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And alderlast of everichoon, POVERT.
Was peynted POVERT al aloon, 450
That not a peny hadde in wolde,
Al-though [that] she hir clothes solde,
And though she shulde anhonged be;
For naked as a worm was she.
And if the weder stormy were, 455
For colde she shulde have deyed there.
She nadde on but a streit old sak,
And many a clout on it ther stak;
This was hir cote and hir mantel,
No more was there, never a del, 460
To clothe her with; I undertake,
Gret leyser hadde she to quake.

>>
De jeuner sembloit estre lasse,
S'avoit la color pale et morte.
A li et as siens ert la porte
Deveee de Paradis;
Car icel gent si font lor vis
Amegrir, ce dit l'Evangile,
Por avoir loz parmi la ville,
Et por un poi de gloire vaine
Qui lor toldra Dieu et son raine. 440
Portraite fu au darrenier POVRETE.
POVRETE, qui ung seul denier
N'eust pas, s'el se deust pendre,
Tant seust bien sa robe vendre;
Qu'ele iere nue comme vers:
Se li tens fust ung poi divers,
Je cuit qu'ele acorast de froit,
Qu'el n'avoit c'ung vie sac estroit
Tout plain de maves palestiaus;
Ce iert sa robe et ses mantiaus. 450
El n'avoit plus que afubler,
Grant loisir avoit de trembler.

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And she was put, that I of talke,
Fer fro these other, up in an halke;
There lurked and there coured she, 465
For povre thing, wher-so it be,
Is shamfast, and despysed ay.
Acursed may wel be that day,
That povre man conceyved is;
For god wot, al to selde, y-wis, 470
Is any povre man wel fed,
Or wel arayed or y-cled,
Or wel biloved, in swich wyse
In honour that he may aryse.
Alle these thinges, wel avysed, 475
As I have you er this devysed,
With gold and asure over alle
Depeynted were upon the walle.
Squar was the wal, and high somdel;
Enclosed, and y-barred wel, 480
In stede of hegge, was that gardin;
Com never shepherde therin.
Into that gardyn, wel [y-]wrought,
Who-so that me coude have brought,
By laddre, or elles by degree, 485
It wolde wel have lyked me.

>>
Des autres fu un poi loignet;
Cum chien honteus en ung coignet
Se cropoit et s'atapissoit,
Car povre chose, ou qu'ele soit,
Est ades boutee et despite.
L'eure soit ore la maudite,
Que povres homs fu conceus!
Qu'il ne sera ja bien peus, 460
Ne bien vestus, ne bien chaucies,
Neis ames, ne essaucies.
Ces ymages bien avise,
Qui, si comme j'ai devise,
Furent a or et a asur
De toutes pars paintes ou mur.
Haut fu li mur et tous quarres,
Si en fu bien clos et barres,
En leu de haies, uns vergiers,
Ou onc n'avoit entre bergiers. 470
Cis vergiers en trop bel leu sist:
Qui dedens mener me vousist
Ou par echiele ou par degre,
Je l'en seusse moult bon gre;

<<
For swich solace, swich Ioye, and play,
I trowe that never man ne say,
As in that place delitous.
The gardin was not daungerous 490
To herberwe briddes many oon.
So riche a yerd was never noon
Of briddes songe, and braunches grene.
Therin were briddes mo, I wene,
Than been in alle the rewme of Fraunce. 495
Ful blisful was the accordaunce
Of swete and pitous songe they made,
For al this world it oughte glade.
And I my-self so mery ferde,
Whan I hir blisful songes herde, 500
That for an hundred pound nolde I,--
If that the passage openly
Hadde been unto me free--
That I nolde entren for to see
Thassemblee, god [it kepe and were! ]-- 505
Of briddes, whiche therinne were,
That songen, through hir mery throtes,
Daunces of love, and mery notes.
Whan I thus herde foules singe,
I fel faste in a weymentinge, 510

>>
Car tel joie ne tel deduit
Ne vit nus hons, si cum ge cuit,
Cum il avoit en ce vergier:
Car li leus d'oisiaus herbergier
N'estoit ne dangereux ne chiches.
Onc mes ne fu nus leus si riches 480
D'arbres, ne d'oisillons chantans:
Qu'il i avoit d'oisiaus trois tans
Qu'en tout le remanant de France.
Moult estoit bele l'acordance
De lor piteus chant a oir:
Tous li mons s'en dust esjoir.
Je endroit moi m'en esjoi
Si durement, quant les oi,
Que n'en preisse pas cent livres,
Se li passages fust delivres, 490
Que ge n'entrasse ens et veisse
L'assemblee (que Diex garisse! )
Des oisiaus qui leens estoient,
Qui envoisiement chantoient
Les dances d'amors et les notes
Plesans, cortoises et mignotes.