The Canterbury Tales, and Other Poems Part 86

The tercelet* said then in this mannere; *male hawk "Full hard it were to prove it by reason, Who loveth best this gentle formel here; For ev'reach hath such replication,* *reply That by skilles* may none be brought adown; *arguments I cannot see that arguments avail; Then seemeth it that there must be battaile."

"All ready!" quoth those eagle tercels tho;* *then "Nay, Sirs!" quoth he; "if that I durst it say, Ye do me wrong, my tale is not y-do,* *done For, Sirs, -- and *take it not agrief,* I pray, -- *be not offended*

It may not be as ye would, in this way: Ours is the voice that have the charge in hand, And *to the judges' doom ye muste stand.* *ye must abide by the judges' decision*

"And therefore 'Peace!' I say; as to my wit, Me woulde think, how that the worthiest Of knighthood, and had longest used it, Most of estate, of blood the gentilest, Were fitting most for her, *if that her lest;* *if she pleased*

And, of these three she knows herself, I trow,* *am sure Which that he be; for it is light* to know." *easy

The water-fowles have their heades laid Together, and *of short advis.e.m.e.nt,* *after brief deliberation*

When evereach his verdict had y-said They saide soothly all by one a.s.sent, How that "The goose with the *facond gent,* *refined eloquence*

That so desired to p.r.o.nounce our need,* business Shall tell our tale;" and prayed G.o.d her speed.

And for those water-fowles then began The goose to speak. and in her cackeling She saide, "Peace, now! take keep* ev'ry man, *heed And hearken what reason I shall forth bring; My wit is sharp, I love no tarrying; I say I rede him, though he were my brother, But* she will love him, let him love another!" *unless

"Lo! here a perfect reason of a goose!"

Quoth the sperhawke. "Never may she the!* *thrive Lo such a thing 'tis t'have a tongue loose!

Now, pardie: fool, yet were it bet* for thee *better Have held thy peace, than show'd thy nicety;* *foolishness It lies not in his wit, nor in his will, But sooth is said, a fool cannot be still."

The laughter rose of gentle fowles all; And right anon the seed-fowls chosen had The turtle true, and gan her to them call, And prayed her to say the *soothe sad* *serious truth*

Of this mattere, and asked what she rad;* *counselled And she answer'd, that plainly her intent She woulde show, and soothly what she meant.

"Nay! G.o.d forbid a lover shoulde change!"

The turtle said, and wax'd for shame all red: "Though that his lady evermore be strange,* *disdainful Yet let him serve her ay, till he be dead; For, sooth, I praise not the goose's rede* *counsel For, though she died, I would none other make;* *mate I will be hers till that the death me take."

*"Well bourded!"* quoth the ducke, "by my hat! *a pretty joke!*

That men should loven alway causeless, Who can a reason find, or wit, in that?

Danceth he merry, that is mirtheless?

Who shoulde *reck of that is reckeless?* *care for one who has Yea! queke yet," quoth the duck, "full well and fair! no care for him*

There be more starres, G.o.d wot, than a pair!" <42>

"Now fy, churl!" quoth the gentle tercelet, "Out of the dunghill came that word aright; Thou canst not see which thing is well beset; Thou far'st by love, as owles do by light,-- The day them blinds, full well they see by night; Thy kind is of so low a wretchedness, That what love is, thou caust not see nor guess."

Then gan the cuckoo put him forth in press,* *in the crowd For fowl that eateth worm, and said belive:* *quickly "So I," quoth he, "may have my mate in peace, I recke not how longe that they strive.

Let each of them be solain* all their life; *single <43> This is my rede,* since they may not accord; *counsel This shorte lesson needeth not record."

"Yea, have the glutton fill'd enough his paunch, Then are we well!" saide the emerlon;* *merlin "Thou murd'rer of the heggsugg,* on the branch *hedge-sparrow That brought thee forth, thou most rueful glutton, <44> Live thou solain, worme's corruption!

*For no force is to lack of thy nature;* *the loss of a bird of your Go! lewed be thou, while the world may dare!" depraved nature is no matter of regret.*

"Now peace," quoth Nature, "I commande here; For I have heard all your opinion, And in effect yet be we ne'er the nere.* *nearer But, finally, this is my conclusion, -- That she herself shall have her election Of whom her list, whoso be *wroth or blith;* *angry or glad*

Him that she chooseth, he shall her have as swith.* *quickly

"For since it may not here discussed be Who loves her best, as said the tercelet, Then will I do this favour t' her, that she Shall have right him on whom her heart is set, And he her, that his heart hath on her knit: This judge I, Nature, for* I may not lie *because To none estate; I *have none other eye.* *can see the matter in no other light*

"But as for counsel for to choose a make, If I were Reason, [certes] then would I Counsaile you the royal tercel take, As saith the tercelet full skilfully,* *reasonably As for the gentilest, and most worthy, Which I have wrought so well to my pleasance, That to you it ought be *a suffisance."* *to your satisfaction*

With dreadful* voice the formel her answer'd: *frightened "My rightful lady, G.o.ddess of Nature, Sooth is, that I am ever under your yerd,* *rod, or government As is every other creature, And must be yours, while that my life may dure; And therefore grante me my firste boon,* *favour And mine intent you will I say right soon."

