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|
Lordinges, herkneth to me tale!
Is merier than the nightingale,
That I schel singe;
Of a knight ich wile yow roune,
Beves a highte of Hamtoune,
Withouten lesing.
Ich wile yow tellen al togadre
Of that knight and of is fadre,
Sire Gii.
Of Hamtoun he was sire
And of al that ilche schire,
To wardi.
Lordinges, this, of whan I telle,
Never man of flesch ne felle
Nas so strong.
And so he was in ech strive.
And ever he levede withouten wive,
Al to late and long.
Whan he was fallen in to elde,
That he ne mighte himself welde,
He wolde a wif take;
Sone thar after, ich understonde,
Him hadde be lever than al this londe
Hadde he hire forsake. 1
An elde a wif he tok an honde,
The kinges doughter of Scotlonde,
So faire and bright.
Allas, that he hire ever ches!
For hire love his lif a les
With mechel unright.
This maide ichave of ytold,
Faire maide she was and bold
And fre yboren;
Of Almayne that emperur
Hire hadde loved paramur
Wel thar beforen.
Ofte to hire fader a sente
And he him selve theder wente
For hire sake;
Ofte gernede hire to wive;
The king for no thing alive
Nolde hire him take. 2
Sithe a yaf hire to sire Gii,
A stalword erl and hardi
Of Southhamtoun.
Man, whan he falleth in to elde.
Feble a wexeth and unbelde
Thourgh right resoun.
So longe thai yede togedres to bedde,
A knave child betwene hem thai hedde,
Beves a het.
Faire child he was and bolde,
He nas boute seve winter olde,
Whan his fader was ded.
The levedi hire misbethoughte
And meche aghen the right she wroughte
In hire tour:
"Me lord is olde and may nought werche,
Al dai him is lever at cherche,
Than in me bour. 3
Hadde ich itaken a yong knight,
That ner nought brused in werre and fight,
Also he is,
A wolde me loven dai and night,
Cleppen and kissen with al is might
And make me blis.
I nel hit lete for no thinge,
That ich nel him to dethe bringe
With sum braide!"
Anon right that levedi fer
To consaile clepede hir masager
And to him saide:
"Maseger, do me surté,
That thow nelt nought discure me
To no wight!
And yif thow wilt, that it so be,
I schel thee yeve gold and fe
And make the knight."
Thanne answerde the masager -
False a was, that pautener,
And wel prut -
"Dame, boute ich do thee nede,
Ich graunte, thow me forbede
The londe thourgh out."
The levedi thanne was wel fain:
"Go," she seide, "in to Almaine
Out of me bour!
Maseger, be yep and snel,
And on min helf thow grete wel
That emperur,
And bid, in the ferste dai,
That cometh in the moneth of May,
For love of me,
That he be to fighte prest
With is ferde in hare forest
Beside the se.
Me lord ich wile theder sende
For his love, for to schende
And for to sle;
Bid him, that hit be nought beleved,
That he ne smite of his heved
And sende hit me!
And whan he haveth so ydo,
Me love he schel underfo,
Withouten delai!
Thanne seide that masager:
"Madame, ich wile sone be ther!
Now have gode dai!"
Now that masager him goth.
That ilche lord him worthe wroth,
That him wroughte!
To schip that masager him wode.
Allas! The wind was al to gode,
That him over broughte.
Tho he com in to Almayne,
Thar a mette with a swain
And grette him wel.
"Felawe," a seide, "par amur:
Whar mai ich finde th'emperur?
Thow me tel!"
"Ich wile thee telle anon right:
At Rifoun a lai tonight,
Be me swere!"
The masager him thankede anon
And thederwardes he gan gon
Withouten demere.
Th'empereur thar a fonde;
Adoun a knevlede on the grounde,
Ase hit was right,
And seide: "The levedi of South Hamtone
Thee grette wel be Godes sone,
That is so bright,
And bad thee, in the ferste day
That cometh in the moneth o May,
How so hit be,
That ye be to fighte prest
With your ferde in hare forest
Beside the se.
Hire lord she wile theder sende
For the love, for to schende,
With lite meini;
Thar aboute thow schost be fouse,
And thow schelt after her wedde to spouse,
To thin amy."
"Sai," a seide, "Icham at hire heste:
Yif me lif hit wile leste,
Hit schel be do!
Gladder icham for that sawe,
Than be fouel, whan hit ginneth dawe,
And sai hire so!
