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And springeth wood anew.
Sing Cuckoo!

Loweth after calf the cow,

Bleateth after lamb the owe,
Buck doth gambol, bullock amble,-
Merry sing Cuckoo!

Cuckoo, Cuckoo! Well singest thou
Cuckoo! nor cease thou ever now.

(Foot)

Sing Cuckoo now, sing Cuckoo.

Sing Cuckoo, sing Cuckoo now.

* See Eng. Lit., p. 42, for the Middle English, which is here somewhat modernized. The song was set to music, and the manuscript which contains the music adds the following directions, in Latin: "This part-song (rotu) may be sung by four in company. It should not be sung by fewer than three, or at least two, in addition to those who sing the Foot. And it should be sung in this manner: One begins, accompanied by those who sing the Foot, the rest keeping silent. Then, when he has reached the first note after the cross [a mark on the musical score], another begins; and so on. The first line of the Foot one singer repeats as often as necessary, pausing at the end; the other line another man sings, pausing in the middle but not at the end, but immediately beginning again."

FOURTEENTH CENTURY-AGE OF CHAUCER

FROM THE PEARL (c. 1350)*

1

O pearl, for princes' pleasure wrought,
In lucent gold deftly to set,

Never from orient realms was brought
Its peer in price, I dare say, yet.
So beautiful, so fresh, so round,

So smooth its sides, so slender shown, Whatever gems to judge be found

I needs must set it apart, alone. But it is lost! I let it stray

Down thro' the grass in an arbor-plot. With love's pain now I pine away, Lorn of my pearl without a spot.

2

Since in that spot it slipt from my hand, Oft have I lingered there and yearned For joy that once my sorrows banned And all my woes to rapture turned. Truly my heart with grief is wrung,

And in my breast there dwelleth dole; Yet never song, methought, was sung So sweet as through that stillness stole. O tide of fancies I could not stem!

O fair hue fouled with stain and blot! O mould, thou marrest a lovely gem,

12

24

Mine own, own pearl without a spot. This anonymous poem is allegorical: possibly the "pearl" is the poet's daughter (Eng. Lit., 44). The selection here given is translated, because the West Midland dialect of the original presents more difficulties than the East Midland of Chaucer. The whole is a very interesting piece of construction, combining the Romance elements of meter and rhyme, as employed by Chaucer, with the old Saxon alliteration which the West Midland poets, like Langland,

affected. Note also the refrain-like effects. In this translation, the exacting rhymescheme of the original, which permits but three rhyme sounds in a stanza, has been adhered to in the last three stanzas only. The first stanza of the original runs thus: Perle plesaunte to prynces paye,

To clanly clos in golde so clere,

Out of oryent I hardyly saye,

Ne proved I never her precios pere,

So rounde, so reken in uche a raye,

So smal, so smothe her sydez were,-
Queresoever I jugged gemmez gaye,
I sette hyr sengeley in synglere.
Allas! I leste hyr in on erbere;

Thurgh gresse to grounde hit fro me yot;
I dewyne for-dokked of luf-daungere,
Of that pryvy perle withouten spot.

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Hedge-rows there were, and paths, and streams, Uprose in all her queenly array,

Whose banks were as fine threads of gold, And I stood on the strand and watched the gleams

Of one inat downward in beauty rolled. 108

10

Dear Lord, the beauty of that fair burn!
Its berylline banks were bright as day,
And singing sweetly at every turn

The murmuring waters took their way.
On the bottom were stones a-shimmer with light
As gleams through glass that waver and leap,
Or as twinkling stars on a winter night
That watch in heaven while tired men sleep.
For every pebble there that laved

Seemed like a rare and radiant gem;
Each pool was as with sapphires paved,
So lustrous shone the beauty of them.

13

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119

A priceless thing in pearls bedight.

17

Pearl-dight in royal wise, per lie,

One might by grace have seen her there,
When all as fresh as a fleur-de-lys

Adown the margent stepped that fair.
Her robe was white as gleaming snow,
Unclasped at the sides and closely set
With the loveliest margarites, I trow,
That ever my eyes looked on yet.
Her sleeves were broad and full, I ween,
With double braid of pearls made bright.
Her kirtle shone with as goodly sheen,
With precious pearls no less bedight.

