noon, +That, right anoon as that they gonne espye 195 +This flour, which that I clepe the dayesye, +Ful sodeinly they stinten alle at-ones, And kneled adoun, as it were for the nones. *And after that they wenten in compas, *Daunsinge aboute this flour an esy pas, 200 *And songen, as it were in carole-wyse, *This balade, which that I shal yow devyse. BALADE.