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I
He. BE it right or wrong, these men among | |
| On women do complain; | |
| Affirming this, how that it is | |
| A labour spent in vain | |
| To love them wele; for never a dele | 5 |
| They love a man again: | |
| For let a man do what he can | |
| Their favour to attain, | |
| Yet if a new to them pursue, | |
| Their first true lover than | 10 |
| Laboureth for naught; for from her thought | |
| He is a banished man. | |
| |
II
She. I say not nay, but that all day | |
| It is both written and said | |
| That woman’s faith is, as who saith. | 15 |
| All utterly decay’d: | |
| But nevertheless, right good witnèss | |
| In this case might be laid | |
| That they love true and continùe: | |
| Record the Nut-brown Maid, | 20 |
| Which, when her love came her to prove, | |
| To her to make his moan, | |
| Would not depart; for in her heart | |
| She loved but him alone. | |
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III
He. Then between us let us discuss | 25 |
| What was all the manere | |
| Between them two: we will also | |
| Tell all the pain in fere | |
| That she was in. Now I begin, | |
| So that ye me answere: | 30 |
| Wherefore all ye that present be, | |
| I pray you, give an ear. | |
| I am the Knight. I come by night, | |
| As secret as I can, | |
| Saying, Alas! thus standeth the case, | 35 |
| I am a banished man. | |
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IV
She. And I your will for to fulfil | |
| In this will not refuse; | |
| Trusting to show, in wordès few, | |
| That men have an ill use— | 40 |
| To their own shame—women to blame, | |
| And causeless them accuse. | |
| Therefore to you I answer now, | |
| All women to excuse: | |
| Mine own heart dear, with you what cheer? | 45 |
| I pray you, tell anone; | |
| For, in my mind, of all mankind | |
| I love but you alone. | |
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V
He. It standeth so: a deed is do | |
| Whereof great harm shall grow: | 50 |
| My destiny is for to die | |
| A shameful death, I trow; | |
| Or else to flee. The t’ one must be. | |
| None other way I know | |
| But to withdraw as an outlaw, | 55 |
| And take me to my bow. | |
| Wherefore adieu, mine own heart true! | |
| None other rede I can: | |
| For I must to the green-wood go, | |
| Alone, a banished man. | 60 |
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VI
She. O Lord, what is this worldis bliss, | |
| That changeth as the moon! | |
| My summer’s day in lusty May | |
| Is darked before the noon. | |
| I hear you say, farewell: Nay, nay, | 65 |
| We dèpart not so soon. | |
| Why say ye so? whither will ye go? | |
| Alas! what have ye done? | |
| All my welfàre to sorrow and care | |
| Should change, if ye were gone: | 70 |
| For, in my mind, of all mankind | |
| I love but you alone. | |
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VII
He. I can believe it shall you grieve, | |
| And somewhat you distrain; | |
| But afterward, your painès hard | 75 |
| Within a day or twain | |
| Shall soon aslake; and ye shall take | |
| Comfort to you again. | |
| Why should ye ought? for, to make thought, | |
| Your labour were in vain. | 80 |
| And thus I do; and pray you to, | |
| As hartèly as I can: | |
| For I must to the green-wood go, | |
| Alone, a banished man. | |
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VIII
She. Now, sith that ye have showed to me | 85 |
| The secret of your mind, | |
| I shall be plain to you again, | |
| Like as ye shall me find. | |
| Sith it is so that ye will go, | |
| I will not live behind. | 90 |
| Shall never be said the Nut-brown Maid | |
| Was to her love unkind. | |
| Make you ready, for so am I, | |
| Although it were anone: | |
| For, in my mind, of all mankind | 95 |
| I love but you alone. | |
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IX
He. Yet I you rede to take good heed | |
| What men will think and say: | |
| Of young, of old, it shall be told | |
| That ye be gone away | 100 |
| Your wanton will for to fulfil, | |
| In green-wood you to play; | |
| And that ye might for your delight | |
| No longer make delay. | |
| Rather than ye should thus for me | 105 |
| Be called an ill womàn | |
| Yet would I to the green-wood go, | |
| Alone, a banished man. | |
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X
She. Though it be sung of old and young | |
| That I should be to blame, | 110 |
| Theirs be the charge that speak so large | |
| In hurting of my name: | |
| For I will prove that faithful love | |
| It is devoid of shame; | |
| In your distress and heaviness | 115 |
| To part with you the same: | |
| And sure all tho that do not so | |
| True lovers are they none: | |
| For, in my mind, of all mankind | |
| I love but you alone. | 120 |
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XI
He. I counsel you, Remember how | |
