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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.
Ele ne fu pas envers moi fiere,
Ne de respondre desdaigneuse:
Je me fais apeler Oiseuse,'
Dist-ele, 'a tous mes congnoissans;
Si sui riche fame et poissans.
S'ai d'une chose moult bon tens,
Car a nule riens je ne pens
Qu'a moi joer et solacier,
Et mon chief pignier et trecier: 590
Quant sui pignee et atornee,
Adonc est fete ma jornee.
Privee sui moult et acointe
De Deduit le mignot, le cointe;
C'est cil cui est cest biax jardins,
Qui de la terre as Sarradins
Fist ca ces arbres aporter,
Qu'il fist par ce vergier planter.

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And whan the trees were woxen on highte, 605
This wal, that slant here in thy sighte,
Dide Mirthe enclosen al aboute;
And these images, al withoute,
He dide hem bothe entaile and peynte,
That neither ben Iolyf ne queynte, 610
But they ben ful of sorowe and wo,
As thou hast seen a whyle ago.
'And ofte tyme, him to solace,
Sir Mirthe cometh into this place,
And eek with him cometh his meynee, 615
That liven in lust and Iolitee.
And now is Mirthe therin, to here
The briddes, how they singen clere,
The mavis and the nightingale,
And other Ioly briddes smale. 620
And thus he walketh to solace
Him and his folk; for swetter place
To pleyen in he may not finde,
Although he soughte oon in-til Inde.
The alther-fairest folk to see 625
That in this world may founde be
Hath Mirthe with him in his route,
That folowen him alwayes aboute.
'

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Quant li arbres furent creu,
Le mur que vous avez veu, 600
Fist lors Deduit tout entor faire,
Et si fist au dehors portraire
Les ymages qui i sunt paintes,
Que ne sunt mignotes ne cointes;
Ains sunt dolereuses et tristes,
Si cum vous orendroit veistes.
Maintes fois por esbanoier
Se vient en cest leu umbroier
Deduit et les gens qui le sivent,
Qui en joie et en solas vivent. 610
Encores est leens, sans doute,
Deduit orendroit qui escoute
A chanter gais rossignoles,
Mauvis et autres oiseles.
Il s'esbat iluec et solace
O ses gens, car plus bele place
Ne plus biau leu por soi joer
Ne porroit-il mie trover;
Les plus beles gens, ce sachies,
Que vous james nul leu truissies, 620
Si sunt li compaignon Deduit
Qu'il maine avec li et conduit. '

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When Ydelnesse had told al this,
And I hadde herkned wel, y-wis, 630
Than seide I to dame Ydelnesse,
Now al-so wisly god me blesse,
Sith Mirthe, that is so fair and free,
Is in this yerde with his meynee,
Fro thilke assemblee, if I may, 635
Shal no man werne me to-day,
That I this night ne mote it see.
For, wel wene I, ther with him be
A fair and Ioly companye
Fulfilled of alle curtesye. ' 640
And forth, withoute wordes mo,
In at the wiket wente I tho,
That Ydelnesse hadde opened me,
Into that gardin fair to see.
And whan I was [ther]in, y-wis, 645
Myn herte was ful glad of this. THE GARDEN.
For wel wende I ful sikerly
Have been in paradys erth[e]ly;
So fair it was, that, trusteth wel,
It semed a place espirituel. 650
For certes, as at my devys,
Ther is no place in paradys
So good in for to dwelle or be
As in that GARDIN, thoughte me;

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Quant Oiseuse m'ot ce conte,
Et j'oi moult bien tout escoute,
Je li dis lores: 'Dame Oiseuse,
Ja de ce ne soyes douteuse,
Puis que Deduit li biaus, li gens
Est orendroit avec ses gens
En cest vergier, ceste assemblee
Ne m'iert pas, se je puis, emblee, 630
Que ne la voie encore ennuit;
Veoir la m'estuet, car ge cuit
Que bele est cele compaignie,
Et cortoise et bien enseignie. '
Lors m'en entrai, ne dis puis mot,
Par l'uis que Oiseuse overt m'ot,
Ou vergier; et quant je fui ens
Je fui lies et baus et joiens.
Et sachies que je cuidai estre
Por voir en Paradis terrestre, 640
Tant estoit li leu delitables,
Qu'il sembloit estre esperitables:
Car si cum il m'iert lors avis,
Ne feist en nul Paradis
Si bon estre, cum il faisoit
Ou vergier qui tant me plaisoit.

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For there was many a brid singing, 655
Throughout the yerde al thringing.
In many places were nightingales,
Alpes, finches, and wodewales,
That in her swete song delyten
In thilke place as they habyten. 660
Ther mighte men see many flokkes
Of turtles and [of] laverokkes.