As I was in a summer dale,
Within a very secret vale,

I heard of talking a great tale
Betwixt an owl and a nightingale.
The strife was stiff and stark and strong;
Sometimes 'twas soft, then loud, their song.
Either against the other swelled,

Let out the rage that in her dwelled.
And each said of the other's ways
The worst she knew to her dispraise;
And specially of each other's song
They had a quarrel very strong.

The nightingale began the speech,
Snug in a corner of a beech;

She sat upon a pretty bough,

There were about her blossoms enow,

All in a lonely, thickset hedge,

Tangled with shoots and green with sedge. She was the gladder for the sprays,

And sang in many kinds of ways.

It rather seemed the sound I heard

Was harp and pipe than song of bird;

ΙΟ

20

For rather seemed the sound to float
From harp and pipe than from bird's throat.
There stood an old stump there beside,
Wherefrom the owl in her turn cried;
It was with ivy overgrown,

And there the owl dwelled all alone.

5 shall be

27

a summer

1 besides 2 agreement 3 say pray 'grant success paid present 9 I 10 dale 11 a very secret corner 12 heard 13 talk 14 strife 15 while 16 at times 17 each 18 swelled 19 the foul spirit all out 20 qualities 21 the very worst knew 23 and indeed and indeed they very corner

24

25

26

22

a fair bough 28 about 29, enough a solitary 31 mixed with sprouts sang in many kinds of rather 37 it 38

36

she 33 for 34 spray and ways the sound seemed 39 was not it seemed rather 40 then

41 where the 42 in her turn 43 the owl's home

And thuhte wel vule of thare ule,
For me hi halt lothlich and fule.
"Unwiht," heo sede, "awei thu fleo!
Me is the wers that ich the seo;
I-wis for thine vule lete 9

Wel oft ich mine song for-lete; 10

Min heorte at-flith," and falt 12 mi tunge,
Wonne 13 thu art to me i-thrunge.14
Me luste bet speten 15 thane singe,
Of 16 thine fule gogelinge."

29 17

Theos ule abod fort 18 hit was eve, Heo ne mihte no leng bileve,19 Vor hire heorte was so gret,20 That wel neh 21 hire fnast at-schet; 22 And warp 23 a word thar-after longe: "Hu thincthe 24 nu bi mine songe? Wenst 25 thu that ich ne cunne 26 singe Theh ich ne cunne 28 of writelinge? I-lome 30 thu dest 31 me grame,3 And seist me bothe teone 33 and schame; Gif 34 ich the heolde on min vote,35 So hit bi-tide 36 that ich mote! 37 And thu were ut of thine rise,38

32

29

"Yet thu me seist of other thinge,
And telst that ich ne can noht singe,
Ac 39 al mi reorde 40 is woning,"
And to i-here grislich 42 thing.
That nis noht soth, ich singe efne 4
Mid fulle dreme 45 and lude stefne.40
Thu wenist 25 that ech song beo grislich 46
That thine pipinge nis i-lich: 47
Mi stefne is bold and noht un-orne,48
Heo 49 is-i lich 50 one grete horne;

And thin is i-lich 50 one pipe

Of one smale weode un-ripe.5
Ich singe bet than thu dest;

51

52

Thu chaterest so 53 doth on Irish prest. Ich singe an eve, a rihte time,

And seoththe, won 13 hit is bed-time,

The thridde sithe 55 at middelnihte,

And so ich mine song adihte 56

Wone 13 ich i-seo arise veorre 57

1 her 2

30

40

50

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320

3 2 despised very foully 4 for everyone holds her 5 hateful 6 monster 7 I am the worse

The nightingale her soon espied, And looked at her with scornful pride. She thought but meanly of the owl, For men it loathly deem and foul.

"Monster," she said, “away with thee! The worse for me that thee I see! Verily for thy ugly look,

I oftentimes my song forsook.

My tongue is mute, my heart takes flight,
When thou appearest in my sight.

I rather wish to spit than sing,
At sound of thy foul sputtering."
The owl abode till eventide,

No longer could she then abide,
So swollen was her heart with wrath
That she could scarcely get her breath;
And still she made a speech full long:
"How think'st thou now about my song?
Think'st thou to sing I have no skill
Merely because I cannot trill?
Oft am I angered by thy blame,
Thou speakest to my hurt and shame;
If I once held thee in my claw,
Would that I might here in this shaw!
And thou wert down from off thy spray,
Then should'st thou sing another way!