| It is no maiden’s law | |
| Nothing to doubt, but to run out | |
| To wood with an outlàw. | |
| For ye must there in your hand bear | 125 |
| A bow ready to draw; | |
| And as a thief thus must you live | |
| Ever in dread and awe; | |
| Whereby to you great harm might grow: | |
| Yet had I liever than | 130 |
| That I had to the green-wood go, | |
| Alone, a banished man. | |
| |
XII
She. I think not nay but as ye say; | |
| It is no maiden’s lore; | |
| But love may make me for your sake, | 135 |
| As I have said before, | |
| To come on foot, to hunt and shoot, | |
| To get us meat and store; | |
| For so that I your company | |
| May have, I ask no more. | 140 |
| From which to part it maketh my heart | |
| As cold as any stone; | |
| For, in my mind, of all mankind | |
| I love but you alone. | |
| |
XIII
He. For an outlàw this is the law, | 145 |
| That men him take and bind: | |
| Without pitie, hangèd to be, | |
| And waver with the wind. | |
| If I had need (as God forbede!) | |
| What socours could ye find? | 150 |
| Forsooth, I trow, you and your bow | |
| For fear would draw behind. | |
| And no mervail; for little avail | |
| Were in your counsel than: | |
| Wherefore I’ll to the green-wood go, | 155 |
| Alone, a banished man. | |
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XIV
She. Right well know ye that women be | |
| But feeble for to fight; | |
| No womanhede it is, indeed, | |
| To be bold as a knight: | 160 |
| Yet in such fear if that ye were | |
| With enemies day and night, | |
| I would withstand, with bow in hand, | |
| To grieve them as I might, | |
| And you to save; as women have | 165 |
| From death men many one: | |
| For, in my mind, of all mankind | |
| I love but you alone. | |
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XV
He. Yet take good hede; for ever I drede | |
| That ye could not sustain | 170 |
| The thorny ways, the deep vallèys, | |
| The snow, the frost, the rain, | |
| The cold, the heat; for dry or wete, | |
| We must lodge on the plain; | |
| And, us above, no other roof | 175 |
| But a brake bush or twain: | |
| Which soon should grieve you, I believe; | |
| And ye would gladly than | |
| That I had to the green-wood go, | |
| Alone, a banished man. | 180 |
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XVI
She. Sith I have here been partynere | |
| With you of joy and bliss, | |
| I must alsò part of your woe | |
| Endure, as reason is: | |
| Yet I am sure of one pleasùre, | 185 |
| And shortly it is this— | |
| That where ye be, me seemeth, pardé, | |
| I could not fare amiss. | |
| Without more speech I you beseech | |
| That we were shortly gone; | 190 |
| For, in my mind, of all mankind | |
| I love but you alone. | |
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XVII
He. If ye go thyder, ye must consider, | |
| When ye have lust to dine, | |
| There shall no meat be for to gete, | 195 |
| Nether bere, ale, ne wine, | |
| Ne shetès clean, to lie between, | |
| Made of the thread and twine; | |
| None other house, but leaves and boughs, | |
| To cover your head and mine. | 200 |
| Lo, mine heart sweet, this ill diète | |
| Should make you pale and wan: | |
| Wherefore I’ll to the green-wood go, | |
| Alone, a banished man. | |
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XVIII
She. Among the wild deer such an archère, | 205 |
| As men say that ye be, | |
| Ne may not fail of good vitayle | |
| Where is so great plentè | |
| And water clear of the rivere | |
| Shall be full sweet to me; | 210 |
| With which in hele I shall right wele | |
| Endure, as ye shall see; | |
| And, or we go, a bed or two | |
| I can provide anone; | |
| For, in my mind, of all mankind | 215 |
| I love but you alone. | |
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XIX
He. Lo yet, before, ye must do more, | |
| If ye will go with me: | |
| As, cut your hair up by your ear, | |
| Your kirtle by the knee; | 220 |
| With bow in hand for to withstand | |
| Your enemies, if need be: | |
| And this same night, before daylight, | |
| To woodward will I flee. | |
| If that ye will all this fulfil, | 225 |
| Do it shortly as ye can: | |
| Else will I to the green-wood go, | |
| Alone, a banished man. | |
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XX
She. I shall as now do more for you | |
| Than ’longeth to womanhede; | 230 |
| To short my hair, a bow to bear, | |
| To shoot in time of need. | |
| O my sweet mother! before all other | |
| For you I have most drede! | |
| But now, adieu! I must ensue | 235 |
| Where fortune doth me lead. | |
| All this make ye: Now let us flee; | |
| The day cometh fast upon: | |
| For, in my mind, of all mankind | |
| I love but you alone. | 240 |
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XXI
He. Nay, nay, not so; ye shall not go, | |
| And I shall tell you why— | |
| Your appetite is to be light | |
