| |
| PITE, that I have sought so yore ago, | |
| With herte sore, and ful of besy peyne, | |
| That in this world was never wight so wo | |
| With-oute dethe; and, if I shal not feyne, | |
| My purpos was, to Pite to compleyne | 5 |
| Upon the crueltee and tirannye | |
| Of Love, that for my trouthe doth me dye. | |
| |
| And when that I, by lengthe of certeyn yeres, | |
| Had ever in oon a tyme sought to speke, | |
| To Pite ran I, al bespreynt with teres, | 10 |
| To preyen hir on Crueltee me awreke. | |
| But, er I might with any worde out-breke, | |
| Or tellen any of my peynes smerte, | |
| I fond hir deed, and buried in an herte. | |
| |
| Adoun I fel, when that I saugh the herse, | 15 |
| Deed as a stoon, whyl that the swogh me laste; | |
| But up I roos, with colour ful diverse, | |
| And pitously on hir myn yën caste, | |
| And ner the corps I gan to presen faste, | |
| And for the soule I shoop me for to preye; | 20 |
| I nas but lorn; ther nas no more to seye. | |
| |
| Thus am I slayn, sith that Pite is deed; | |
| Allas! that day! that ever hit shulde falle! | |
| What maner man dar now holde up his heed? | |
| To whom shal any sorwful herte calle? | 25 |
| Now Crueltee hath cast to sleen us alle, | |
| In ydel hope, folk redelees of peyne— | |
| Sith she is deed—to whom shul we compleyne? | |
| |
| But yet encreseth me this wonder newe, | |
| That no wight woot that she is deed, but I; | 30 |
| So many men as in hir tyme hir knewe, | |
| And yet she dyed not so sodeynly; | |
| For I have sought hir ever ful besily | |
| Sith first I hadde wit or mannes mynde; | |
| But she was deed, er that I coude hir fynde. | 35 |
| |
| Aboute hir herse ther stoden lustily, | |
| Withouten any wo, as thoughte me, | |
| Bountee parfit, wel armed and richely, | |
| And fresshe Beautee, Lust, and Iolitee, | |
| Assured Maner, Youthe, and Honestee, | 40 |
| Wisdom, Estaat, [and] Dreed, and Governaunce, | |
| Confedred bothe by bonde and alliaunce. | |
| |
| A compleynt hadde I, writen, in myn hond, | |
| For to have put to Pite as a bille, | |
| But whan I al this companye ther fond, | 45 |
| That rather wolden al my cause spille | |
| Than do me help, I held my pleynte stille; | |
| For to that folk, withouten any faile, | |
| Withoute Pite may no bille availe. | |
| |
| Then leve I al thise virtues, sauf Pite, | 50 |
| Keping the corps, as ye have herd me seyn, | |
| Confedred alle by bonde of Crueltee, | |
| And been assented that I shal be sleyn. | |
| And I have put my compleynt up ageyn; | |
| For to my foos my bille I dar not shewe, | 55 |
| Theffect of which seith thus, in wordes fewe:— | |
| |
The Bille.
§ ‘Humblest of herte, hyest of reverence, | |
| Benigne flour, coroune of vertues alle, | |
| Sheweth unto your rial excellence | |
| Your servaunt, if I durste me so calle, | 60 |
| His mortal harm, in which he is y-falle, | |
| And noght al only for his evel fare, | |
| But for your renoun, as he shal declare. | |
| |
| ‘Hit stondeth thus: your contraire, Crueltee, | |
| Allyed is ageynst your regalye | 65 |
| Under colour of womanly Beautee, | |
| For men [ne] shuld not knowe hir tirannye, | |
| With Bountee, Gentilesse, and Curtesye, | |
| And hath depryved you now of your place | |
| That hight “Beautee, apertenant to Grace.” | 70 |
| |
| ‘For kyndly, by your heritage right, | |
| Ye been annexed ever unto Bountee; | |
| And verrayly ye oughte do your might | |
| To helpe Trouthe in his adversitee. | |
| Ye been also the coroune of Beautee; | 75 |
| And certes, if ye wanten in thise tweyne, | |
| The world is lore; ther nis no more to seyne. | |
| |
| § ‘Eek what availeth Maner and Gentilesse | |
| Withoute you, benigne creature? | |
| Shal Crueltee be your governeresse? | 80 |
| Allas! what herte may hit longe endure? | |
| Wherfor, but ye the rather take cure | |
| To breke that perilous alliaunce, | |
| Ye sleen hem that ben in your obeisaunce. | |
| |
| ‘And further over, if ye suffre this, | 85 |
| Your renoun is fordo than in a throwe; | |
| Ther shal no man wite wel what Pite is. | |
| Allas! that your renoun shuld be so lowe! | |
| Ye be than fro your heritage y-throwe | |
| By Crueltee, that occupieth your place; | 90 |
| And we despeired, that seken to your grace. | |
| |
| ‘Have mercy on me, thou Herenus quene, | |
| That you have sought so tenderly and yore; | |
| Let som streem of your light on me be sene | |
| That love and drede you, ay lenger the more. | 95 |
| For, sothly for to seyne, I bere the sore, | |
| And, though I be not cunning for to pleyne, | |
| For goddes love, have mercy on my peyne! | |
| |
| § ‘My peyne is this, that what so I desire | |
| That have I not, ne no-thing lyk therto; | 100 |
| And ever set Desire myn herte on fire; | |
| Eek on that other syde, wher-so I go, | |
| What maner thing that may encrese wo | |
| That have I redy, unsoght, everywhere; | |
| Me [ne] lakketh but my deth, and than my bere. | 105 |
| |
| ‘What nedeth to shewe parcel of my peyne? | |
| Sith every wo that herte may bethinke | |
| I suffre, and yet I dar not to you pleyne; | |
| For wel I woot, al-though I wake or winke, | |
| Ye rekke not whether I flete or sinke. | 110 |
| But natheles, my trouthe I shal sustene | |
| Unto my deth, and that shal wel be sene. | |
| |
| ‘This is to seyne, I wol be youres ever; | |
| Though ye me slee by Crueltee, your fo, | |
| Algate my spirit shal never dissever | 115 |
| Fro your servyse, for any peyne or wo. | |
| Sith ye be deed—allas! that hit is so!— | |
| Thus for your deth I may wel wepe and pleyne | |
With herte sore and ful of besy peyne.’
Here endeth the exclamacion of the Deth of Pyte. | |
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