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

Touchende as of Envious brod
  I wot noght on of alle good;
  Bot natheles, suche as thei be,
        [Sidenote: Hic tractat Confessor de tercia specie Inuidie,
        que Detraccio dicitur, cuius morsus vipereos lesa quamsepe
        fama deplangit.]
  Yit is ther on, and that is he
  Which cleped is Detraccioun.
  And to conferme his accioun,
  He hath withholde Malebouche,
  Whos tunge neither pyl ne crouche                                  390
                                                [Sidenote: =P. i. 173=]
  Mai hyre, so that he pronounce
  A plein good word withoute frounce
  Awher behinde a mannes bak.
  For thogh he preise, he fint som lak,
  Which of his tale is ay the laste,
  That al the pris schal overcaste:
  And thogh ther be no cause why,
  Yit wole he jangle noght forthi,
  As he which hath the heraldie
  Of hem that usen forto lye.                                        400
  For as the Netle which up renneth[570]
  The freisshe rede Roses brenneth
  And makth hem fade and pale of hewe,
  Riht so this fals Envious hewe,
  In every place wher he duelleth,
  With false wordes whiche he telleth
  He torneth preisinge into blame
  And worschipe into worldes schame.
  Of such lesinge as he compasseth,[571]
  Is non so good that he ne passeth                                  410
  Betwen his teeth and is bacbited,
  And thurgh his false tunge endited:
  Lich to the Scharnebudes kinde,
  Of whos nature this I finde,
  That in the hoteste of the dai,
  Whan comen is the merie Maii,
  He sprat his wynge and up he fleth:
  And under al aboute he seth
  The faire lusti floures springe,
  Bot therof hath he no likinge;                                     420
                                                [Sidenote: =P. i. 174=]
  Bot where he seth of eny beste
  The felthe, ther he makth his feste,
  And therupon he wole alyhte,
  Ther liketh him non other sihte.
  Riht so this janglere Envious,
  Thogh he a man se vertuous
  And full of good condicioun,
  Therof makth he no mencioun:
  Bot elles, be it noght so lyte,
  Wherof that he mai sette a wyte,                                   430
  Ther renneth he with open mouth,
  Behinde a man and makth it couth.
  Bot al the vertu which he can,
  That wole he hide of every man,
  And openly the vice telle,
  As he which of the Scole of helle
  Is tawht, and fostred with Envie
  Of houshold and of compaignie,
  Wher that he hath his propre office
  To sette on every man a vice.                                      440
  How so his mouth be comely,
  His word sit evermore awry
  And seith the worste that he may.
                                    [Sidenote: [DETRACTION OF LOVERS.]]
    And in this wise now a day
  In loves Court a man mai hiere
  Fulofte pleigne of this matiere,
  That many envious tale is stered,
  Wher that it mai noght ben ansuered;
  Bot yit fulofte it is believed,
  And many a worthi love is grieved                                  450

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

Touchende as of Envious brod
  I wot noght on of alle good;
  Bot natheles, suche as thei be,
        [Sidenote: Hic tractat Confessor de tercia specie Inuidie,
        que Detraccio dicitur, cuius morsus vipereos lesa quamsepe
        fama deplangit.]
  Yit is ther on, and that is he
  Which cleped is Detraccioun.
  And to conferme his accioun,
  He hath withholde Malebouche,
  Whos tunge neither pyl ne crouche                                  390
                                                [Sidenote: =P. i. 173=]
  Mai hyre, so that he pronounce
  A plein good word withoute frounce
  Awher behinde a mannes bak.
  For thogh he preise, he fint som lak,
  Which of his tale is ay the laste,
  That al the pris schal overcaste:
  And thogh ther be no cause why,
  Yit wole he jangle noght forthi,
  As he which hath the heraldie
  Of hem that usen forto lye.                                        400
  For as the Netle which up renneth[570]
  The freisshe rede Roses brenneth
  And makth hem fade and pale of hewe,
  Riht so this fals Envious hewe,
  In every place wher he duelleth,
  With false wordes whiche he telleth
  He torneth preisinge into blame
  And worschipe into worldes schame.
  Of such lesinge as he compasseth,[571]
  Is non so good that he ne passeth                                  410
  Betwen his teeth and is bacbited,
  And thurgh his false tunge endited:
  Lich to the Scharnebudes kinde,
  Of whos nature this I finde,
  That in the hoteste of the dai,
  Whan comen is the merie Maii,
  He sprat his wynge and up he fleth:
  And under al aboute he seth
  The faire lusti floures springe,
  Bot therof hath he no likinge;                                     420
                                                [Sidenote: =P. i. 174=]
  Bot where he seth of eny beste
  The felthe, ther he makth his feste,
  And therupon he wole alyhte,
  Ther liketh him non other sihte.
  Riht so this janglere Envious,
  Thogh he a man se vertuous
  And full of good condicioun,
  Therof makth he no mencioun:
  Bot elles, be it noght so lyte,
  Wherof that he mai sette a wyte,                                   430
  Ther renneth he with open mouth,
  Behinde a man and makth it couth.
  Bot al the vertu which he can,
  That wole he hide of every man,
  And openly the vice telle,
  As he which of the Scole of helle
  Is tawht, and fostred with Envie
  Of houshold and of compaignie,
  Wher that he hath his propre office
  To sette on every man a vice.                                      440
  How so his mouth be comely,
  His word sit evermore awry
  And seith the worste that he may.
                                    [Sidenote: [DETRACTION OF LOVERS.]]
    And in this wise now a day
  In loves Court a man mai hiere
  Fulofte pleigne of this matiere,
  That many envious tale is stered,
  Wher that it mai noght ben ansuered;
  Bot yit fulofte it is believed,
  And many a worthi love is grieved                                  450

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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