No More Learning

'
Seide the turtel, 'if hit be your wille 510
A wight may speke, him were as good be stille.

I am a seed-foul, oon the unworthieste,
That wot I wel, and litel of kunninge;
But bet is that a wightes tonge reste
Than entremeten him of such doinge 515
Of which he neyther rede can nor singe.
And who-so doth, ful foule himself acloyeth,
For office uncommitted ofte anoyeth. '

Nature, which that alway had an ere
To murmour of the lewednes behinde, 520
With facound voys seide, 'hold your tonges there!
And I shal sone, I hope, a counseyl finde
You to delivere, and fro this noyse unbinde;
I Iuge, of every folk men shal oon calle
To seyn the verdit for you foules alle. ' 525

Assented were to this conclusioun
The briddes alle; and foules of ravyne
Han chosen first, by pleyn eleccioun,
The tercelet of the faucon, to diffyne
Al hir sentence, and as him list, termyne; 530
And to Nature him gonnen to presente,
And she accepteth him with glad entente.

The tercelet seide than in this manere:
Ful hard were hit to preve hit by resoun
Who loveth best this gentil formel here; 535
For everich hath swich replicacioun,
That noon by skilles may be broght a-doun;
I can not seen that arguments avayle;
Than semeth hit ther moste be batayle. '

'Al redy! ' quod these egles tercels tho. 540
Nay, sirs! ' quod he, 'if that I dorste it seye,
Ye doon me wrong, my tale is not y-do!
For sirs, ne taketh noght a-gref, I preye,
It may noght gon, as ye wolde, in this weye;
Oure is the voys that han the charge in honde, 545
And to the Iuges dome ye moten stonde;

And therfor pees! I seye, as to my wit,
Me wolde thinke how that the worthieste
Of knighthode, and lengest hath used hit,
Moste of estat, of blode the gentileste, 550
Were sittingest for hir, if that hir leste;
And of these three she wot hir-self, I trowe,
Which that he be, for hit is light to knowe. '

The water-foules han her hedes leyd
Togeder, and of short avysement, 555
Whan everich had his large golee seyd,
They seyden sothly, al by oon assent,
How that 'the goos, with hir facounde gent,
That so desyreth to pronounce our nede,
Shal telle our tale,' and preyde 'god hir spede. ' 560

And for these water-foules tho began
The goos to speke, and in hir cakelinge
She seyde, 'pees!
now tak kepe every man,
And herkeneth which a reson I shal bringe;
My wit is sharp, I love no taryinge; 565
I seye, I rede him, though he were my brother,
But she wol love him, lat him love another! '

Lo here! a parfit reson of a goos! '
Quod the sperhauk; 'never mot she thee!
Lo, swich hit is to have a tonge loos! 570
Now parde, fool, yet were hit bet for thee
Have holde thy pees, than shewed thy nycete!
Hit lyth not in his wit nor in his wille,
But sooth is seyd, "a fool can noght be stille. "'

The laughter aroos of gentil foules alle, 575
And right anoon the seed-foul chosen hadde
The turtel trewe, and gunne hir to hem calle,
And preyden hir to seye the sothe sadde
Of this matere, and asked what she radde;
And she answerde, that pleynly hir entente 580
She wolde shewe, and sothly what she mente.

Nay, god forbede a lover shulde chaunge! '
The turtel seyde, and wex for shame al reed;
Thogh that his lady ever-more be straunge,
Yet let him serve hir ever, til he be deed; 585
For sothe, I preyse noght the gooses reed;
For thogh she deyed, I wolde non other make,
I wol ben hires, til that the deth me take. '

Wel bourded! ' quod the doke, 'by my hat!
That men shulde alwey loven, causeles, 590
Who can a reson finde or wit in that?
Daunceth he mury that is mirtheles?
Who shulde recche of that is reccheles?
Ye, quek!