FELIX QUI POTUIT. — Metrum
12
"Blisful is that man that may seen the clere welle
of good!
Blisful is he that mai unbynden hym fro the boondes of the hevy
erthe! The poete of Trace, Orpheus, that whilome hadde ryght
greet sorwe for the deth of his wyf, aftir that he hadde makid
by his weeply songes the wodes moevable to renne, and hadde makid
the ryveris to stonden stille, and hadde maked the hertes and the
hyndes to joynen dreedles here sydes to cruel lyouns for to
herknen his song, and hadde maked that the hare was nat agast of
the hound, whiche was plesed by his song; so, whanne the moste
ardaunt love of his wif brende the entrayles of his breest, ne
the songes that hadden overcomen alle thinges ne mighten nat
asswagen hir lord Orpheus, he pleynid hym of the hevene goddis
that weren cruel to hym.
He wente hym to the houses of helle, and ther he tempride
his
blaundysschinge songes by resounynge strenges, and spak and song
in wepynge al that evere he hadde resceyved and lavyd out of the
noble welles of his modir Callyope the goddesse. And he sang with
as mochel as he myghte of wepynge, and with as moche as love that
doublide his sorwe myghte yeve hym and teche hym, and he
commoevde the helle, and requyred and bysoughte by swete preyere
the lordes of soules in helle of relessynge, that is to seyn, to
yelden hym his wyf. Cerberus, the porter of helle, with hise thre
hevedes, was caught and al abasschid of the newe song. And the
thre goddesses, furiis and vengeresses of felonyes, that
tormenten and agasten the soules by anoy, woxen sorweful and
sory, and wepyn teeris for pite. Tho was nat the heved of Yxion
ytormented by the overthrowynge wheel. And Tantalus, that
was destroied by the woodnesse of long thurst, despyseth
the floodes to drynken. The foul that highte voltor, that etith
the stomak or the gyser of Tycius, is so fulfild of his song that
it nil eten ne tiren no more. At the laste the lord and juge of
soules was moevid to misericordes, and cryede: 'We ben
overcomen,' quod he; 'yyve we to Orpheus his wif to beren
hym
compaignye; he hath wel ybought hire by his faire song and his
ditee. But we wolen putten a lawe in this and covenaunt in the
yifte; that is to seyn that, til he be out of belle, yif he loke
byhynde hym, that his wyf schal comen ageyn unto us.' But what
is he that may yeven a lawe to loverys? Love is a grettere lawe
and a strengere to hymself thanne any lawe that men mai yyven.
Allas! Whanne Orpheus and his wif weren almest at the termes of
the nyght (that is to seyn, at the laste
boundes of
helle), Orpheus lokede abakward on Erudyce his wif, and lost
hire, and was deed.
This fable apertenith to yow alle, whosoevere desireth or
seketh to lede his thought into the sovereyn day, that is to
seyn, to cleernesse of sovereyn good. For whoso that evere be so
overcomen that he ficche his eien into the put of helle, that is
to seyn, whoso sette his thoughtes in erthly thinges, al that
evere he hath drawen of the noble good celestial he lesith it,
whanne be looketh the helles, that is to seyn, into lowe thinges
of the erthe."
