No More Learning

For yonge folk, wel witen ye,
Have litel thought but on hir play.
Hir lemman was bisyde alway, 1290
In swich a gyse, that he hir kiste
At alle tymes that him liste,
That al the daunce mighte it see;
They make no force of privetee;
For who spak of hem yvel or wel, 1295
They were ashamed never-a-del,
But men mighte seen hem kisse there,
As it two yonge douves were.
For yong was thilke bachelere,
Of beaute wot I noon his pere; 1300
And he was right of swich an age
As Youthe his leef, and swich corage.
The lusty folk thus daunced there,
And also other that with hem were,

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Me fist si grant qu'ele m'ovri
Le guichet del vergier flori.
Apres se tint mien esciant,
Jonesce, au vis cler et luisant,
Qui n'avoit encores passes,
Si cum je cuit, douze ans d'asses. 1270
Nicete fu, si ne pensoit
Nul mal, ne nul engin qui soit;
Mes moult iert envoisie et gaie,
Car jone chose ne s'esmaie
Fors de joer, bien le saves.
Ses amis iert de li prives
En tel guise, qu'il la besoit
Toutes les fois que li plesoit,
Voians tous ceus de la karole:
Car qui d'aus deus tenist parole, 1280
Il n'en fussent ja vergondeus,
Ains les veissies entre aus deus
Baisier comme deus columbiaus.
Le vales fu jones et biaus,
Si estoit bien d'autel aage
Cum s'amie, et d'autel corage.
Ainsi karoloient ilecques,
Ceste gens, et autres avecques,

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That weren alle of hir meynee; 1305
Ful hende folk, and wys, and free,
And folk of fair port, trewely,
Ther weren alle comunly.
Whan I hadde seen the countenaunces
Of hem that ladden thus these daunces, 1310
Than hadde I wil to goon and see
The gardin that so lyked me,
And loken on these faire loreres,
On pyn-trees, cedres, and oliveres.
The daunces than y-ended were; 1315
For many of hem that daunced there
Were with hir loves went awey
Under the trees to have hir pley.
A, lord! they lived lustily!
A gret fool were he, sikerly, 1320
That nolde, his thankes, swich lyf lede!
For this dar I seyn, out of drede,
That who-so mighte so wel fare,
For better lyf [thurte] him not care;
For ther nis so good paradys 1325
As have a love at his devys.
Out of that place wente I tho,
And in that gardin gan I go,

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Qui estoient de lor mesnies,
Franches gens et bien enseignies, 1290
Et gens de bel afetement
Estoient tuit communement.
Quant j'oi veues les semblances
De ceus qui menoient les dances,
J'oi lors talent que le vergier
Alasse veoir et cerchier,
Et remirer ces biaus moriers,
Ces pins, ces codres, ces loriers.
Les karoles ja remanoient,
Car tuit li plusors s'en aloient 1300
O lor amies umbroier
Sous ces arbres por dosnoier.
Diex, cum menoient bonne vie!
Fox est qui n'a de tel envie;
Qui autel vie avoir porroit,
De mieudre bien se sofferroit,
Qu'il n'est nul greignor paradis
Qu'avoir amie a son devis.
D'ilecques me parti atant,
Si m'en alai seus esbatant 1310

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Pleying along ful merily.
The God of Love ful hastely 1330
Unto him Swete-Loking clepte,
No lenger wolde he that he kepte
His bowe of golde, that shoon so bright.
He [bad] him [bende it] anon-right;
And he ful sone [it] sette on ende, 1335
And at a braid he gan it bende,
And took him of his arowes fyve,
Ful sharpe and redy for to dryve.
Now god that sit in magestee
Fro deedly woundes kepe me, 1340
If so be that he [wol] me shete;
For if I with his arowe mete,
It [wol me greven] sore, y-wis!
But I, that no-thing wiste of this,
Wente up and doun ful many a wey, 1345
And he me folwed faste alwey;
But no-wher wolde I reste me,
Til I hadde al the [yerde in] be.
The gardin was, by mesuring,
Right even and squar in compassing; 1350
It was as long as it was large.
Of fruyt hadde every tree his charge, THE TREES.

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Par le vergier de ca en la;
Et li Diex d'Amors apela
Tretout maintenant Dous-Regart:
N'a or plus cure qu'il li gart
Son arc: donques sans plus atendre
L'arc li a commande a tendre,
Et cis gaires n'i atendi,
Tout maintenant l'arc li tendi,
Si li bailla et cinq sajetes
Fors et poissans, d'aler loing prestes. 1320
Li Diex d'Amors tantost de loing
Me prist a suivir, l'arc ou poing.
Or me gart Diex de mortel plaie!
Se il fait tant que a moi traie,
Il me grevera moult forment.