| Of love, I well espy: | |
| For, right as ye have said to me, | 245 |
| In likewise hardily | |
| Ye would answere whosoever it were, | |
| In way of company: | |
| It is said of old, Soon hot, soon cold, | |
| And so is a womàn: | 250 |
| Wherefore I to the wood will go, | |
| Alone, a banished man. | |
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XXII
She. If ye take heed, it is no need | |
| Such words to say to me; | |
| For oft ye prayed, and long assayed, | 255 |
| Or I loved you, pardè: | |
| And though that I of ancestry | |
| A baron’s daughter be, | |
| Yet have you proved how I you loved, | |
| A squire of low degree; | 260 |
| And ever shall, whatso befall, | |
| To die therefore anone; | |
| For, in my mind, of all mankind | |
| I love but you alone. | |
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XXIII
He. A baron’s child to be beguiled, | 265 |
| It were a cursèd deed! | |
| To be felàw with an outlaw— | |
| Almighty God forbede! | |
| Yet better were the poor squyere | |
| Alone to forest yede | 270 |
| Than ye shall say another day | |
| That by my cursèd rede | |
| Ye were betrayed. Wherefore, good maid, | |
| The best rede that I can, | |
| Is, that I to the green-wood go, | 275 |
| Alone, a banished man. | |
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XXIV
She. Whatever befall, I never shall | |
| Of this thing be upbraid: | |
| But if ye go, and leave me so, | |
| Then have ye me betrayed. | 280 |
| Remember you wele, how that ye dele; | |
| For if ye, as ye said, | |
| Be so unkind to leave behind | |
| Your love, the Nut-brown Maid, | |
| Trust me truly that I shall die | 285 |
| Soon after ye be gone: | |
| For, in my mind, of all mankind | |
| I love but you alone. | |
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XXV
He. If that ye went, ye should repent; | |
| For in the forest now | 290 |
| I have purveyed me of a maid | |
| Whom I love more than you: | |
| Another more fair than ever ye were | |
| I dare it well avow; | |
| And of you both each should be wroth | 295 |
| With other, as I trow: | |
| It were mine ease to live in peace; | |
| So will I, if I can: | |
| Wherefore I to the wood will go, | |
| Alone, a banished man. | 300 |
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XXVI
She. Though in the wood I understood | |
| Ye had a paramour, | |
| All this may nought remove my thought, | |
| But that I will be your’: | |
| And she shall find me soft and kind | 305 |
| And courteis every hour; | |
| Glad to fulfil all that she will | |
| Command me, to my power: | |
| For had ye, lo, an hundred mo, | |
| Yet would I be that one: | 310 |
| For, in my mind, of all mankind | |
| I love but you alone. | |
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XXVII
He. Mine own dear love, I see the prove | |
| That ye be kind and true; | |
| Of maid, of wife, in all my life, | 315 |
| The best that ever I knew. | |
| Be merry and glad; be no more sad; | |
| The case is changéd new; | |
| For it were ruth that for your truth | |
| Ye should have cause to rue. | 320 |
| Be not dismayed, whatsoever I said | |
| To you when I began; | |
| I will not to the green-wood go; | |
| I am no banished man. | |
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XXVIII
She. These tidings be more glad to me | 325 |
| Than to be made a queen, | |
| If I were sure they should endure; | |
| But it is often seen | |
| When men will break promise they speak | |
| The wordis on the splene. | 330 |
| Ye shape some wile me to beguile, | |
| And steal from me, I ween: | |
| Then were the case worse than it was, | |
| And I more wo-begone: | |
| For, in my mind, of all mankind | 335 |
| I love but you alone. | |
| |
XXIX
He. Ye shall not nede further to drede: | |
| I will not disparáge | |
| You (God defend), sith you descend | |
| Of so great a lináge. | 340 |
| Now understand: to Westmoreland, | |
| Which is my heritage, | |
| I will you bring; and with a ring, | |
| By way of marriáge | |
| I will you take, and lady make, | 345 |
| As shortly as I can: | |
| Thus have you won an Earle’s son, | |
| And not a banished man. | |
| |
XXX
Here may ye see that women be | |
| In love meek, kind, and stable; | 350 |
| Let never man reprove them than, | |
| Or call them variable; | |
| But rather pray God that we may | |
| To them be comfortable; | |
| Which sometime proveth such as He loveth, | 355 |
| If they be charitable. | |
| For sith men would that women should | |
| Be meek to them each one; | |
| Much more ought they to God obey, | |
| And serve but Him alone. | 360 |
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| | | GLOSS: never a dele] never a bit. than] then. in fere] in company, together. rede I can] counsel I know. distrain] distress. part with] share with. tho] those. hele] health. yede] went. on the splene] in haste. |
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