 | The Nutbrown Maid |  |
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[Poem of ‘The Nut-Brown Maid.’]
1
Be it right or wrong, these men among, on women do complaine,Affermyng this, how that it is a labour spent in vaine
To loue them wele; for neuer a dele they loue a man agayne;
For lete a man do what he can, ther fauour to attayne,
Yet yf a newe to them pursue, ther furst trew louer than
Laboureth for nought, and from her though[t] he is a bannisshed man.
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I say not nay, but that all day it is bothe writ and saydeThat womans fayth, is as who saythe, all vtterly decayed;
But neuertheles, right good witnes in this case might be layde
That they loue trewe, & contynew; recorde the Nutbr[o]wne maide,
Whiche from her loue, whan, her to proue, he cam to make his mone,
Wolde not departe, for in her herte she louyd but hym allone.
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Than betwene vs lete vs discusse, what was all the manerBe-twene them too; we wyl also telle all the peyne in-fere
That she was in; now I begynne, soo that ye me answere.
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I am the knyght, I cum be nyght, as secret as I can,
Sayng;—‘alas, thus stondyth the case, I am a bannisshed man.’
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And I, your wylle for to fulfylle, in this wyl not refuse,Trusting to shewe, in wordis fewe, that men haue an ille vse
To ther owne shame, wymen to blame, & causeles them accuse;
Therfore to you, I answere now, alle wymen to excuse:—
‘Myn owne hert dere, with you what chiere? I prey you telle anoon,
For in my mynde, of all mankynde, I loue but you allon.’
5
‘It stondith so, a dede is do, wherfore moche harme shal growe,My desteny is for to dey a shamful dethe, I trowe,
Or ellis to flee; the ton must bee, none other wey I knowe
But to withdrawe, as an outlaw, and take me to my bowe;
Wherfore adew, my owne hert trewe, none other red[e] I can,
For I muste to the grene wode goo, alone, a bannysshed man.’
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‘O Lorde, what is this worldis blisse, that chaungeth as the mone?99
I here you saye ‘farwel’; nay, nay, we departe not soo sone;
Why say ye so, wheder wyl ye goo, alas! what haue ye done?
Alle my welfare to sorow and care shulde chaunge, yf ye were gon;
For in my mynde, of all mankynde, I loue but you alone.’
7
‘I can beleue, it shal you greue, and somwhat you distrayne;But aftyrwarde, your paynes harde within a day or tweyne
Shal sone a-slake, and ye shal take confort to you agayne.
Why shuld ye nought? for to take thought your labur were in vayne,
And thus I do, & pray you, loo! as hertely as I can;
For I muste too the grene wode goo, alone, a banysshed man.’
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‘Now syth that ye haue shewed to me the secret of your mynde,I shalbe playne to you agayne, lyke as ye shal me fynde;
Syth it is so, that ye wyll goo, I wol not leue behynde,
Shal neuer be sayd, the Nutbrowne mayd was to her loue vnkind;
Make you redy, for soo am I, all-though it were anoon,
For in my mynde, of all mankynde, I loue but you alone.’
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9
‘Yet I you rede to take good hede, what men wyl thinke & sey;Of yonge and olde it shalbe tolde, that ye be gone away,
Your wanton wylle for to fulfylle, In grene wood you to play,
And that ye myght from your delyte noo lenger make delay.
Rather than ye shuld thus for me be called an ylle woman,
Yet wolde I to the grene wodde goo, alone, a banyshed man.’
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‘Though it be songe of olde and yonge, that I shuld be to blame,Theirs be the charge, that speke so large in hurting of my name;
For I wyl proue that feythful loue, it is deuoyd of shame,
In your distresse and heuynesse, to parte wyth you the same;
And sure all thoo, that doo not so, trewe louers ar they noon;
But in my mynde, of all mankynde, I loue but you alone.’
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‘I councel yow, remembre how it is noo maydens laweNothing to dowte, but to renne out to wod with an outlawe:
For ye must there In your hande bere, a bowe redy to drawe,
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By whiche to yow gret harme myght grow, yet had I leuer than
That I had too the grene wod goo, Alone, a banysshyd man.’
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‘I thinke not nay, but as ye saye, it is noo maydens lore;But loue may make me, for your sake, as ye haue said before,
To com on fote, to hunte and shote to get vs mete and store;
For soo that I your company may haue, I aske noo more;
From whiche to parte, it makith myn herte as colde as ony ston,
For in my mynde, of all mankynde, I loue but you alone.’
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‘For an outlawe this is the lawe, that men hym take & bindeWythout pytee, hanged to bee, and wauer with the wynde.
Yf I had neede, as god for-bede, what rescous coude ye finde?
For sothe I trowe, you and your bowe shul drawe for fere behynde;
And noo merueyle, for lytel auayle were in your councel than;
Wherfore I too the woode wyl goo, alone, a banysshd man.’
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‘Ful wel knowe ye, that wymen bee ful febyl for to fyght,Noo womanhed is it in deede, to bee bolde as a knight;
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I wolde wythstonde, with bowe in hande, to greue them as I myght,
And you to saue, as wymen haue, from deth [men] many one;
For in my mynde, of all man-kynde, I loue but you alone.’
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‘Yet take good hede, for euer I drede, that ye coude not susteinThe thorney wayes, the depe valeis, the snowe, the frost, the reyn,
The colde, the hete; for drye or wete, we must lodge on the playn;
And, vs aboue, noon other roue, but a brake, bussh, or twayne;
Whiche sone shulde greue you, I beleue, and ye wolde gladly than,
That I had too the grene wode goo, alone, a banysshyd man.’
