Thogh he wold al day prayin to and fro, He should not se if there were any wight Within or no, but one within well might-- Perceve all tho that ydin there without Into the field, that was on every side Coverd with corn and grass, that out of doubt Tho one would sekin all the worlde wide So rich a felde could not be espyde Upon no cost, as of the quantity, For of allè gode thing there was plenty. And I, that al these plesaunt sightis se, Thought suddainly I felt so swete an air Of the eglaterè, that certainly There is no hert [I deme] in such dispair, Ne yet with thoughtis froward and contraire So overlaid, but it should sone have bote If it had onis felt this savour sote. And as I stode and cast aside mine eye I was ware of the fairist medler tre That evir yet in all my life I se, As full of blossomis as it might be, Therein a goldfinch leping pretily From bough to bough, and as him list he ete Here and there of buddis and flouris swete. And to the herbir side was adjoyning This fairist tre of which I have you told, And at the last the bird began to sing [Whan he had etin what he etin would] So passing swetely that by many fold It was more plesaunt than I couth devise; And whan his song was endid in this wise, The nightingale with so mery a note Answerid him, that alle the wode yrong So sodainly, that as it were a sote I stode astonied, and was with the song Thorow ravishid, that till late and long I ne wist in what place I was ne where, Ayen methought she song e'en by mine ere: Wherefore I waited about busily On every side if I her might se, And at the last I gan full well espie Where she sate in a fresh grene laury tre, On the further side evin right by me, That gave so passing a delicious smell, According to the eglantere full well; Whereof I had so inly grete plesure, As methought I surely ravished was Into Paradise, wherein my desire Was for to be, and no ferthir to pas As for that day, and on the sotè grass I sat me down, for as for mine entent The birdis song was more convenient, And more plesaunt to me by many fold Than mete or drink, or any othir thing, Thereto the herbir was so fresh and cold, The wholsome savours eke so comforting, That [as I demid] sith the beginning Of the worldè was nevir seen er than So plesaunt a ground of none erthly man. And as I sat the birdis herkening thus, Methought that I herd voicis suddainly, The most swetist and most delicious That evir any wight I trow trewly Herdin in hir life, for the armony And swete accord was in so gode musike That the voicis to angels most were like. At the last out of a grove evin by [That was right godely and plesaunt to sight] I se where there came singing lustily