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Front Page  Titles (by Subject) XX.: THE FLOWER AND THE LEAF. - The Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, vol. 7 (Supplement: Chaucerian and Other Pieces)
XX.: THE FLOWER AND THE LEAF. - Geoffrey Chaucer, The Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, vol. 7 (Supplement: Chaucerian and Other Pieces) [1897]Edition used:The Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, edited from numerous manuscripts by the Rev. Walter W. Skeat (2nd ed.) (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1899). 7 vols.
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XX.
THE FLOWER AND THE LEAF.
From Speght’s edition (1598); I note rejected readings.
-
- WHEN that Phebus his chaire of gold so [ ]
- Had whirled up the sterry sky aloft,
- And in the was entred certainly;[ ]
- Whan shoures discended † ,
- Causing the ground, fele tymes and oft,5
- Up for to give many an ,
- And every
-
- With , and maketh
- To springen here and there ;
- So very good and be the shoures10
- That it , that was old and deede
- In winter-tyme; and out of every seede
- Springeth the , so that every wight
- Of this wexeth [ ] glad and light.
-
- And I, só glad of the swete,15
- Was happed thus upon a night;
- As I lay in my bed, ful unmete
- Was unto me; but, why that I ne might
- Rest, I ne wist; for there nas wight,
- As I suppose, had more20
- I, for I .
-
- Wherfore I ,
- That I so long withouten sleepë lay;
- And up I , three houres after ,
- About the [ ] springing of the day,[ ]25
- And on I put my and myn array;
- And to a grovë I gan passe ,
- Long or the sonne uprisen was,
-
- In which were okës , streight as a lyne,
- Under the which the , so fresh of hew ,30
- Was newly ; and an eight foot or nyne[ ]
- Every tree fro his felawe grew,
- With braunches brode, with leves new,
- That sprongen out the sonnë shene,
- a glad light grene;35[ ]
-
- Which, as me thought, was right a plesaunt sight.
- And eek the briddes for to here
- Would have rejoised any wight.
- And I, that couth not yet, in no manere,
- the nightingale of the yere,40
- busily ,
- If I her voice perceive coud any-where.
-
- And at the last, a path of [ ]
- I found, that had not used be,
- For it forgrowen was with and weede,45
- That unneth a wight [ ] might it see.
- Thought I, this path whider goth, pardè ,
- And so I it me brought
- To right a herber , y-wrought,
-
- That benched was, and new50
- Freshly turved, wherof the grenë gras
- So small, so , so short, so fresh of hew,
- That most grene †wol , wot I, it was.
- The hegge also, that yede [ ] in compas
- And closed in herbere,55
- With sicamour was set and[ ] ,
-
- in-fere so wel and cunningly
- That every grew by mesure ,
- Plain as a bord, of height, by and by ,
- [ ] I sy never thing, I you ensure ,60
- So wel ; for he that the cure
- It [ ] to make, I trow, did [ ]
- To make it passe tho that men have .
-
- And shapen was this herber, and al,
- As [ ] a prety parlour, and also65
- The hegge as ,
- That, who that list without to stond or go,
- Though he wold al-day pryen to and fro ,
- He not see if there were any wight
- Within or no; but might70
-
- Perceive tho that yeden there-without
- In the , that was on every syde
- Covered with , that, out of ,
- Though the world wyde,
- So rich a coud not be 75[ ]
- no , as of the ,
- For of thing ther was .
-
- And I, that this ,
- Thought sodainly I felt so sweet an
- [ ] of the , that certainly,80
- Ther is no , I deme, in such ,
- Ne froward and
- So overlaid, but it soone have bote,
- If it had onës felt this savour .
-
- And as I stood and cast asyde ,85
- I was ware of the fairest medle-tree
- That ever yet in ,
- As full of as it might be.
- Therin a goldfinch
- Fro bough to bough, and, as him list, he eet90
- Here and there, of and floures sweet.
-
- And to the herber-sydë was joining
- This fairë tree, of which I have you told;
- And, at the last, the brid began to sing,
- Whan he had what he wold,95
- So passing sweetly, that, by manifold,
- It was more I coud devyse;
- And his song was ended in this wyse ,
-
- The nightingale with so a note[ ]
- Answéred him, that rong100
- So sodainly, that, as it were a ,
- I stood astonied; so was I with the song
- ravishèd, that, late and long
- in what place I was, ne where;
- And † , me thought, she song even by myn ere.105
-
- Wherfore busily
- On every syde, if I her see;
- And, at the last, I gan aspy
- Wher she sat in a fresh
- On the further syde, even right by me,110
- That gave so passing a delicious
- According to the .
-
- Wherof I had so inly
- That, as me thought, I surely ravished was
- Into Paradyse , where my 115
- Was for to be, and no ferther [ ] passe
- As for that day, and on the sotë
- I sat me ; for, as for entent,
- The song was more convenient,
-
- And more to me, by many fold,120
- Than , or any other thing;[ ]
- Thereto the herber was so fresh and cold,
- The savours so comforting
- That, as I demed, sith the beginning
- Of the world, was never seen, or than,125
- So a ground of man.
-
- And as I sat, the thus,
- Me thought that I voices sodainly,
- The most sweetest and most delicious
- That ever any wight, I trow trewly,130
- lyf, for [ ] the armony
- And sweet accord was in so good ,
- Thát the voice to angels most was .
-
- At the last, out of a grove even by,
The Leaf.
