The complete works of John Gower, volume 2 : $b The English works

Name: The complete works of John Gower, volume 2 : $b The English works
Author: Gower, John

Gower, John

Poetry

Mi thought wol entermette him sone.
  For thogh I be miselve strange,
  Envie makth myn herte change,
  That I am sorghfully bestad
  Of that I se an other glad                                          70
  With hire; bot of other alle,[540]
  Of love what so mai befalle,
  Or that he faile or that he spede,
  Therof take I bot litel heede.
                                                [Sidenote: =P. i. 162=]
  Now have I seid, my fader, al
  As of this point in special,
  Als ferforthli as I have wist.
  Now axeth further what you list.[541]
                                                 [Sidenote: Confessor.]
    Mi Sone, er I axe eny more,
  I thenke somdiel for thi lore                                       80
  Telle an ensample of this matiere
  Touchende Envie, as thou schalt hiere.
  Write in Civile this I finde:
  Thogh it be noght the houndes kinde
  To ete chaf, yit wol he werne
  An Oxe which comth to the berne,
  Therof to taken eny fode.
  And thus, who that it understode,
  It stant of love in many place:
  Who that is out of loves grace                                      90
  And mai himselven noght availe,
  He wolde an other scholde faile;[542]
  And if he may put eny lette,
  He doth al that he mai to lette.
                                [Sidenote: [TALE OF ACIS AND GALATEA.]]
  Wherof I finde, as thou schalt wite,
  To this pourpos a tale write.[543]
    Ther ben of suche mo than twelve,
  That ben noght able as of hemselve
  To gete love, and for Envie
  Upon alle othre thei aspie;                                        100
        [Sidenote: Hic ponit Confessor exemplum saltem contra istos
        qui in amoris causa aliorum gaudiis inuidentes nequaquam
        per hoc sibi ipsis proficiunt. Et narrat, qualiter quidam
        iuuenis miles nomine Acis, quem Galathea Nimpha pulcherrima
        toto corde peramauit, cum ipsi sub quadam rupe iuxta litus
        maris colloquium adinuicem habuerunt, Poliphemus Gigas
        concussa rupe magnam inde partem super caput Acis ab alto
        proiciens ipsum per inuidiam interfecit. Et cum ipse super
        hoc dictam Galatheam rapere[544] voluisset, Neptunus Giganti
        obsistens ipsam inuiolatam salua custodia preseruauit.
        Set et[546] dii miserti corpus Acis defuncti in fontem aque
        dulcissime subito transmutarunt.]
  And for hem lacketh that thei wolde,
  Thei kepte that non other scholde
  Touchende of love his cause spede:
  Wherof a gret ensample I rede,
                                                [Sidenote: =P. i. 163=]
  Which unto this matiere acordeth,
  As Ovide in his bok recordeth,
  How Poliphemus whilom wroghte,
  Whan that he Galathee besoghte
  Of love, which he mai noght lacche.
  That made him forto waite and wacche                               110
  Be alle weies how it ferde,
  Til ate laste he knew and herde
  How that an other hadde leve
  To love there as he mot leve,
  As forto speke of eny sped:

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

Opening the text

The complete works of John Gower, volume 2 : $b The English worksGower, John

General

The complete works of John Gower, volume 2 : $b The English works

Gower, John

Poetry

Mi thought wol entermette him sone.
  For thogh I be miselve strange,
  Envie makth myn herte change,
  That I am sorghfully bestad
  Of that I se an other glad                                          70
  With hire; bot of other alle,[540]
  Of love what so mai befalle,
  Or that he faile or that he spede,
  Therof take I bot litel heede.
                                                [Sidenote: =P. i. 162=]
  Now have I seid, my fader, al
  As of this point in special,
  Als ferforthli as I have wist.
  Now axeth further what you list.[541]
                                                 [Sidenote: Confessor.]
    Mi Sone, er I axe eny more,
  I thenke somdiel for thi lore                                       80
  Telle an ensample of this matiere
  Touchende Envie, as thou schalt hiere.
  Write in Civile this I finde:
  Thogh it be noght the houndes kinde
  To ete chaf, yit wol he werne
  An Oxe which comth to the berne,
  Therof to taken eny fode.
  And thus, who that it understode,
  It stant of love in many place:
  Who that is out of loves grace                                      90
  And mai himselven noght availe,
  He wolde an other scholde faile;[542]
  And if he may put eny lette,
  He doth al that he mai to lette.
                                [Sidenote: [TALE OF ACIS AND GALATEA.]]
  Wherof I finde, as thou schalt wite,
  To this pourpos a tale write.[543]
    Ther ben of suche mo than twelve,
  That ben noght able as of hemselve
  To gete love, and for Envie
  Upon alle othre thei aspie;                                        100
        [Sidenote: Hic ponit Confessor exemplum saltem contra istos
        qui in amoris causa aliorum gaudiis inuidentes nequaquam
        per hoc sibi ipsis proficiunt. Et narrat, qualiter quidam
        iuuenis miles nomine Acis, quem Galathea Nimpha pulcherrima
        toto corde peramauit, cum ipsi sub quadam rupe iuxta litus
        maris colloquium adinuicem habuerunt, Poliphemus Gigas
        concussa rupe magnam inde partem super caput Acis ab alto
        proiciens ipsum per inuidiam interfecit. Et cum ipse super
        hoc dictam Galatheam rapere[544] voluisset, Neptunus Giganti
        obsistens ipsam inuiolatam salua custodia preseruauit.
        Set et[546] dii miserti corpus Acis defuncti in fontem aque
        dulcissime subito transmutarunt.]
  And for hem lacketh that thei wolde,
  Thei kepte that non other scholde
  Touchende of love his cause spede:
  Wherof a gret ensample I rede,
                                                [Sidenote: =P. i. 163=]
  Which unto this matiere acordeth,
  As Ovide in his bok recordeth,
  How Poliphemus whilom wroghte,
  Whan that he Galathee besoghte
  Of love, which he mai noght lacche.
  That made him forto waite and wacche                               110
  Be alle weies how it ferde,
  Til ate laste he knew and herde
  How that an other hadde leve
  To love there as he mot leve,
  As forto speke of eny sped:

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

The complete works of John Gower, volume 2 : $b The English works

The complete works of John Gower, volume 2 : $b The English works

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