[Chacer dreams that he sees the birds assembled on St. Valentine's Day to choose their mates, the Goddess Nature presiding. Among the mates is a formel, or female eagle, wooed by three tercels: the formel being probably Anne of Bohemia, and the tercel royal King Richard II]
And in a launde, upon an hille of floures,
Was set this noble goddessë Nature;
Of braunches were hir hallës and hir boures
Ywrought, after hir crafte and hir mesure;
Ne ther nas fowl that cometh of engendrure,
That there ne werë prest1, in hir presence,
To take hir dome 2, and yeve hir audience.
There myghtë men the royal egle fynde,
That with his sharpë look perceth the Sonne;
And other egles of a lower kynde,
Of which that clerkës wel devysen konne;
There was the tiraunt with his fethres donne
And grey, I mene the goshauke that doth pyne3
To briddës, for his outrageous ravyne.
The gentil faucoun, that with his feet distreyneth
The kyngës hond; the hardy sperhauk eke,
The quaylës foo; the merlyon that peyneth
Hymself ful ofte the larke for to seke;
There was the dowvë, with hir eyën meke;
The jalouse swanne, ayens hys deth that syngeth;
The owle eke, that of dethe the bodë bryngeth.
• judgment.
⚫ the peregrine.
The crane the geaunt, with his trompes soune:
The thefe the chough, and eke the janglyng pye;
The scornyng jay, the eles foo the heroune;
The false lapwyng, ful of trecherye ;
The starë, that the counseyl kan bewrye1;
The tame ruddok, and the coward kyte;
The cok, that orlogge ys of thropës lyte.
The sparow, Venus sone, and the nyghtyngale
That clepeth forth the fresshë levës newe:
The swalow, mordrer of the beës smale,
That maken hony of flourës fressh of hewe;
The wedded turtel, with hys hertë trewe;
The pecok, with his aungels fethers bryghte;
The fesaunt, scorner of the cok by nyghte.
The waker goos, the cukkow ever unkynde,
The papinjay, ful of delycacye ;
The drakë, stroyer of his owën kynde;
The storke, wreker of avowterie;
Tho hoote cormeraunt, ful of glotonye;
The ravene and the crowe, with voys of care;
The throstel old, the frosty feldëfare.
[The question as to which tercel is to have the formel eagle is referred to the Parliament of Birds. Some of the opinions given are as follows.]
The watir foulës han her hedës leyd
Togedir, and of shorte avysëment,
Whan everych had hys large golee seyd,
They seyden sothly al by on assent,
How that the goos, with hir faconde gent,
That soo desireth to pronounce our nede,
Shal telle our tale, and preyde to God hir spede.
And for these watir foulës tho began
The goos to speke, and in hir cakëlynge,
She seydë, 'Pes now, tak kepe1 every man,
And herkneth which a resoun I shal forth bringe!
My wyt ys sharpe, I love no taryinge!
I sey I rede2 hym, though he were my brother,
But she wol love hym, lat hym love another.'
'Loo! here a parfyte resoun of a goos!'
Quod the sperhaukë. Never mote she thee!
Loo, suche hyt ys to have a tongë loos!
Now pardé, fool, yet were hit bet for the
Have holde thy pes, than shewed thy nycëté;
Hyt lyth not in hys wyt, nor in hys wille;
But sooth ys seyd, a fool kan noght be stille.'
The laughtre aroos of gentil foulës alle,
And ryght anoon the sede-foul" chosen hadde
The turtel trewe, and ganne hir to hem calle;
And prayden hir to seye the soth sadde
Of thys matere, and asked what she radde".
And she answerde, that pleynly hir entente
She wolde shewe, and sothly what she mente.
'Nay, God forbede a lover shulde chaunge!'
The turtel seyde, and wex for shame al reed:
'Thoogh that hys lady evermore be straunge,
Yet let hym serve hir ever, tyl he be deed.
Forsoth, I preysë noght the gooses reed;
For though she deyed, I wolde noon other make';
I wol ben hirs til that the deth me take
'Wel bourded,' quod the dukë, 'by my hat!
That men shulde alwey loven causëles,
Who kan a resoun fynde, or wyt in that?
Daunceth he murye that ys murtheles?
Who shulde rechche 10
10 of that ys rechcheles?
Ye! quek! yet,' quod the dukë, 'wel and faire !
There ben moo sterrës, God woot, than a paire.'
'Now fy, cherl!' quod the gentil tercëlet,-
'Out of the dunghil com that word ful ryght;
Thou kanst noght see which thing is wel beset;
Thou farest be love as owles doon by lyght,-
The day hem blent, ful wel they see by nyght;
Thy kynde ys of so lowe a wrechednesse,
That what love is thou kanst not see ne gesse.'
Thoo gan the cukkow put hym forth in pres1
For foule that eteth worm, and seyde blyve:--
'So I,' quod he, 'may have my make in pes,
I rechë not how longë that ye strive.
Lat ech of hem be soleyn al her lyve,
This ys my reed, syne they may not acorde ;
This shortë lessoun nedeth noght recorde.'
'Yee, have the glotoun fild ynogh hys paunche,
Thanne are we wel!' seyde the merlyoun3:-
'Thou mordrere of the haysogge1 on the braunche
That broghtë the forth! thou rewful glotoun !
Lyve thou soleyn, wormës corrupcioun !
For no fors ys of lak of thy nature5;
Goo, lewed be thou while the world may dure !'
'Now pes,' quod Nature, 'I commaundë here,
For I have herd al your opynioun,
And in effect yet be we never the nere;
But fynally, this ys my conclusioun,—
That she hir self shal have the eleccioun
Of whom hir lyst, who-so be wrooth or blythe;
Hym that she cheest, he shal han hir as swithe".
among the crowd. quickly. 3 the merlin. hedge-sparrow. 'failure of thy whole species would not matter. 6 chooses. 7 swiftly
[Chaucer dreams that he is carried up by an eagle to the House of Fame midway between heaven, earth, and sea. The eagle thus explains why Jove does him this honour.]
'But er I bere thee mochë ferre',
I wol thee tellë what I am,
And whider thou shalt, and why I cam
To do thys, so that thou [thee] take
Good herte, and not for ferë quake.'
'Gladly,' quod I. Now wel,' quod he:
'First, I, that in my feet have thee,
Of which thou hast a fere and wonder,
Am dwellyng with the god of thonder,
Whiche that men callen Jupiter,
That dooth me flee ful oftë fer
To do al hys comaundëment.
And for this cause he hath me sent
To thee now herkë, be thy trouthe!
Certeyn he hath of thee routhe,
That thou so longë trewëly
Hast served so ententyfly2
Hys blynde nevew Cupido,
And faire Venus also,
Withoutë guerdoun ever yit,
And nevertheles hast set thy wit,
(Although [that] in thy hede ful lyt is)
To make songës, bokes, and dytees,
In ryme, or ellës in cadence,
As thou best conne, in reverence
Of Love, and of hys servantes eke,
That have hys servyse soght, and seke;
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