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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? 790
Ne bede I never thennes go,
Whyles that I saw hem daunce so.
Upon the carole wonder faste,
I gan biholde; til atte laste
A lady gan me for to espye, 795
And she was cleped CURTESYE, CURTESYE.
The worshipful, the debonaire;
I pray god ever falle hir faire!
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Deus damoiseles moult mignotes,
Qui estoient en pures cotes,
Et trecies a une tresce,
Faisoient Deduit par noblesce
Enmi la karole baler;
Mes de ce ne fait a parler
Comme el baloient cointement.
L'une venoit tout belement 770
Contre l'autre; et quant el estoient
Pres a pres, si s'entregetoient
Les bouches, qu'il vous fust avis
Que s'entrebaisassent ou vis:
Bien se savoient desbrisier.
Ne vous en sai que devisier;
Mes a nul jor ne me queisse
Remuer, tant que ge veisse
Ceste gent ainsine efforcier
De caroler et de dancier. 780
La karole tout en estant
Regardai iluec jusqu'a tant
C'une dame bien enseignie
Me tresvit: ce fu Cortoisie
La vaillant et la debonnaire,
Que Diex deffende de contraire.

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Ful curteisly she called me,
'What do ye there, beau sire? ' quod she, 800
Come [neer], and if it lyke yow
To dauncen, daunceth with us now. '
And I, withoute tarying,
Wente into the caroling.
I was abasshed never a del, 805
But it me lykede right wel,
That Curtesye me cleped so,
And bad me on the daunce go.
For if I hadde durst, certeyn
I wolde have caroled right fayn, 810
As man that was to daunce blythe.
Than gan I loken ofte sythe
The shap, the bodies, and the cheres,
The countenaunce and the maneres
Of alle the folk that daunced there, 815
And I shal telle what they were.
Ful fair was MIRTHE, ful long and high; MIRTHE.
A fairer man I never sigh.
As round as appel was his face,
Ful rody and whyt in every place. 820
Fetys he was and wel beseye,
With metely mouth and yen greye;

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Cortoisie lors m'apela:
Biaus amis, que faites-vous la? '
Fait Cortoisie, 'ca venez,
Et avecque nous vous prenez 790
A la karole, s'il vous plest. '
Sans demorance et sans arrest
A la karole me sui pris,
Si n'en fui pas trop entrepris,
Et sachies que moult m'agrea
Quant Cortoisie m'en pria,
Et me dist que je karolasse;
Car de karoler, se j'osasse,
Estoie envieus et sorpris.