The Online Library of Liberty

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• Introduction
• Errata.
• Additions to ‘the Minor Poems’ In Vol. I.
• XXIV.: Womanly Noblesse.
• XXV.: Complaint to My Mortal Foe.
• XXVI.: Complaint to My Lode-sterre.
• Notes to the Preceding Poems.
• The Canterbury Tales. Group A.
• The Prologue.
• The Knightes Tale.
• The Miller’s Prologue.
• The Milleres Tale.
• The Reeve’s Prologue.
• The Reves Tale.
• The Cook’s Prologue.
• The Cokes Tale.
• Group B.
• Introduction to the Man of Law’s Prologue. (t. 4421-4446.)
• The Tale of the Man of Lawe.
• The Shipman’s Prologue.
• The Shipmannes Tale.
• The Prioress’s Prologue. (t. 13365-13382.)
• The Prioresses Tale.
• Prologue to Sir Thopas. (t. 13621-13641.)
• Sir Thopas.
• Prologue to Melibeus. (t. 13847-13875.)
• The Tale of Melibeus.
• The Monk’s Prologue. (t. 13895-13924.)
• The Monkes Tale.
• The Prologue of the Nonne Prestes Tale. (t. 14773-14798).
• The Nonne Preestes Tale.
• Epilogue to the Nonne Preestes Tale.
• Group C.
• The Phisiciens Tale. (t. 11935-11957.)
• Words of the Host. (t. 12221-12239.)
• The Prologue of the Pardoners Tale. (t. 12263-12288).
• The Pardoners Tale. ( Numbered In Continuation of the Preceding. )
• Group D.
• The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. (t. 5583-5602; For T. 5582, See P. 164.)
• The Tale of the Wyf of Bathe.
• The Friar’s Prologue. (t. 6847-6868).
• The Freres Tale.
• The Somnour’s Prologue. (t. 7247-7270.)
• The Somnours Tale.
• Group E.
• The Clerk’s Prologue. (t. 7877-7898.)
• The Clerkes Tale.
• The Merchant’s Prologue. (t. 9089-9120).
• The Marchantes Tale.
• Epilogue to the Marchantes Tale.
• Group F.
• The Squieres Tale. (t. 10315-10334).
• The Franklin’s Prologue. (t. 11021-11040).
• The Frankeleyns Tale.
• Group G.
• The Seconde Nonnes Tale.
• The Canon’s Yeoman’s Prologue. (t. 16022-16043.)
• The Chanouns Yemannes Tale.
• Group H.
• The Manciple’s Prologue. (t. 16950-16968).
• The Maunciples Tale.
• Group I.
• The Parson’s Prologue. (t. 17312-17330).
• The Persones Tale.
• Appendix to Group A.
• The Tale of Gamelyn.

XXVI.

COMPLAINT TO MY LODE-STERRE.

• • Of gretter cause may no wight him compleyne
  • Than I; for love hath set me in swich caas
  • That lasse Ioye and more encrees of peyne
  • Ne hath no man; wherfore I crye ‘allas!’
  • A thousand tyme, whan I have tyme and space.5
  • For she, that is my verray sorowes grounde,
  • Wol with her grace no wyse my sorowes sounde.
• • And that, shulde be my sorowes hertes leche,
  • Is me ageins, and maketh me swich werre,
  • That shortly, [in] al maner thought and speche,10
  • Whether it be that I be nigh or ferre,
  • I misse the grace of you, my lode-sterre,
  • Which causeth me on you thus for to crye;
  • And al is it for lakke of remedye.
• • My soverain Ioye thus is my mortal fo;15
  • She that shulde causen al my lustinesse
  • List in no wyse of my sorowes saye ‘ho!’
  • But let me thus darraine, in hevinesse,
  • With woful thoughtes and my grete distresse,
  • The which she might right wele, [at] every tyde,20
  • If that her liste, out of my herte gyde.
• • But it is so, that her list, in no wyse,
  • Have pitè on my woful besinesse;
  • And I ne can do no maner servyse
  • That may me torne out of my hevinesse;25
  • So woldè god, that she now wolde impresse
  • Right in her herte my trouthe and eek good wille;
  • And let me not, for lakke of mercy, spille.
• • Now wele I woot why thus I smerte sore;
  • For couthe I wele, as othere folkes, feyne,30
  • Than neded me to live in peyne no more,
  • But, whan I were from you, unteye my reyne,
  • And, for the tyme, drawe in another cheyne.
  • But woldè god that alle swich were y-knowe,
  • And duely punisshed of hye and lowe.35
• • Swich lyf defye I, bothe in thoughte and worde,
  • For yet me were wel lever for to sterve
  • Than in my herte for to make an horde
  • Of any falshood; for, til deth to-kerve
  • My herte and body, shal I never swerve40
  • From you, that best may be my fynal cure,
  • But, at your liste, abyde myn aventure;
• • And preye to you, noble seint Valentyne,
  • My ladies herte that ye wolde enbrace,
  • And make her pitè to me more enclyne45
  • That I may stonden in her noble grace
  • In hasty tyme, whyl I have lyves space:
  • For yit wiste I never noon, of my lyve,
  • So litel hony in so fayre hyve.

[]From MS. Harl. 7578, fol. 15, back. No title but ‘Balade’; but it is really a Complaint. Rejected readings of the MS. are here given.

[2. ]y (for I); hath me sette in swiche.

[3. ]encrese.

[5. ]whenne; haue.

[6. ]sheo; werry (for verray).

[7. ]Wolle; wise; (sounde means heal).

[9. ]Ys; swide (miswritten for swiche).

[10. ]I supply in; alle manere.

[11. ]Whethre.

[12. ]mys; loode-.

[13. ]Whiche.

[14. ]alle; remydie.

[15. ]souueraine; foo.

[16. ]alle; lustynesse.

[17. ]Liste; wise; say hoo.

[18. ]lete; heuinesse.

[19. ]wooful; grette.

[20. ]sheo; I supply at; euery.

[21. ]oute; guyde.

[22. ]liste; wise.

[23. ]Haue pitee.

[24. ]kanne; manere seruice.

[25. ]be (for me); oute; heuynesse.

[26. ]sheo nowe.

[27. ]herre (for her); trough (sic); eke.

[28. ]lette; lake.

[29. ]woote; why that I thus smerte so sore (two syllables too much).

[30. ]couth; sayne (for feyne).

[31. ]Thanne nedes; lyue.

[32. ]whenne; vnteye.

[33. ]into (for in); a-nothre.

[35. ]punisshede both of high (I omit both).

[36. ]Swiche; defie.

[37. ]yette; sterue.

[38. ]Thanne; hoorde.

[39. ]falshode; til deth the kerue (but see note on p. xxxii).

[40. ]neuere swerue.

[41. ]youre (for my).

[42. ]atte youre; abide.

[43. ]prey; sainte valentine.

[45. ]pitee.

[46. ]here.

[47. ]whiles; haue lyues.

[48. ]yitte; neuere none; lyfe.

[49. ]hiue.