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Balades de visage sanz peinture.
I. Le Pleintif countre Fortune.
THIS wrecched worldes transmutacioun, | |
| As wele or wo, now povre and now honour, | |
| With-outen ordre or wys discrecioun | |
| Governed is by Fortunes errour; | |
| But natheles, the lak of hir favour | 5 |
| Ne may nat don me singen, though I dye, | |
| ‘Iay tout perdu mon temps et mon labour:’ | |
| For fynally, Fortune, I thee defye! | |
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| Yit is me left the light of my resoun, | |
| To knowen frend fro fo in thy mirour. | 10 |
| So muche hath yit thy whirling up and doun | |
| Y-taught me for to knowen in an hour. | |
| But trewely, no force of thy reddour | |
| To him that over him-self hath the maystrye! | |
| My suffisaunce shal be my socour: | 15 |
| For fynally, Fortune, I thee defye! | |
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| O Socrates, thou stedfast champioun, | |
| She never mighte be thy tormentour; | |
| Thou never dreddest hir oppressioun, | |
| Ne in hir chere founde thou no savour. | 20 |
| Thou knewe wel deceit of hir colour, | |
| And that hir moste worshipe is to lye. | |
| I knowe hir eek a fals dissimulour: | |
| For fynally, Fortune, I thee defye! | |
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II. La respounse de Fortune au Pleintif.
No man is wrecched, but him-self hit wene, | 25 |
| And he that hath him-self hath suffisaunce. | |
| Why seystow thanne I am to thee so kene, | |
| That hast thy-self out of my governaunce? | |
| Sey thus: ‘Graunt mercy of thyn haboundaunce | |
| That thou hast lent or this.’ Why wolt thou stryve? | 30 |
| What wostow yit, how I thee wol avaunce? | |
| And eek thou hast thy beste frend alyve! | |
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| I have thee taught divisioun bi-twene | |
| Frend of effect, and frend of countenaunce; | |
| Thee nedeth nat the galle of noon hyene, | 35 |
| That cureth eyen derke fro hir penaunce; | |
| Now seestow cleer, that were in ignoraunce. | |
| Yit halt thyn ancre, and yit thou mayst arryve | |
| Ther bountee berth the keye of my substaunce: | |
| And eek thou hast thy beste frend alyve. | 40 |
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| How many have I refused to sustene, | |
| Sin I thee fostred have in thy plesaunce! | |
| Woltow than make a statut on thy quene | |
| That I shal been ay at thyn ordinaunce? | |
| Thou born art in my regne of variaunce, | 45 |
| Aboute the wheel with other most thou dryve. | |
| My lore is bet than wikke is thy grevaunce, | |
| And eek thou hast thy beste frend alyve. | |
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III. La respounse du Pleintif countre Fortune.
Thy lore I dampne, hit is adversitee. | |
| My frend maystow nat reven, blind goddesse! | 50 |
| That I thy frendes knowe, I thanke hit thee. | |
| Tak hem agayn, lat hem go lye on presse! | |
| The negardye in keping hir richesse | |
| Prenostik is thou wolt hir tour assayle; | |
| Wikke appetyt comth ay before seknesse: | 55 |
| In general, this reule may nat fayle. | |
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La respounse de Fortune countre le Pleintif.
Thou pinchest at my mutabilitee, | |
| For I thee lente a drope of my richesse, | |
| And now me lyketh to with-drawe me. | |
| Why sholdestow my realtee oppresse? | 60 |
| The see may ebbe and flowen more or lesse; | |
| The welkne hath might to shyne, reyne, or hayle; | |
| Right so mot I kythen my brotelnesse. | |
| In general, this reule may nat fayle. | |
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| Lo, thexecucion of the magestee | 65 |
| That al purveyeth of his rightwisnesse, | |
| That same thing ‘Fortune’ clepen ye, | |
| Ye blinde bestes, ful of lewednesse! | |
| The hevene hath propretee of sikernesse, | |
| This world hath ever resteles travayle; | 70 |
| Thy laste day is ende of myn intresse: | |
| In general, this reule may nat fayle. | |
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Lenvoy de Fortune.
Princes, I prey you of your gentilesse, | |
| Lat nat this man on me thus crye and pleyne, | |
| And I shal quyte you your bisinesse | 75 |
| At my requeste, as three of you or tweyne; | |
| And, but you list releve him of his peyne, | |
| Preyeth his beste frend, of his noblesse, | |
That to som beter estat he may atteyne.
Explicit. | |
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