And for thow woldes hire erande bede,
An hors icharged with golde rede
Ich schel thee yeve,
And withinne this fourtene night
Me self schel dobbe thee to knight,
Yif that ich live."
The mesager him thankede yerne;
Hom ayen he gan him terne
To Hamtoun;
The levedi a fond in hire bour,
And he hire clepede doceamur
And gan to roun:
"Dame," a seide, "I thee tel:
That emperur thee grette wel
With love mest:
Glad he is for that tiding,
A wile be prest at that fighting
In that forest.
Yif thow ert glad the lord to sle,
Gladder a is for love of thee
Fele sithe!"
The mesager hath thus isaid,
The levedi was right wel apaid
And maked hire blithe.
In Mai, in the formeste dai,
The levedi in hire bedde lai,
Ase hit wer nede;
Hire lord she clepede out of halle
And seide, that evel was on hire falle,
She wende be ded.
That erl for hire hath sorwe ikaught
And askede, yif she disired aught,
That mighte hire frevre.
"Ye," she seide, "of a wilde bor
I wene, me mineth, boute for
Al of the fevre!" 4
"Madame," a seide, "for love myn,
Whar mai ich finde that wilde swin?
I wolde, thow it hadde!"
And she answerde with tresoun mest,
Be the se in hare forest,
Thar a bradde.
That erl swor, be Godes grace,
In that forest he wolde chace,
That bor to take;
And she answerde with tresoun than;
"Blessed be thow of alle man
For mine sake!"
That erl is hors began to stride,
His scheld he heng upon is side,
Gert with swerd;
Moste non armur on him come,
Himself was boute the ferthe some
Toward that ferd.
Allas, that he nadde be war
Of is fomen, that weren thar,
Him forte schende:
With tresoun worth he ther islawe
And ibrought of is lif-dawe,
Er he hom wende!
Whan he com in to the forest,
Th'emperur a fond al prest;
For envi
A prikede out before is ost,
For pride and for make bost,
And gan to crie:
"Aghilt thee, treitour! thow olde dote!
Thow shelt ben hanged be the throte,
Thin heved thow schelt lese;
The sone schel anhanged be
And the wif, that is so fre,
To me lemman I chese!"
Th'erl answerde at that sawe:
"Me thenketh, thow seist ayen the lawe,
So God me amende!
Me wif and child, that was so fre,
Yif thow thenkest beneme hem me,
Ich schel hem defende!"
Tho prikede is stede Sire Gii,
A stalword man and hardi,
While he was sounde;
Th'emperur he smot with is spere,
Out of is sadel he gan him bere
And threw him to grounde.
"Treitour," a seide, "thow ert to bolde!
Wenestow, thegh ich bo olde,
To ben afered?
That thow havest no right to me wif,
I schel thee kithe be me lif!"
And drough is swerd.
That erl held is swerd adrawe,
Th'emperur with he hadde slawe,
Nadde be sokour:
Thar come knightes mani and fale,
Wel ten thosent told be tale,
To th'emperur.
Tho Sire Gii him gan defende,
Thre hondred hevedes of a slende
With is brond;
Hadde he ben armed wel, ywis,
Al the meistré hadde ben his,
Ich understonde.
Thre men were slawe, that he ther hadde,
That he with him out ladde
And moste nede;
To have merci, that was is hope;
Th'emperur after him is lope
Upon a stede.
Th'erl knewlede to th'emperur,
Merci a bad him and sokour
And is lif:
"Merci, sire, ase thow art fre,
Al that ichave, I graunte thee,
Boute me wif!
For thine men, that ichave slawe,
Have her me swerd idrawe
And al me fe:
Boute me yonge sone Bef
And me wif, that is me lef,
That let thow me!"
"For Gode," queth he, "that ich do nelle!"
Th'emperur to him gan telle,
And was agreved,
Anon right is swerd out drough
And the gode knight a slough
And nam is heved.
A knight a tok the heved an honde:
"Have," a seide, "ber this sonde
Me leve swet!"
The knight to Hamtoun tho gan gon,
The levedi thar a fond anon
And gan hire grete:
"Dame," a seide, "to me atende:
Th'emperur me hider sende
With is pray!"
And she seide: "Blessed mot he be!
To wif a schel wedde me
To morwe in the dai.
Sai him, me swete wight,
That he come |