No More Learning

1240
El ne fu ne nice, n'umbrage,
Mes sages auques sans outrage,
De biaus respons et de biaus dis,
Onc nus ne fu par li laidis,
Ne ne porta nului rancune.
El fu clere comme la lune
Est avers les autres estoiles
Qui ne resemblent que chandoiles.
Faitisse estoit et avenant,
Je ne sai fame plus plaisant. 1250
Ele ere entoutes cors bien digne
D'estre emperieris, ou roine.
A li se tint uns chevaliers
Acointables et biaus parliers,
Qui sot bien faire honor as gens.
Li chevaliers fu biaus et gens,
Et as armes bien acesmes,
Et de s'amie bien ames.
La bele Oiseuse vint apres,
Qui se tint de moi asses pres. 1260
De cele vous ai dit sans faille
Toute la facon et la taille;
Ja plus ne vous en iert conte,
Car c'est cele qui la bonte

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That she the gate of the gardin
Undide, and leet me passen in. 1280
And after daunced, as I gesse, YOUTHE.
[YOUTHE], fulfild of lustinesse,
That nas not yit twelve yeer of age,
With herte wilde, and thought volage;
Nyce she was, but she ne mente 1285
Noon harm ne slight in hir entente,
But only lust and Iolitee.
For yonge folk, wel witen ye,
Have litel thought but on hir play.
Hir lemman was bisyde alway, 1290
In swich a gyse, that he hir kiste
At alle tymes that him liste,
That al the daunce mighte it see;
They make no force of privetee;
For who spak of hem yvel or wel, 1295
They were ashamed never-a-del,
But men mighte seen hem kisse there,
As it two yonge douves were.
For yong was thilke bachelere,
Of beaute wot I noon his pere; 1300
And he was right of swich an age
As Youthe his leef, and swich corage.
The lusty folk thus daunced there,
And also other that with hem were,

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Me fist si grant qu'ele m'ovri
Le guichet del vergier flori.
Apres se tint mien esciant,
Jonesce, au vis cler et luisant,
Qui n'avoit encores passes,
Si cum je cuit, douze ans d'asses.
1270
Nicete fu, si ne pensoit
Nul mal, ne nul engin qui soit;
Mes moult iert envoisie et gaie,
Car jone chose ne s'esmaie
Fors de joer, bien le saves.
Ses amis iert de li prives
En tel guise, qu'il la besoit
Toutes les fois que li plesoit,
Voians tous ceus de la karole:
Car qui d'aus deus tenist parole, 1280
Il n'en fussent ja vergondeus,
Ains les veissies entre aus deus
Baisier comme deus columbiaus.
Le vales fu jones et biaus,
Si estoit bien d'autel aage
Cum s'amie, et d'autel corage.
Ainsi karoloient ilecques,
Ceste gens, et autres avecques,

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That weren alle of hir meynee; 1305
Ful hende folk, and wys, and free,
And folk of fair port, trewely,
Ther weren alle comunly.
Whan I hadde seen the countenaunces
Of hem that ladden thus these daunces, 1310
Than hadde I wil to goon and see
The gardin that so lyked me,
And loken on these faire loreres,
On pyn-trees, cedres, and oliveres.
The daunces than y-ended were; 1315
For many of hem that daunced there
Were with hir loves went awey
Under the trees to have hir pley.
A, lord! they lived lustily!
A gret fool were he, sikerly, 1320
That nolde, his thankes, swich lyf lede!
For this dar I seyn, out of drede,
That who-so mighte so wel fare,
For better lyf [thurte] him not care;
For ther nis so good paradys 1325
As have a love at his devys.
Out of that place wente I tho,
And in that gardin gan I go,

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Qui estoient de lor mesnies,
Franches gens et bien enseignies, 1290
Et gens de bel afetement
Estoient tuit communement.
Quant j'oi veues les semblances
De ceus qui menoient les dances,
J'oi lors talent que le vergier
Alasse veoir et cerchier,
Et remirer ces biaus moriers,
Ces pins, ces codres, ces loriers.
Les karoles ja remanoient,
Car tuit li plusors s'en aloient 1300
O lor amies umbroier
Sous ces arbres por dosnoier.
Diex, cum menoient bonne vie!
Fox est qui n'a de tel envie;
Qui autel vie avoir porroit,
De mieudre bien se sofferroit,
Qu'il n'est nul greignor paradis
Qu'avoir amie a son devis.
D'ilecques me parti atant,
Si m'en alai seus esbatant 1310

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Pleying along ful merily.