Now lady, from the fyr thou us defende 95
Which that in helle eternally shal dure.
Which that in helle eternally shal dure.
Chaucer - Romuant of the Rose
Than makest thou his pees with his sovereyn,
And bringest him out of the crooked strete. 70
Who-so thee loveth he shal not love in veyn,
That shal he finde, as he the lyf shal lete.
Kalenderes enlumined ben they
That in this world ben lighted with thy name,
And who-so goth to you the righte wey, 75
Him thar not drede in soule to be lame.
Now, queen of comfort, sith thou art that same
To whom I seche for my medicyne,
Lat not my foo no more my wounde entame,
Myn hele in-to thyn hand al I resigne. 80
Lady, thy sorwe can I not portreye
Under the cros, ne his grevous penaunce.
But, for your bothes peynes, I you preye,
Lat not our alder foo make his bobaunce,
>>
Ie ne truis par nulle voie
Ou mon salut si bien voie
Com, apres Dieu, en toy le voy;
Quar quant aucun se desvoie, 100
A ce que tost se ravoie,
De ta pitie li fais convoy.
Tu li fes lessier son desroy
Et li refaiz sa pais au roy,
Et remez en droite voie.
Moult est donc cil en bon arroy,
En bon atour, en bon conroy
Que ta grace si conroie.
Kalendier sont enlumine
Et autre livre enterine 110
Quant ton non les enlumine.
A tout meschief ont resine
Ceus qui se sont achemine
A toy pour leur medicine.
A moy donc, virge, t'encline,
Car a toy je m'achemine
Pour estre bien medicine;
Ne sueffre que de gainne
Isse justice devine
Par quoy je soye extermine. 120
La douceur de toy pourtraire
Je ne puis, a qui retraire
Doit ton filz de ton sanc estrait;
Pour ce a toy m'ay volu traire
<<
That he hath in his listes of mischaunce 85
Convict that ye bothe have bought so dere.
As I seide erst, thou ground of our substaunce,
Continue on us thy pitous eyen clere!
Moises, that saugh the bush with flaumes rede
Brenninge, of which ther never a stikke brende, 90
Was signe of thyn unwemmed maidenhede.
Thou art the bush on which ther gan descende
The Holy Gost, the which that Moises wende
Had ben a-fyr; and this was in figure.
Now lady, from the fyr thou us defende 95
Which that in helle eternally shal dure.
Noble princesse, that never haddest pere,
Certes, if any comfort in us be,
That cometh of thee, thou Cristes moder dere,
We han non other melodye or glee 100
Us to reioyse in our adversitee,
Ne advocat noon that wol and dar so preye
For us, and that for litel hyre as ye,
That helpen for an Ave-Marie or tweye.
>>
Afin que contre moy traire
Ne le sueuffres nul cruel trait.
Je recongnois bien mon mesfait
Et qu'au colier j'ai souvent trait
Dont l'en me devroit detraire;
Mez se tu veus tu as l'entrait 130
Par quoy tantost sera retrait
Le mehain qui m'est contraire.
Moyses vit en figure
Que tu, vierge nete et pure,
Jesu le filz Dieu conceus:
Un bysson contre nature
Vit qui ardoit sans arsure.
C'es tu, n'en suis point deceus,
Dex est li feus qu'en toy eus;
Et tu, buisson des recreuz 140
Es, pour tremper leur ardure.
A ce veoir, vierge, veus
Soie par toy et receus,
Oste chaussement d'ordure.
Noble princesse du monde
Qui n'as ne per ne seconde
En royaume n'en enpire,
De toy vient, de toy redonde
Tout le bien qui nous abonde,
N'avons autre tirelire. 150
En toy tout povre homme espire
Et de toy son salu tire,
Et en toy seule se fonde.
Ne puet nul penser ne dire,
Nul pourtraire ne escrire
Ta bonte comme est parfonde.
<<
O verrey light of eyen that ben blinde, 105
O verrey lust of labour and distresse,
O tresorere of bountee to mankinde,
Thee whom God chees to moder for humblesse!
From his ancille he made thee maistresse
Of hevene and erthe, our bille up for to bede. 110
This world awaiteth ever on thy goodnesse,
For thou ne failest never wight at nede.
Purpos I have sum tyme for tenquere,
Wherfore and why the Holy Gost thee soughte,
Whan Gabrielles vois cam to thyn ere. 115
He not to werre us swich a wonder wroughte,
But for to save us that he sithen boughte.
Than nedeth us no wepen us for to save,
But only ther we did not, as us oughte,
Do penitence, and mercy axe and have.