"I grant it you," said she; and right anon This formel eagle spake in this degree:* *manner "Almighty queen, until this year be done I aske respite to advise me; And after that to have my choice all free; This is all and some that I would speak and say; Ye get no more, although ye *do me dey.* *slay me*

"I will not serve Venus, nor Cupide, For sooth as yet, by no manner [of] way."

"Now since it may none other ways betide,"* *happen Quoth Dame Nature, "there is no more to say; Then would I that these fowles were away, Each with his mate, for longer tarrying here."

And said them thus, as ye shall after hear.

"To you speak I, ye tercels," quoth Nature; "Be of good heart, and serve her alle three; A year is not so longe to endure; And each of you *pain him* in his degree *strive*

For to do well, for, G.o.d wot, quit is she From you this year, what after so befall; This *entremess is dressed* for you all." *dish is prepared*

And when this work y-brought was to an end, To ev'ry fowle Nature gave his make, By *even accord,* and on their way they wend: *fair agreement*

And, Lord! the bliss and joye that they make!

For each of them gan other in his wings take, And with their neckes each gan other wind,* *enfold, caress Thanking alway the n.o.ble G.o.ddess of Kind.

But first were chosen fowles for to sing,-- As year by year was alway their usance,* -- *custom To sing a roundel at their departing, To do to Nature honour and pleasance; The note, I trowe, maked was in France; The wordes were such as ye may here find The nexte verse, as I have now in mind:

Qui bien aime, tard oublie. <45>

"Now welcome summer, with thy sunnes soft, That hast these winter weathers overshake * *dispersed, overcome Saint Valentine, thou art full high on loft, Which driv'st away the longe nightes blake;* *black Thus singe smalle fowles for thy sake: Well have they cause for to gladden* oft, *be glad, make mirth Since each of them recover'd hath his make;* *mate Full blissful may they sing when they awake."

And with the shouting, when their song was do,* *done That the fowls maden at their flight away, I woke, and other bookes took me to, To read upon; and yet I read alway.

I hope, y-wis, to reade so some day, That I shall meete something for to fare The bet;* and thus to read I will not spare. *better

Explicit.* *the end

Notes to The a.s.sembly of Fowls

1. "The Dream of Scipio" -- "Somnium Scipionis" -- occupies most of the sixth book of Cicero's "Republic;" which, indeed, as it has come down to us, is otherwise imperfect. Scipio Africa.n.u.s Minor is represented as relating a dream which he had when, in B.C. 149, he went to Africa as military tribune to the fourth legion. He had talked long and earnestly of his adoptive grandfather with Ma.s.sinissa, King of Numidia, the intimate friend of the great Scipio; and at night his ill.u.s.trious ancestor appeared to him in a vision, foretold the overthrow of Carthage and all his other triumphs, exhorted him to virtue and patriotism by the a.s.surance of rewards in the next world, and discoursed to him concerning the future state and the immortality of the soul. Macrobius, about AD. 500, wrote a Commentary upon the "Somnium Scipionis," which was a favourite book in the Middle Ages. See note 17 to The Nun's Priest's Tale.

2. Y-nome: taken; past participle of "nime," from Anglo-Saxon, "niman," to take.

3. His grace: the favour which the G.o.ds would show him, in delivering Carthage into his hands.

4. "Vestra vero, quae dicitur, vita mors est." ("Truly, as is said, your life is a death")

5. The nine spheres are G.o.d, or the highest heaven, constraining and containing all the others; the Earth, around which the planets and the highest heaven revolve; and the seven planets: the revolution of all producing the "music of the spheres."

6. Clear: ill.u.s.trious, n.o.ble; Latin, "clarus."

7. The sicke mette he drinketh of the tun: The sick man dreams that he drinks wine, as one in health.

8. The significance of the poet's looking to the NNW is not plain; his window may have faced that way.

9. The idea of the twin gates, leading to the Paradise and the h.e.l.l of lovers, may have been taken from the description of the gates of dreams in the Odyssey and the Aeneid; but the iteration of "Through me men go" far more directly suggests the legend on Dante's gate of h.e.l.l:--

Per me si va nella citta dolente, Per me si va nell' eterno dolore; Per me si va tra la perduta gente.

("Through me is the way to the city of sorrow, Through me is the way to eternal suffering; Through me is the way of the lost people")

The famous line, "Lasciate ogni speranza, voi che entrate" -- "All hope abandon, ye who enter here" -- is evidently paraphrased in Chaucer's words "Th'eschewing is the only remedy;" that is, the sole hope consists in the avoidance of that dismal gate.

10. A powerful though homely description of torment; the sufferers being represented as fish enclosed in a weir from which all the water has been withdrawn.