No More Learning

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Se j'orroie venir nulle arme.
Le guichet, qui estoit de charme,
M'ovrit une noble pucele
Qui moult estoit et gente et bele.
Cheveus ot blons cum uns bacins,
La char plus tendre qu'uns pocins,
Front reluisant, sorcis votis.
Son entr'oil ne fu pas petis, 530
Ains iert assez grans par mesure;
Le nes ot bien fait a droiture,
Les yex ot plus vairs c'uns faucons,
Por faire envie a ces bricons.
Douce alene ot et savoree,
La face blanche et coloree,
La bouche petite et grocete,
S'ot ou menton une fossete.
Le col fu de bonne moison,
Gros assez et lons par raison, 540
Si n'i ot bube ne malen.
N'avoit jusqu'en Jherusalen
Fame qui plus biau col portast,
Polis iert et soef au tast.
La gorgete ot autresi blanche
Cum est la noif desus la branche

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Of body ful wel wrought was she
Men neded not, in no cuntree, 560
A fairer body for to seke.
And of fyn orfrays had she eke
A chapelet: so semly oon
Ne wered never mayde upon;. . . .
And faire above that chapelet 565
A rose gerland had she set.
She hadde [in honde] a gay mirour,
And with a riche gold tressour
Hir heed was tressed queyntely;
Hir sleves sewed fetisly. 570
And for to kepe hir hondes faire
Of gloves whyte she hadde a paire.
And she hadde on a cote of grene
Of cloth of Gaunt; withouten wene,
Wel semed by hir apparayle 575
She was not wont to greet travayle.
For whan she kempt was fetisly,
And wel arayed and richely,
Thanne had she doon al hir Iournee;
For mery and wel bigoon was she. 580

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Quant il a freschement negie.
Le cors ot bien fait et dougie,
L'en ne seust en nule terre
Nul plus bel cors de fame querre. 550
D'orfrois ot un chapel mignot;
Onques nule pucele n'ot
Plus cointe ne plus desguisie,
Ne l'aroie adroit devisie
En trestous les jors de ma vie.
Robe avoit moult bien entaillie;
Ung chapel de roses tout frais
Ot dessus le chapel d'orfrais:
En sa main tint ung miroer,
Si ot d'ung riche trecoer 560
Son chief trecie moult richement,
Bien et bel et estroitement
Ot ambdeus cousues ses manches;
Et por garder que ses mains blanches
Ne halaissent, ot uns blans gans.
Cote ot d'ung riche vert de gans,
Cousue a lignel tout entour.
Il paroit bien a son atour
Qu'ele iere poi embesoignie.
Quant ele s'iere bien pignie, 570
Et bien paree et atornee,
Ele avoit faite sa jornee.

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She ladde a lusty lyf in May,
She hadde no thought, by night ne day,
Of no-thing, but it were oonly
To graythe hit wel and uncouthly.
Whan that this dore hadde opened me 585
This mayden, semely for to see,
I thanked hir as I best mighte,
And axede hir how that she highte,
And what she was, I axede eke.
And she to me was nought unmeke, 590
Ne of hir answer daungerous,
But faire answerde, and seide thus:--
Lo, sir, my name is YDELNESSE;
So clepe men me, more and lesse.
Ful mighty and ful riche am I, 595
And that of oon thing, namely;
For I entende to no-thing
But to my Ioye, and my pleying,
And for to kembe and tresse me.
Aqueynted am I, and privee 600
With Mirthe, lord of this gardyn,
That fro the lande of Alexandryn
Made the trees be hider fet,
That in this gardin been y-set.

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Moult avoit bon tems et bon May,
Qu'el n'avoit soussi ne esmay
De nule riens, fors solement
De soi atorner noblement.
Quant ainsinc m'ot l'uis defferme
La pucele au cors acesme,
Je l'en merciai doucement,
Et si li demandai comment 580
Ele avoit non, et qui ele iere.