[ ]
- That was right goodly and to sight,135
- I where there singing lustily
- A world of ladies; but to tell aright
- Their not in my might,
- Ne their array; nevertheless, I
- Tell you a part, though I not of .140
-
- † surcotes whyte, of veluet sitting,
- They were ; and the semes ,
- As it were a maner garnishing,
- Was set with ,[ ]
- By and by; but many a stoon145
- Was set , out of dout,[ ]
- Of colors, sleves, and trainës round about;
-
- As , round and orient,[ ]
- fyne and rubies ,
- And many another , of which I †150[ ]
- The namës now; and everich on her
- A fret of gold, which, without ,
- Was ful of stonës set;
- And every lady had a chapëlet
-
- On her fresh and grene,155[ ]
- So ,
- Thát it was a noble sight to sene;
- Some of , and some ful
- Had chapëlets of woodbind, and sadly
- Some of agnus-castus also160[ ]
- Chápëlets fresh; but there were many
-
- That daunced and song ful soberly;
- But they yede in maner of .
- But ther yede in-mid the company
- the pace165
- [ ] that she kept, face
- So was, and her persòn,
- That of she past hem everichon.
-
- And more richly , by manifold,
- She was also, in every maner thing;170[ ]
- On her , ful to behold,
- A crowne of , rich for any king ;
- A braunch of agnus-castus
- In her hand; and, to my sight, trewly,
- She lady was of [ ] the company.175
-
- And she began a ,
- That de vert moy men call,[ ]
- , et mon joly cuer ;
- And than the company answéred all
- With entuned and so small ,180
- That me thought it the sweetest melody
- That ever I in my lyf, soothly.
-
- And thus they , dauncing and singing,
- Into the middes of the mede echone,
- Before the herber, where I was sitting,185
- And, god wot, me thought I was wel ;
- For than I might avyse hem, ,
- Who fairest was, who coud best dance or sing,[ ]
- Or who most womanly was in thing.
-
- They had not daunced but a throw190
- When that I , not fer of, sodainly
- So a noise of blow,
- As though it shuld have départed the ;
- And, after that, within a whyle I
- From the same grove, where the ladyes come out,195
- Of men of armës such a rout
-
- As the men on erth had been assembled
- In that place, horsed for the nones,
- Stering so fast, that trembled;
- But for to of riches and [ ] stones,200
- And men and , I trow, the largë wones
- Of John, ne his tresory[ ]
- Might not unneth have bought the tenth party!
-
- Of array who-so list more,
- I shal , so as I can, a lyte.205
- Out of the grove, that I of before,
- I come first, clokes whyte,
- A company, that ,
- Chapëlets fresh of okës [ ]
- Newly , and trumpets they were .210
-
- On every trumpe hanging a banere
- Of tartarium , were ful bete;
- Every trumpet his armës † ;[ ]
- About , with set,
- Colers brode; for cost they would not lete,215
- As it would seme; for scochones
- Were set about with many a precious .
-
- Their was whyte also;
- And after next, in company,
- Cámë of armës , and no mo,220
- In clokës of whyte cloth of gold, richly;
- Chapelets of greene on on ,
- The that they on scochones
- Were set with , ruby, and saphere,
-
- And many ;225
- But their and other
- Was in a sute according, ,
- As ye have the foresayd trumpets were;
- And, by seeming, they were nothing to lere;
- And they did so manerly.230
- And after hem cam a company
-
- Of and eke
- Arrayed in clothës of veluët ;
- And hardily, they were nothing to seke
- How they hem the harneys set;235
- And every man had on a chapëlet;
- Scóchones and eke , indede,
- They had in sute of that before yede.
-
- Next after hem, came in armour bright,
- Al save , seemely nyne;240[ ]
- And every , as to my sight,
- Of harneys, were of red gold fyne;
- With cloth of gold, and furred with ermyne
- Were the trappurës of stedës strong,
- Wyde and large, that to the ground did hong;245
-
- And every
- That they had, was worth, as I would wene,
- A thousand pound; and on
- Dressed, were crownës [ ] of laurer grene,
- The best that ever I had ;250
- And every knight had after him ryding
- Three henshmen , him awaiting;
-
- Of †the first, upon a short tronchoun,
- His , so richly dight,
- That the worst was the raunsoun255
- Of king; the second a bright
- at his ; the upright[ ]
- A mighty , ful sharpe and kene;
- And every child , of leves grene,
-
- A fresh chapelet upon his bright;260
- And clokes whyte, of veluet they ;
- Their trapped and right
- difference, as their were.
- And after hem, on many a fresh co[u]rsere,
- There came of armed such a rout265
- That they besprad the largë about.
-
- And al they , after their degrees,
- Chapëlets new, made of laurer grene,
- Some of oke, and some of other trees;
- Some in their shene,270
- Some of laurer, and some of okës kene,
- Some of , and some of woodbind,[ ]
- And many mo, which I had not in mind.
-
- And so they came, their freshly stering[ ]
- With bloody sownës of trompës loud;275
- Ther I many an uncouth
- In the array of these proud;
- And at the last, as evenly as they coud,
- They took places in-middes of the mede,
- And every knight turned his hede280
-
- To his
Explicit.
- ‘And every tree stood by him-selve
- Fro other wel ten foot or twelve.’
- ‘I wolde go som whider to assay
- If that I might a nightingale here;
- For yet had I non herd of al this yere.’
- ‘Doun by a floury grene wente
- Ful thikke of gras, ful softe and swete, . . .
- And litel used, it semed thus.’
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