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Ful fair servyse and eek ful swete
These briddes maden as they sete.
Layes of love, ful wel sowning 715
They songen in hir Iargoning;
Summe highe and summe eek lowe songe
Upon the braunches grene y-spronge.
The sweetnesse of hir melodye
Made al myn herte in reverdye. 720
And whan that I hadde herd, I trowe,
These briddes singing on a rowe,
Than mighte I not withholde me
That I ne wente in for to see

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Des ore si cum je saure,
Vous conterai comment j'ovre.
Primes de quoi Deduit servoit,
Et quel compaignie il avoit
Sans longue fable vous veil dire,
Et du vergier tretout a tire 700
La facon vous redirai puis.
Tout ensemble dire ne puis,
Mes tout vous contere par ordre,
Que l'en n'i sache que remordre.
Grant servise et dous et plaisant
Aloient cil oisel faisant;
Lais d'amors et sonnes cortois
Chantoit chascun en son patois,
Li uns en haut, li autre en bas;
De lor chant n'estoit mie gas. 710
La doucor et la melodie
Me mist ou cuer grant reverdie;
Mes quant j'oi escoute ung poi
Les oisiaus, tenir ne me poi
Que dant Deduit veoir n'alasse;
Car a savoir moult desirasse

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Sir Mirthe; for my desiring 725
Was him to seen, over alle thing,
His countenaunce and his manere:
That sighte was to me ful dere.
Tho wente I forth on my right hond
Doun by a litel path I fond 730
Of mentes ful, and fenel grene;
And faste by, withoute wene,
SIR MIRTHE I fond; and right anoon SIR MIRTHE.
Unto sir Mirthe gan I goon,
Ther-as he was, him to solace. 735
And with him, in that lusty place,
So fair folk and so fresh hadde he,
That whan I saw, I wondred me
Fro whennes swich folk mighte come,
So faire they weren, alle and some; 740
For they were lyk, as to my sighte,
To angels, that ben fethered brighte.
This folk, of which I telle you so,
Upon a carole wenten tho.
A lady caroled hem, that highte 745
GLADNES, [the] blisful and the lighte; GLADNESSE.
Wel coude she singe and lustily,
Non half so wel and semely,
And make in song swich refreininge,
It sat hir wonder wel to singe. 750

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Son contenement et son estre.
Lors m'en alai tout droit a destre,
Par une petitete sente
Plaine de fenoil et de mente; 720
Mes auques pres trove Deduit,
Car maintenant en ung reduit
M'en entre ou Deduit estoit.
Deduit ilueques s'esbatoit;
S'avoit si bele gent o soi,
Que quant je les vi, je ne soi
Dont si tres beles gens pooient
Estre venu; car il sembloient
Tout por voir anges empennes,
Si beles gens ne vit homs nes. 730
Ceste gent dont je vous parole,
S'estoient pris a la carole,
Et une dame lor chantoit,
Qui Leesce apelee estoit:
Bien sot chanter et plesamment,
Ne nule plus avenaument,
Ne plus bel ses refrains ne fist,
A chanter merveilles li sist;

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Hir vois ful cleer was and ful swete.
She was nought rude ne unmete,
But couthe y-now of swich doing
As longeth unto caroling:
For she was wont in every place 755
To singen first, folk to solace;
For singing most she gaf hir to;
No craft had she so leef to do.
Tho mightest thou caroles seen,
And folk [ther] daunce and mery been, 760
And make many a fair tourning
Upon the grene gras springing.
Ther mightest thou see these floutours,
Minstrales, and eek Iogelours,
That wel to singe dide hir peyne. 765
Somme songe songes of Loreyne;
For in Loreyne hir notes be
Ful swetter than in this contree.
Ther was many a timbestere,
And saylours, that I dar wel swere 770
Couthe hir craft ful parfitly.
The timbres up ful sotilly
They caste, and henten [hem] ful ofte
Upon a finger faire and softe,

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Qu'ele avoit la vois clere et saine;
Et si n'estoit mie vilaine; 740
Ains se savoit bien desbrisier,
Ferir du pie et renvoisier.
Ele estoit ades coustumiere
De chanter en tous leus premiere:
Car chanter estoit li mestiers
Qu'ele faisoit plus volentiers.
Lors veissies carole aler,
Et gens mignotement baler,
Et faire mainte bele tresche,
Et maint biau tor sor l'erbe fresche. 750
La veissies fleuteors,
Menesterez et jougleors;
Si chantent li uns rotruenges,
Li autres notes Loherenges,
Por ce qu'en set en Loheregne
Plus cointes notes qu'en nul regne.
Assez i ot tableterresses
Ilec entor, et tymberresses
Qui moult savoient bien joer,
Et ne finoient de ruer 760
Le tymbre en haut, si recuilloient
Sor ung doi, c'onques n'i failloient.

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That they [ne] fayled never-mo. 775
Ful fetis damiselles two,
Right yonge, and fulle of semlihede,
In kirtles, and non other wede,
And faire tressed every tresse,
Hadde Mirthe doon, for his noblesse, 780
Amidde the carole for to daunce;
But her-of lyth no remembraunce,
How that they daunced queyntely.
That oon wolde come al prively
Agayn that other: and whan they were 785
Togidre almost, they threwe y-fere
Hir mouthes so, that through hir play
It semed as they kiste alway;
To dauncen wel coude they the gyse;
What shulde I more to you devyse?