The complete works of John Gower, volume 3 : $b The English works

Name: The complete works of John Gower, volume 3 : $b The English works
Author: Gower, John

Gower, John

Poetry

Which alle cares fro him kerveth[708]
  And alle bales to him bringeth:
  In joie he wepth, in sorwe he singeth,
  For Dronkeschipe is so divers,[709]
  It may no whyle stonde in vers.                                   70
                                               [Sidenote: =P. iii. 4=]
  He drinkth the wyn, bot ate laste
  The wyn drynkth him and bint him faste,
  And leith him drunke be the wal,
  As him which is his bonde thral
  And al in his subjeccion.
                                       [Sidenote: [LOVE-DRUNKENNESS.]]
    And lich to such condicion,
  As forto speke it other wise,
  It falleth that the moste wise
  Ben otherwhile of love adoted,[710]
  And so bewhaped and assoted,                                      80
  Of drunke men that nevere yit
  Was non, which half so loste his wit
  Of drinke, as thei of such thing do
  Which cleped is the jolif wo;
  And waxen of here oghne thoght
  So drunke, that thei knowe noght[711]
  What reson is, or more or lesse.
  Such is the kinde of that sieknesse,
  And that is noght for lacke of brain,
  Bot love is of so gret a main,                                    90
  That where he takth an herte on honde,
  Ther mai nothing his miht withstonde:
  The wise Salomon was nome,
  And stronge Sampson overcome,
  The knihtli David him ne mihte
  Rescoue, that he with the sihte
  Of Bersabee ne was bestad,
  Virgile also was overlad,
  And Aristotle was put under.
  Forthi, mi Sone, it is no wonder                                 100
                                               [Sidenote: =P. iii. 5=]
  If thou be drunke of love among,[712]
  Which is above alle othre strong:
  And if so is that thou so be,
  Tell me thi Schrifte in privite;
  It is no schame of such a thew
  A yong man to be dronkelew.
  Of such Phisique I can a part,
  And as me semeth be that art,
  Thou scholdest be Phisonomie
  Be schapen to that maladie                                       110
  Of lovedrunke, and that is routhe.
                                        [Sidenote: Confessio Amantis.]
    Ha, holi fader, al is trouthe
  That ye me telle: I am beknowe
  That I with love am so bethrowe,
  And al myn herte is so thurgh sunke,
  That I am verrailiche drunke,
  And yit I mai bothe speke and go.
  Bot I am overcome so,
  And torned fro miself so clene,
  That ofte I wot noght what I mene;                               120
  So that excusen I ne mai
  Min herte, fro the ferste day
  That I cam to mi ladi kiththe,
  I was yit sobre nevere siththe.
  Wher I hire se or se hire noght,
  With musinge of min oghne thoght,
  Of love, which min herte assaileth,
  So drunke I am, that mi wit faileth
  And al mi brain is overtorned,
  And mi manere so mistorned,                                      130
                                               [Sidenote: =P. iii. 6=]
  That I foryete al that I can
  And stonde lich a mased man;
  That ofte, whanne I scholde pleie,
  It makth me drawe out of the weie

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

Opening the text

The complete works of John Gower, volume 3 : $b The English worksGower, John

History

The complete works of John Gower, volume 3 : $b The English works

Gower, John

Poetry

Which alle cares fro him kerveth[708]
  And alle bales to him bringeth:
  In joie he wepth, in sorwe he singeth,
  For Dronkeschipe is so divers,[709]
  It may no whyle stonde in vers.                                   70
                                               [Sidenote: =P. iii. 4=]
  He drinkth the wyn, bot ate laste
  The wyn drynkth him and bint him faste,
  And leith him drunke be the wal,
  As him which is his bonde thral
  And al in his subjeccion.
                                       [Sidenote: [LOVE-DRUNKENNESS.]]
    And lich to such condicion,
  As forto speke it other wise,
  It falleth that the moste wise
  Ben otherwhile of love adoted,[710]
  And so bewhaped and assoted,                                      80
  Of drunke men that nevere yit
  Was non, which half so loste his wit
  Of drinke, as thei of such thing do
  Which cleped is the jolif wo;
  And waxen of here oghne thoght
  So drunke, that thei knowe noght[711]
  What reson is, or more or lesse.
  Such is the kinde of that sieknesse,
  And that is noght for lacke of brain,
  Bot love is of so gret a main,                                    90
  That where he takth an herte on honde,
  Ther mai nothing his miht withstonde:
  The wise Salomon was nome,
  And stronge Sampson overcome,
  The knihtli David him ne mihte
  Rescoue, that he with the sihte
  Of Bersabee ne was bestad,
  Virgile also was overlad,
  And Aristotle was put under.
  Forthi, mi Sone, it is no wonder                                 100
                                               [Sidenote: =P. iii. 5=]
  If thou be drunke of love among,[712]
  Which is above alle othre strong:
  And if so is that thou so be,
  Tell me thi Schrifte in privite;
  It is no schame of such a thew
  A yong man to be dronkelew.
  Of such Phisique I can a part,
  And as me semeth be that art,
  Thou scholdest be Phisonomie
  Be schapen to that maladie                                       110
  Of lovedrunke, and that is routhe.
                                        [Sidenote: Confessio Amantis.]
    Ha, holi fader, al is trouthe
  That ye me telle: I am beknowe
  That I with love am so bethrowe,
  And al myn herte is so thurgh sunke,
  That I am verrailiche drunke,
  And yit I mai bothe speke and go.
  Bot I am overcome so,
  And torned fro miself so clene,
  That ofte I wot noght what I mene;                               120
  So that excusen I ne mai
  Min herte, fro the ferste day
  That I cam to mi ladi kiththe,
  I was yit sobre nevere siththe.
  Wher I hire se or se hire noght,
  With musinge of min oghne thoght,
  Of love, which min herte assaileth,
  So drunke I am, that mi wit faileth
  And al mi brain is overtorned,
  And mi manere so mistorned,                                      130
                                               [Sidenote: =P. iii. 6=]
  That I foryete al that I can
  And stonde lich a mased man;
  That ofte, whanne I scholde pleie,
  It makth me drawe out of the weie

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

The complete works of John Gower, volume 3 : $b The English works

The complete works of John Gower, volume 3 : $b The English works

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