[From the general prologue to the Canterbury Tales.]

There was also a nonne, a prioresse,
That of hire smiling was ful simple and coy;
Hire gretest othe n'as but by Seint Eloy;
And she was clepËd^[23] madame Eglentine.
Ful wel she sange the servicË devine,
EntunËd in hire nose ful swetËly;
And Frenche she spake ful fayre and fetisly^[24]
After the scole of Stratford-attË-Bowe,^[25]
For Frenche of Paris was to hire unknowe.
At mete was she wel ytaught withalle;
She lette no morsel from hire lippË falle,
Ne wette hire fingres in hire saucË depe.
Wel coude she carie a morsel, and wel kepe,
Thatte no drope ne fell upon hire brest.
In curtesie was sette ful moche hire lest.^[26]
Hire over lippË wipËd she so clene
That in hire cuppe was no ferthing^[27] sene
Of gresË, whan she dronken hadde hire draught.
Ful semËly after hire mete she raught.^[28]
And sikerly^[29] she was of grete disport
And ful plesÁnt and amiable of port,
And peinËd hire to contrefeten chere
Of court,^[30] and ben estatelich of manÉre
And to ben holden digne^[31] of reverence.
But for to speken of hire conscience,
She was so charitable and so pitoÚs,
She woldË wepe if that she saw a mous
Caughte in a trappe, if it were ded or bledde.
Of smalË houndËs hadde she, that she fedde
With rested flesh and milk and wastel brede.^[32]
But sore wept she if on of hem were dede,
Or if men smote it with a yerdË^[33] smert:^[34]
And all was conscience and tendre herte.[23] Called.
[24] Neatly.
[25] Stratford on the Bow (river): a small village where such French as was spoken would be provincial.
[26] Delight.
[27] Farthing, bit.
[28] Reached.
[29] Surely.
[30] Took pains to imitate court manners.
[31] Worthy.
[32] Fine bread.
[33] Stick.
[34] Smartly.

PALAMON'S FAREWELL TO EMELIE.

[From the Knightes Tale.]

Naught may the woful spirit in myn herte
Declare o^[35] point of all my sorwes smerte
To you, my lady, that I lovË most.
But I bequethe the service of my gost
To you aboven every crËatÚre,
Sin^[36] that my lif ne may no lenger dure.
Alas the wo! alas the peinËs stronge
That I for you have suffered, and so longe!
Alas the deth! alas min Emelie!
Alas departing of our compagnie!
Alas min hertËs quene! alas my wif!
Min hertËs ladie, euder of my lif!
What is this world? what axen^[37] men to have?
Now with his love, now in his coldË grave
Alone withouten any compagnie.
Farewel my swete, farewel min Emelie,
And softË take me in your armËs twey,^[38]
For love of God, and herkeneth^[39] what I sey.[35] One.
[36] Since.
[37] Ask.
[38] Two.
[39] Hearken.

EMELIE IN THE GARDEN.

[From the Knightes Tale.]

Thus passeth yere by yere, and day by day,
Till it felle onËs in a morwe^[40] of May
That Emelie, that fayrer was to sene^[41]
Than is the lilie upon his stalkË grene,
And fresher than the May with flourËs newe,
(For with the rose colour strof hire hewe;
I n'ot^[42] which was the finer of hem two)
Er it was day, as she was wont to do,
She was arisen and all redy dight,^[43]
For May wol have no slogardie a-night.
The seson priketh every gentil herte,
And maketh him out of his slepe to sterte,
And sayth, "Arise, and do thin observÁnce."
This maketh Emelie han remembrÁnce
To dou honoÚr to May, and for to rise.
YclothËd was she fresh for to devise.^[44]
Hire yelwe here was broided in a tresse
Behind hire back, a yerdË long I gesse.
And in the gardin at the sonne uprist^[45]
She walketh up and doun wher as hire list.^[46]
She gathereth floures, partie white and red,
To make a sotel^[47] gerlond for hire bed,
And as an angel hevenlich she song.[40] Morning.
[41] See.
[42] Know not.
[43] Dressed.
[44] Describe.
[45] Sunrise.
[46] Wherever it pleases her.
[47] Subtle, cunningly enwoven.

ALISON.

[From the Millere's Tale.]

