That was with floures swote enbrouded al, *Of swich swetnesse and swich odour over-al, 120 That, for to speke of gomme, or herbe, or tree, +Comparisoun may noon y-maked be; For hit surmounteth pleynly alle odoures, +And eek of riche beautee alle floures. +Forgeten had the erthe his pore estat 125 +Of winter, that him naked made and mat, And with his swerd of cold so sore greved; Now hath the atempre sonne al that releved That naked was, and clad hit new agayn. +The smale foules, of the seson fayn, 130 +That from the panter and the net ben scaped, +Upon the fouler, that hem made a-whaped +In winter, and distroyed had hir brood, +In his despyt, hem thoughte hit did hem good +To singe of him, and in hir song despyse 135 +The foule cherl that, for his covetyse, +Had hem betrayed with his sophistrye. +This was hir song--'the fouler we defye, And al his craft!' And somme songen clere Layes of love, that Ioye hit was to here, 140 In worshipinge and preisinge of hir make. And, for the newe blisful somers sake, *Upon the braunches ful of blosmes softe, *In hir delyt, they turned hem ful ofte, And songen, 'blessed be seynt Valentyn! 145 For on his day I chees yow to be myn, +Withouten repenting, myn herte swete!' +And therwith-al hir bekes gonnen mete, Yelding honour and humble obeisaunces To love, and diden hir other observaunces 150 That longeth unto love and to nature; *Construeth that as yow list, I do no cure. *And tho that hadde doon unkindenesse-- *As dooth the tydif, for new-fangelnesse-- *Besoghte mercy of hir trespassinge, 155 *And humblely songen hir repentinge, *And sworen on the blosmes to be trewe, *So that hir makes wolde upon hem rewe, *And at the laste maden hir acord. *Al founde they Daunger for a tyme a lord, 160 *Yet Pitee, through his stronge gentil might, *Forgaf, and made Mercy passen Right, *Through innocence and ruled curtesye. *But I ne clepe nat innocence folye, *Ne fals pitee, for 'vertu is the mene,' 165 *As Etik saith, in swich maner I mene. *And thus thise foules, voide of al malyce, *Acordeden to love, and laften vyce *Of hate, and songen alle of oon acord, *'Welcome, somer, our governour and lord!' 170 *And Zephirus and Flora gentilly *Yaf to the floures, softe and tenderly, *Hir swote breth, and made hem for to sprede, *As god and goddesse of the floury mede; *In which me thoghte I mighte, day by day, 175 *Dwellen alwey, the Ioly month of May, *Withouten sleep, withouten mete or drinke. *A-doun ful softely I gan to sinke;