Now herkneth, every maner man That English understonde can, 510 And listeth of my dreem to lere; For now at erste shul ye here So selly an avisioun, That Isaye, ne Scipioun, Ne king Nabugodonosor, 515 Pharo, Turnus, ne Elcanor, Ne mette swich a dreem as this! Now faire blisful, O Cipris, (10) So be my favour at this tyme! And ye, me to endyte and ryme 520 Helpeth, that on Parnaso dwelle By Elicon the clere welle. O Thought, that wroot al that I mette, And in the tresorie hit shette Of my brayn! now shal men see 525 If any vertu in thee be, To tellen al my dreem aright; Now kythe thyn engyn and might! (20) _The Dream._ This egle, of which I have yow told, That shoon with fethres as of gold, 530 Which that so hyë gan to sore, I gan beholde more and more, To see hir beautee and the wonder; But never was ther dint of thonder, Ne that thing that men calle foudre, 535 That smoot somtyme a tour to poudre, And in his swifte coming brende, That so swythe gan descende, (30) As this foul, whan hit behelde That I a-roume was in the felde; 540 And with his grimme pawes stronge, Within his sharpe nayles longe, Me, fleinge, at a swappe he hente, And with his sours agayn up wente, Me caryinge in his clawes starke 545 As lightly as I were a larke, How high, I can not telle yow, For I cam up, I niste how. (40) For so, astonied and a-sweved Was every vertu in my heved, 550 What with his sours and with my drede, That al my feling gan to dede; For-why hit was to greet affray. Thus I longe in his clawes lay, Til at the laste he to me spak 555 In mannes vois, and seyde, 'Awak! And be not so a-gast, for shame!' And called me tho by my name. (50) And, for I sholde the bet abreyde-- Me mette--'Awak,' to me he seyde, 560 Right in the same vois and stevene That useth oon I coude nevene; And with that vois, soth for to sayn, My minde cam to me agayn; For hit was goodly seyd to me, 565 So nas hit never wont to be. And herwithal I gan to stere, And he me in his feet to bere, (60) Til that he felte that I had hete, And felte eek tho myn herte bete. 570 And tho gan he me to disporte,