Fayre was this yongË wif, and therwithal
As any wesel hire body gent and smal^[48]
A seint^[49] she werËd, barrËd al of silk,
A barm-cloth^[50] eke as white as morne milk^[51]
Upon hire lendËs^[52] ful of many a gore,
White was hire smok, and brouded^[53] al before
And eke behind on hire colÉre^[54] aboute
Of cole-black silk within and eke withoute.
The tapËs of hire whitË volupere^[55]
Were of the samË suit of hire colÉre;
Hire fillet brode of silk and set ful hye;
And sikerly^[56] she had a likerous^[57] eye,
Ful smal ypulled^[58] were hire browËs two,
And they were bent and black as any slo,
She was wel morË blisful on to see
Than is the newË perjenetË^[59] tree,
And softer than the wolle is of a wether.
And by hire girdle heng a purse of lether,
Tasseled with silk and perlËd with latoun,^[60]
In all this world to seken up and doun
Ther n'is no man so wise that coude thenche^[61]
So gay a popelot^[62] or swiche^[63] a wenche.
Ful brighter was the shining of hire hewe
Than in the tour, the noble yforged newe.
But of hire song, it was as loud and yerne^[64]
As any swalow sitting on a berne.
Thereto she coudË skip and make a game
As any kid or calf folowing his dame.
Hire mouth was swete as braket^[65] or the meth,^[66]
Or horde of apples laid in hay or heth.
Winsing^[67] she was, as is a jolly colt,
Long as a mast, and upright as a bolt.
A broche she bare upon hire low colÉre.
As brode as is the bosse of a bokelÉre.^[68]
Hire shoon were lacËd on hire leggËs hie;
She was a primerole,^[69] a piggesnie,^[70]
For any lord, to liggen^[71] in his bedde,
Or yet for any good yemÁn^[72] to wedde.[48] Trim and slim.
[49] Girdle.
[50] Apron.
[51] Morning's milk.
[52] Loins.
[53] Embroidered.
[54] Collar.
[55] Cap.
[56] Surely.
[57] Wanton.
[58] Trimmed fine.
[59] Young pear.
[60] Ornamented with pearl-shaped beads of a metal resembling brass.
[61] Think.
[62] Puppet.
[63] Such.
[64] Brisk.
[65] A sweet drink of ale, honey, and spice.
[66] Mead.
[67] Skittish.
[68] Buckler.
[69] Primrose.
[70] Pansy.
[71] Lie.
[72] Yeoman.

O waly,^[73] waly up the bank,
And waly, waly down the brae,^[74]
And waly, waly yon burn^[75] side,
Where I and my love wont to gae.
I lean'd my back unto an aik,^[76]
I thought it was a trusty tree;
But first it bow'd and syne^[77] it brak,
Sae my true love did lightly me.
O waly, waly but love be bonny,
A little time while it is new;
But when 'tis auld it waxeth cauld,
And fades away like the morning dew.
O wherefore should I busk^[78] my head?
Or wherefore should I kame^[79] my hair?
For my true love has me forsook,
And says he'll never love me mair.
Now Arthur-Seat shall be my bed,
The sheets shall ne'er be fyl'd by me;
Saint Anton's well^[80] shall be my drink,
Sinn my true love has forsaken me.
Martinmas' wind, when wilt thou blaw
And shake the green leaves off the tree?
O gentle death, when wilt thou come?
For of my life I'm aweary.
'Tis not the frost that freezes fell,
Nor blawing snow's inclemency;
'Tis not sic cauld that makes me cry,
But my love's heart grown cauld to me.
When we came in by Glasgow town
We were a comely sight to see;
My love was clad in the black velvet,
And I myself in cramasie.^[81]
But had I wist, before I kissed,
That love had been sae ill to win,
I'd lock'd my heart in a case of gold,
And pin'd it with a silver pin.
Oh, oh, if my young babe were born,
And set upon the nurse's knee,
And I myself were dead and gane,
And the green grass growing over me![73] An exclamation of sorrow, woe! alas!
[74] Hillside.
[75] Brook.
[76] Oak.
[77] Then.
[78] Adorn.
[79] Comb.
[80] At the foot of Arthur's-Seat, a cliff near Edinburgh.
[81] Crimson.

THE TWO CORBIES.^[82]

As I was walking all alane
I heard twa corbies making a mane;
The tane unto the t'other say,
"Where sail we gang and dine to-day?"
"In behint yon auld fail^[83] dyke,
I wot there lies a new-slain knight;
And naebody kens that he lies there
But his hawk, his hound, and lady fair.
"His hound is to the hunting gane,
His hawk to fetch the wild fowl hame,
His lady's ta'en another mate,
So we may mak our dinner sweet.
"Ye'll sit on his white hause-bane,^[84]
And I'll pick out his bonny blue een;
Wi' ae^[85] lock o' his gowden hair,
We'll theck^[86] our nest when it grows bare.
"Mony a one for him makes mane,
But nane sail ken where he is gane;
O'er his white banes, when they are bare,
The wind sail blow for evermair."

BONNIE GEORGE CAMPBELL.

Hie upon Highlands and low upon Tay,
Bonnie George Campbell rade out on a day.
Saddled and bridled and gallant rade he;
Hame cam' his horse, but never cam' he.
Out came his auld mother, greeting^[87] fu' sair;
And out cam' his bonnie bride, riving her hair.
Saddled and bridled and booted rade he;
Toom^[88] hame cam' the saddle, but never cam' he.
"My meadow lies green and my corn is unshorn;
My barn is to bigg^[89] and my babie's unborn."
Saddled and bridled and booted rade he;
Toom cam' the saddle, but never cam' he.[82] The two ravens.
[83] Turf.
[84] Neck-bone.
[85] One.
[86] Thach.
[87] Weeping.
[88] Empty.
[89] Build.