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& seþþe sike i & sing samen to-gedere,
& melt neiȝh for mournyng & moche ioie make.
Min hert hol i haue now for al þat hard y fele,
saue a fers feintise folwes me oft,
& takes me so tenefully to telle al þe soþe,
þat i mase al marred for mournyng neiȝh hondes,
but redeliche in þat res þe recuuerere þat me falles,
as whan i haue ani hap to here of þat barne,
For wham myn hert is so hampered & aldes so nobul,
þat flour is of alle frekes of fairnes and miȝt.
prince is non his pere ne in paradiȝs non aungel,
as he semes in mi siȝt so faire is þat burne.
I haue him portreide an paynted in mi hert wiþinne,
þat he sittus in mi siȝt me þinkes euer-more.
& faire so his figure is festened in mi ȝout,
þat wiþ no coyntise ne craft ne can y it out scrape.
& be marie, þouȝh i miȝt to mengge al þe soþe,
I ne wold nouȝt for al þis world so wel it me likes,
þeiȝh i winne wiþ mi werk þe worse euer-more!
so gret liking & loue i haue þat lud to bi-hold,
þat i haue leuer þat loue þan lac al mi harmes.
Nou certes, seþþe it is so to seie þe trewþe,
þann haue y had gret wrong myn [hert] so to blame,
For eni werk þat he wrouȝt seþþe i wol it hold,
ne wold i it were non oþer al þe world to haue.
whom schal i it wite but mi wicked eyiȝen,
þat lad myn hert þrouȝ loking þis langour to drye?
nad þei [ben, i miȝt] boute bale haue schaped;
redeli bi resoun þerfore hem rette i mai mi sorwe.”
but þanne þouȝt che þat þrowe in þis selue wise,
“Min eiȝen sorly aren sogettes to serue min hert,
& buxum ben to his bidding as boie to his master;
eke wite i al þe wrong þe wrong þe werk of mi eiȝen,
& þouȝh sertes, so may i nouȝt by no soþe riȝt;
For seþþe i knowe þat mi siȝt is seruant to mi hert,
& alle my noþer wolnk wittes to wirchen his hest.
For þouȝh i sette my siȝt sadly on a þing,
be hit briȝtter oþer broun beter oþer worse,
Mi siȝt may in no maner more harme wirche,
but ȝif myn hauteyn hert þe harde a-sente.
eke soþly my siȝt is soget to my hert,
& doþ nouȝt but his deuer as destine wol falle.
þan has my hasty hert holly þe wrong,
him wol i blame & banne but he my bales amende,
þat haþ him so strangly set in swiche straunge burne,
þat wot neuer in þis world whennes þat he come,
but as mi fader him fond in þe forest an herde,
keping mennis kin of þe kuntre a-boute.
what? fy! schold i a fundeling for his fairenesse tak?
nay, my wille wol nouȝt a-sent to my wicked hert.
wel kud kinges & kaysers krauen me i-now,
I nel leie mi loue so low now at þis time;
desparaged were i disgisili ȝif i dede in þis wise,
I wol breke out fram þat baret & blame my hert.”