Legends and Satires from Mediæval Literature

Literature, Medieval

This king mot make his bed in mese[113]:
    He that had y had knightes of priis.
    Bifor him kneland, and levedis,
    Now seth he no thing that him liketh,
    Bot wild wormes by him striketh:
    He that had y had plente
    Of mete and drink, of ich deynte,
    Now may he al day digge and wrote,[114]
    Er he finde his fille of rote;
    In somer he liveth bi wild frut,
    And berren, bot gode lite;
    In winter may he no thing finde,
    Bot rote, grases, and the rinde;
    Al his bodi was oway dwine
    For missays, and al to chine,[115]
    Lord! who may telle the sore
    This king sufferd ten yere and more:
    His here of his berd, blac and rowe,[116]
    To his girdel stede was growe;
    His harp, where on was al his gle,
    He hidde in an holwe tre;
    And, when the weder was clere and bright,
    He toke his harp to him wel right,
    And harped at his owhen wille,
    Into alle the wode the soun gan schille,
    That alle the wilde bestes that ther beth,
    For joie abouten him thai teth[117];
    And all the foules that ther were,
    Come and sete on ich a brere;
    To here his harping a fine,[118]
    So miche melody was ther in.
    And when he his harping lete wold,
    No best bi him abide nold.
        He might se besides
    Oft in hot under tides,
    The king o fairy, with his rout,
    Com to hunt him al about:
    With dim cri and bloweing,
    And houndes also with him berking;
    Ac no best thai no nome,
    No never he nist whider thai bi come.
    And other while he might him se
    As a gret ost bi him te,
    Wele atourned[119] ten hundred knightes,
    Ich y armed to his rightes;
    Of cuntenaunce stout and fers,
    With mani displaid baners;
    And ich his swerd y drawe hold:
    Ac never he nist whider thai wold.
    And other while he seighe other thing:
    Knightes and levedis com daunceing,
    In queynt atire gisely,
    Queyitt pas, and softly:
    Tabours and trimpes yede him bi,
    And al maner menstraci.
        And on a day he seighe him biside
    Sexti levdis on hors ride,
    Gentil and jolif, as brid on ris[120];
    Nought o man amonges hem ther nis;
    And ich a faucoun on hond bere,
    And riden on haukin bi o rivere,
    Of game thai founde wel gode haunt,
    Maulardes, hayroun, and cormeraunt;
    The foules of the water ariseth,
    The faucouns hem wele deviseth,
    Ich faucoun his pray slough:
    That seighe Orfeo, and lough.
    Par fay, quath he, ther is fair game!
    Thider Ichil bi Godes name,
    Ich was y won[121] swiche werk to se.
    He aros, and thider gan te;
    To a levedi he was y come,
    Biheld, and hath wele under nome,
    And seth, bi al thing, that it is
    His owhen quen dam Heurodis.
    Yern he biheld hir, and sche him eke,
    Ac noither to other a word no speke:
    For messais that sche on him seighe,
    That had ben so riche and so heighe,
    The teres fel out of her eighe;
    The other levedis this y seighe,

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Legends and Satires from Mediæval Literature

Literature, Medieval

This king mot make his bed in mese[113]:
    He that had y had knightes of priis.
    Bifor him kneland, and levedis,
    Now seth he no thing that him liketh,
    Bot wild wormes by him striketh:
    He that had y had plente
    Of mete and drink, of ich deynte,
    Now may he al day digge and wrote,[114]
    Er he finde his fille of rote;
    In somer he liveth bi wild frut,
    And berren, bot gode lite;
    In winter may he no thing finde,
    Bot rote, grases, and the rinde;
    Al his bodi was oway dwine
    For missays, and al to chine,[115]
    Lord! who may telle the sore
    This king sufferd ten yere and more:
    His here of his berd, blac and rowe,[116]
    To his girdel stede was growe;
    His harp, where on was al his gle,
    He hidde in an holwe tre;
    And, when the weder was clere and bright,
    He toke his harp to him wel right,
    And harped at his owhen wille,
    Into alle the wode the soun gan schille,
    That alle the wilde bestes that ther beth,
    For joie abouten him thai teth[117];
    And all the foules that ther were,
    Come and sete on ich a brere;
    To here his harping a fine,[118]
    So miche melody was ther in.
    And when he his harping lete wold,
    No best bi him abide nold.
        He might se besides
    Oft in hot under tides,
    The king o fairy, with his rout,
    Com to hunt him al about:
    With dim cri and bloweing,
    And houndes also with him berking;
    Ac no best thai no nome,
    No never he nist whider thai bi come.
    And other while he might him se
    As a gret ost bi him te,
    Wele atourned[119] ten hundred knightes,
    Ich y armed to his rightes;
    Of cuntenaunce stout and fers,
    With mani displaid baners;
    And ich his swerd y drawe hold:
    Ac never he nist whider thai wold.
    And other while he seighe other thing:
    Knightes and levedis com daunceing,
    In queynt atire gisely,
    Queyitt pas, and softly:
    Tabours and trimpes yede him bi,
    And al maner menstraci.
        And on a day he seighe him biside
    Sexti levdis on hors ride,
    Gentil and jolif, as brid on ris[120];
    Nought o man amonges hem ther nis;
    And ich a faucoun on hond bere,
    And riden on haukin bi o rivere,
    Of game thai founde wel gode haunt,
    Maulardes, hayroun, and cormeraunt;
    The foules of the water ariseth,
    The faucouns hem wele deviseth,
    Ich faucoun his pray slough:
    That seighe Orfeo, and lough.
    Par fay, quath he, ther is fair game!
    Thider Ichil bi Godes name,
    Ich was y won[121] swiche werk to se.
    He aros, and thider gan te;
    To a levedi he was y come,
    Biheld, and hath wele under nome,
    And seth, bi al thing, that it is
    His owhen quen dam Heurodis.
    Yern he biheld hir, and sche him eke,
    Ac noither to other a word no speke:
    For messais that sche on him seighe,
    That had ben so riche and so heighe,
    The teres fel out of her eighe;
    The other levedis this y seighe,

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Legends and Satires from Mediæval Literature

Legends and Satires from Mediæval Literature

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