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‘Syth I haue here ben partynere with you of Ioy & blysse,I muste also parte of your woo endure, as reason is;
Yet am I sure of oo plesure, and shortly it is this,
That where ye bee, me semeth, perde, I coude not fare a-mysse;
Wythout more speche, I you beseche, that we were soon a-gone;
For in my mynde, of all mankynde, I loue but you alone.’
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‘Yef ye goo thidyr, ye must consider, whan ye haue lust to dyne,Ther shal no mete be for to gete, nor drinke, bere, ale, ne win[e],
Ne shetis clene to lye betwene, made of thred and twyne;
Noon other house but leuys and bowes, to keuer your hed & myn:
Loo! myn herte swete, this ylle dyet shuld make you pale & wan,
Wherfore I to the wood wyl goo, alone, a banysshid man.’
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‘Amonge the wylde dere suche an archier as men say that ye beeNe may not fayle of good vitayle, where is so grete plente;
And watir cleere, of the ryuere, shalbe ful swete to me,
Wyth whiche in hele I shal right wele endure, as ye shal see;
And er we goo, a bed or twoo I can prouide a-noon,
For in my mynde, of all mankynde, I loue but you alone.’
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‘Loo yet, before, ye must doo more, yf ye wyl goo with me,As cutte your here vp by your ere, your kirtel by the knee,
Wyth bowe in hande, for to withstonde your enmys, yf nede be:
And this same nyght, before day-lyght, to wood-ward wyl I flee;
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Ellis wil I to the grene wode goo, alone, a banysshyd man.’
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‘I shal as now do more for you than longeth to womanhede,To short my here, a bowe to bere, to shote in tyme of nede.
O my swete moder, before all other for you haue I most drede;
But now a-diew; I must ensue wher fortune doth me leede:
All this make ye; now lete vs flee, the day cumeth fast vpon;
For in my mynde, of all mankynde, I loue but you alone.’
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‘Nay, nay, not soo, ye shal not goo, & I shal telle you why;Your appetyte is to be lyght of loue, I wele aspie;
For right as ye haue sayd to me, in lyke wyse hardely
Ye wolde answere, who-so-euer it were, in way of company.
It is sayd of olde, “sone hote, sone colde,” and so is a woman;
Wherfore I too the woode wyl goo, alone, a banysshid man.’
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‘Yef ye take hede, yet is noo nede such wordis to say bee me,For ofte ye preyd, and longe assayed, or I you louid, perdee;
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Yet haue you proued how I you loued, a squyer of lowe degree,
And euer shal, what so befalle, to dey therfore a-noon;
For in my mynde, of al mankynde, I loue but you alone.’
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‘A barons childe to be begyled, it were a curssed dede;To be felow with an out-lawe, almyghty god for-bede!
Yet bettyr were the pore squyer alone to forest yede,
Than ye shal saye, another day, that be my wyked dede
Ye were betrayed; wherfore, good maide, the best red[e] that I can,
Is, that I too the grene wode goo, alone, a banysshed man.’
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‘Whatso-euer be-falle, I neuer shal of this thing you vpbraid,But yf ye goo and leue me soo, than haue ye me betraied;
Remembre you wele how that ye dele, for yf ye, as ye sayde,
Be so vnkynde, to leue behynde your loue, the notbrowne maide,
Trust me truly that I shal dey, sone after ye be gone,
For in my mynde, of all man-kynde, I loue but you alone.’
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‘Yef that ye went, ye shulde repent, for in the forest nowI haue purueid me of a maide, whom I loue more than you.
Another fayrer than euer ye were, I dare it wel auowe;
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It were myn ease to lyue in pease; so wyl I, yf I can;
Wherfore I to the wode wyl goo, alone, a banysshid man.’
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‘Though in the wood I vndirstode ye had a paramour,All this may nought remeue my thought, but that I wil be your;
And she shal fynde me softe and kynde, and curteis euery our,
Glad to fulfylle all that she wylle commaunde me, to my power;
For had ye, loo! an hondred moo, yet wolde I be that one;
For in my mynde, of all mankynde, I loue but you alone.’
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‘Myn owne dere loue, I see the proue that ye be kynde and trewe;Of mayde and wyf, in al my lyf, the best that euer I knewe.
Be mery and glad, be no more sad, the case is chaunged newe;
For it were ruthe, that for your trouth you shuld haue cause to rewe.
Be not dismayed; what-soeuer I sayd to you, whan I began,
I wyl not too the grene wod goo, I am noo banysshyd man.’
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‘Theis tidingis be more glad to me, than to be made a quene,Yf I were sure they shuld endure; but it is often seen,
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Ye shape some wyle, me to begyle, and stele fro me, I wene;
Then were the case wurs than it was, & I more woo begone;
For in my mynde, of al mankynde, I loue but you alone.’
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‘Ye shal not nede further to drede, I wyl not disparageYou, god defende, sith ye descende of so grete a lynage:
Now vnderstonde, to Westmorelonde, whiche is my herytage,
I wyl you bringe, and wyth a rynge, be wey of maryage
I wyl you take, and lady make, as shortly as I can;
Thus haue ye wone an erles son, and not a banysshyd man!’—
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Here may ye see that wymen be in loue meke, kinde, & stable,Late neuer man repreue them than, or calle them variable;
But rather prey god that we may to them be confortable,
Which somtyme prouyth suche as he loueth, yf they be charitable:
For sith men wolde that wymen sholde be meke to them echeon,
Moche more ought they to god obey, and serue but hym alone.
| The Nutbrown Maid | |