20

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Pearl-dight, that nature's masterpiece
Came down the margent, stepping slow;
No gladder man from here to Greece
When by the stream she stood, I trow.
More near of kin than aunt or niece,
She made my gladness overflow;

She proffered me speech-Oh heart's release!
In womanly fashion bending low;
Caught off her crown of queenly show
And welcomed me as a maiden might.
Ah well that I was born to know
And greet that sweet ore pearl-bedight!

66

21

192

203

23

155 O pearl," quoth I, "all pearl-bedight,
Art thou my Pearl, the Pearl I mourn
And long for through the lonely night?
In weariness my days have worn
Since thou in the grass didst slip from sight.
Pensive am I, heart-sick, forlorn,-
While thou hast won to pure delight

In Paradise, of sorrow shorn.
What fate has hither my jewel borne

And left me beggared to moan and ery?
For since we twain asunder were torn,
A joyless jeweler am I."

22.

167 That jewel then, with gems o'erspread,
Upturned her face and her eyes gray,
Replaced the crown upon her head,

But more than my longing was now my fright;
I stood quite still; I durst not call;
With eyes wide open and lips shut tight,
I stood as quiet as hawk in hall.

I weened it was some spectral shape,
I dreaded to think what should ensue
If I should call her and she escape
And leave me only my plight to rue.
When lo, that gracious, spotless may,1
So delicate, so soft, so slight,

1 maid

And thus my longing did allay:
"Oh, sir, thou hast thy tale misread
To say thy pearl is stolen away,
That is so safely casketed

Here in this garden bright and gay,
Herein forever to dwell and play

Where comes not sin nor sorrow's blight.
Such treasury 2 wouldst thou choose, parfay,
Didst thou thy jewel love aright."'*

2 Compare Matthew vi, 21.

252

264

A long religious dissertation follows and the dreamer awakes consoled.

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I seigh16 a toure17 on a toft18 trielich19 ymaked;

A depe dale binethe, a dongeon20 there-inne, With depe dyches and derke and dredful of sight.

16

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Qui turpiloquium loquitur is luciferes hyne.43 A faire felde ful of folke21 fonde I there with her belies and her bagges of bred ful Bidders and beggeres fast aboute yede,45 bytwene,

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In this long allegorical poem, the poet with the daring of a reformer attacks what he thinks to be the abuses in church, state, and society. The prologue, of which the first 82 lines are here given, sets the key-note of the poem by a description of the suffering, weakness, and crimes of the world as seen by the poet in a vision. Then in Passus (Chapter) I, of which a few lines are given, the poet begins his narrative interpretation of his vision. Our text is the B-text as printed by Dr. Skeat.

yerammed;

41

Faytedene for here fode, foughten atte ale;47 In glotonye, god it wote,18 gon hij49 to bedde,

And risen with ribaudye50 tho roberdes knaves;51

Slepe and sori sleuthe52 seweth53 hem evre.54

Pilgrymes and palmers55 plighted hem togidere
To seke seynt Iames56 and seyntes in Rome.
Thei went forth in here wey with many wise
tales,

And hadden leve to lye al here lyf after.
I seigh somme that seiden thei had ysought

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To eche a57 tale that thei tolde here tonge was And raughte87 with his ragmans rynges and tempred to lye

51

More than to sey sothes it semed bi here speche.
Heremites on59 an heep, with hoked staves,
Wenten to Walsyngham,* and here wenches
after60;

broches;

Thus they geven here golde, glotones to kepe.

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Were the bischop yblissed89 and worth bothe his eres,

Grete lobyes and longe,62 that loth were to His seel90 shulde nought be sent to deceyve swynke,63 the peple.

Clotheden hem in copise to ben knowen fram Ac it is naught by the bischop that the boy92 othere;

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precheth,

80

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The shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham (Nor-91 not against
folk) was almost more celebrated than that
of Thomas à Becket.

So worldly were the friars seeking money for
hearing confessions and peddling their wares,
that they often quarreled with the priests as
to which should hear the confession.

1 means
2 face

3 sleepest thou
4 seest thou

92 i. e., the pardoner

bishop's 93 divide

5 confused throng

94 poor

95 if they (the pardoner and the priest) did not exist

6 if they have honor

7 account

8 though

9 skin

10 gave

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