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

As he that mai no bote finde.
  Bot this me thenkth a wonder kinde,
  As I am drunke of that I drinke,[728]
  So am I ek for falte of drinke;
  Of which I finde no reles:
  Bot if I myhte natheles
  Of such a drinke as I coveite,
  So as me liste, have o receite,                                  290
  I scholde assobre and fare wel.
  Bot so fortune upon hire whiel
  On hih me deigneth noght to sette,
  For everemore I finde a lette:
  The boteler is noght mi frend,
  Which hath the keie be the bend;
  I mai wel wisshe and that is wast,[729]
  For wel I wot, so freissh a tast,
  Bot if mi grace be the more,
  I schal assaie neveremore.                                       300
  Thus am I drunke of that I se,
  For tastinge is defended me,
  And I can noght miselven stanche:
  So that, mi fader, of this branche
  I am gultif, to telle trouthe.
                                                [Sidenote: Confessor.]
    Mi Sone, that me thenketh routhe;
  For lovedrunke is the meschief
  Above alle othre the most chief,
  If he no lusti thoght assaie,
  Which mai his sori thurst allaie:                                310
                                              [Sidenote: =P. iii. 12=]
  As for the time yit it lisseth
  To him which other joie misseth.
  Forthi, mi Sone, aboven alle
  Thenk wel, hou so it the befalle,
  And kep thi wittes that thou hast,
  And let hem noght be drunke in wast:
  Bot natheles ther is no wyht
  That mai withstonde loves miht.
  Bot why the cause is, as I finde,
  Of that ther is diverse kinde                                    320
  Of lovedrunke, why men pleigneth
  After the court which al ordeigneth,
  I wol the tellen the manere;
  Nou lest, mi Sone, and thou schalt hiere.
                                     [Sidenote: [JUPITER’S TWO TUNS.]]
    For the fortune of every chance
  After the goddes pourveance
      [Sidenote: Hic narrat secundum Poetam, qualiter in suo
      celario Iupiter duo dolea habet, quorum primum liquoris
      dulcissimi, secundum amarissimi plenum consistit, ita quod
      ille cui fatata est prosperitas de dulci potabit, alter
      vero, cui aduersabitur, poculum gustabit amaram.]
  To man it groweth from above,
  So that the sped of every love
  Is schape there, er it befalle.[730]
  For Jupiter aboven alle,                                         330
  Which is of goddes soverein,
  Hath in his celier, as men sein,
  Tuo tonnes fulle of love drinke,
  That maken many an herte sinke
  And many an herte also to flete,
  Or of the soure or of the swete.
  That on is full of such piment,
  Which passeth all entendement
  Of mannes witt, if he it taste,[731]
  And makth a jolif herte in haste:                                340
                                              [Sidenote: =P. iii. 13=]
  That other biter as the galle,
  Which makth a mannes herte palle,
  Whos drunkeschipe is a sieknesse
  Thurgh fielinge of the biternesse.
  Cupide is boteler of bothe,

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

As he that mai no bote finde.
  Bot this me thenkth a wonder kinde,
  As I am drunke of that I drinke,[728]
  So am I ek for falte of drinke;
  Of which I finde no reles:
  Bot if I myhte natheles
  Of such a drinke as I coveite,
  So as me liste, have o receite,                                  290
  I scholde assobre and fare wel.
  Bot so fortune upon hire whiel
  On hih me deigneth noght to sette,
  For everemore I finde a lette:
  The boteler is noght mi frend,
  Which hath the keie be the bend;
  I mai wel wisshe and that is wast,[729]
  For wel I wot, so freissh a tast,
  Bot if mi grace be the more,
  I schal assaie neveremore.                                       300
  Thus am I drunke of that I se,
  For tastinge is defended me,
  And I can noght miselven stanche:
  So that, mi fader, of this branche
  I am gultif, to telle trouthe.
                                                [Sidenote: Confessor.]
    Mi Sone, that me thenketh routhe;
  For lovedrunke is the meschief
  Above alle othre the most chief,
  If he no lusti thoght assaie,
  Which mai his sori thurst allaie:                                310
                                              [Sidenote: =P. iii. 12=]
  As for the time yit it lisseth
  To him which other joie misseth.
  Forthi, mi Sone, aboven alle
  Thenk wel, hou so it the befalle,
  And kep thi wittes that thou hast,
  And let hem noght be drunke in wast:
  Bot natheles ther is no wyht
  That mai withstonde loves miht.
  Bot why the cause is, as I finde,
  Of that ther is diverse kinde                                    320
  Of lovedrunke, why men pleigneth
  After the court which al ordeigneth,
  I wol the tellen the manere;
  Nou lest, mi Sone, and thou schalt hiere.
                                     [Sidenote: [JUPITER’S TWO TUNS.]]
    For the fortune of every chance
  After the goddes pourveance
      [Sidenote: Hic narrat secundum Poetam, qualiter in suo
      celario Iupiter duo dolea habet, quorum primum liquoris
      dulcissimi, secundum amarissimi plenum consistit, ita quod
      ille cui fatata est prosperitas de dulci potabit, alter
      vero, cui aduersabitur, poculum gustabit amaram.]
  To man it groweth from above,
  So that the sped of every love
  Is schape there, er it befalle.[730]
  For Jupiter aboven alle,                                         330
  Which is of goddes soverein,
  Hath in his celier, as men sein,
  Tuo tonnes fulle of love drinke,
  That maken many an herte sinke
  And many an herte also to flete,
  Or of the soure or of the swete.
  That on is full of such piment,
  Which passeth all entendement
  Of mannes witt, if he it taste,[731]
  And makth a jolif herte in haste:                                340
                                              [Sidenote: =P. iii. 13=]
  That other biter as the galle,
  Which makth a mannes herte palle,
  Whos drunkeschipe is a sieknesse
  Thurgh fielinge of the biternesse.
  Cupide is boteler of bothe,

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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