"And yet thou sayest another thing,
And tellest me I cannot sing,
That all my song is mourning drear,
A fearsome sound for men to hear.
That is not sooth; my voice is true,
And full and loud, sonorous too.
Thou thinkest ugly every note
Unlike the thin ones from thy throat.
My voice is bold and not forlorn,
It soundeth like a mighty horn;
And thine is like a little pipe

Made of a slender reed unripe.
Better I sing than thou at least;
Thou chatterest like an Irish priest.
I sing at eve, a proper time,
And after, when it is bedtime,
And once again at middle-night,
And so ordain my song aright
When I see rising from afar

no

8 truly appearance 10 give up 13 when 14 arrived 15 I feel more like spitting 16 because of 17 18 waited till 19 screeching longer wait 20 swollen 21 nigh 2 breath choked 23 threw 24 how does it seem 25 thinkest 26

cannot

but

310

320

30 often

33

trilling injury 34 if 35 foot 36 40 voice

29

so may

41 lam

43

44

true precisely 15 sound

ugly 47 that is not like thy piping

51

49 it 50 like ing 52 dost green wards 55 third time 56 ordain afar

57

7

Other dai-rim 2 other 3 dai-sterre.
Ich do god mid mine throte,
And warni men to heore note; 4
Ac 5 thu singest alle longe niht,
From eve fort hit is dai-liht,
And evre lesteth thin o song
So longe so the niht is longe,
And evre croweth thi wrecche crei,
That he ne swiketh 10 niht ne dai.
Mid thine pipinge thu adunest 11
Thas monnes earen thar 12 thu wunest,13
And makest thine song so un-wiht 14
That me 15 ne telth 16 of the nowiht.17
Evrich murhthe 18 mai so longe i-leste,
That heo shal liki 19 wel un-wreste;
Vor harpe and pipe and fugeles 21 songe
Misliketh, gif hit is to longe.

26

20

Ne beo the song never so murie,
That he ne shal thinche 22 wel un-murie,23
Gef he i-lesteth over un-wille.24
So thu miht 25 thine song aspille;
Vor hit is soth,27 Alvred hit seide,
And me 15 hit mai in boke rede,
'Evrich thing mai leosen 28 his godhede 29
Mid unmethe 30 and mid over-dede."" 31

*

330

340

350

"Ule," heo seide, "wi dostu so? Thu singest a-winter 32 'wolawo'; 33 Thu singest so 8 doth hen a 34 snowe: Al that heo singeth, hit is for wowe; A-wintere thu singest wrothe 36 and gomere,3 And evre thu art dumb a-sumere.

Hit is for thine fule nithe,38

35

37

420

Either day-dawn or else day-star.
I do men good thus with my throat,
And help them with my warning note;
But thou art singing all the night,
From eve until it is daylight.
For ever lasts thy only song,

As long as ever the night is long,
And ever crows thy wretched lay,
That ceaseth not, by night or day.

Thy piping is ever in man's ears,

Wherever thou dwellest, thy din he hears;
Thou makest thy song a thing of naught,
No man accounteth thee as aught;

For any mirth may last so long
That dislike of it waxeth strong;
For harp or pipe or song of bird
Displeaseth if too long 'tis heard.
Never so merry a song may be
But to disgust shall turn its glee
If it shall last till it annoy;
So mayst thou thy song destroy.
For it is true, as Alfred said,
And in his book it may be read,
'Every good its grace may lose
By lack of measure and by abuse.'"

330

340

350

In winter thou singest in wrath and gloom,
In summer thou art ever dumb.

'Tis thy foul malice that hinders thee,
That blithe with us thou may'st not be;
For envy 'tis that in thee burns,
When in the spring our bliss returns.
Thou farest as doth the wicked ever,
Whom joy of others pleases never;
For grudging and louring is he mad
Whene'er he sees that men are glad.
Rather would such a one espy
Tears in every person's eye;

Never a whit would that man care

411

420

Though flocks were mixed, both head and hair.
So dost thou fare, upon thy side;

For when the snow lies thick and wide,
And every creature lives in sorrow,

430

eth thy one as

13 dwellest 18 every mirth 19

naught 21 bird's 22 displeasure 25

seem

23

15

please

very badly unpleasant 24 if it lasts unto true lose 29

28

cry 10 it ceases not

horrible one

20

ness 34 in way mayst not 44 wicked man

excess

35 40

woe

41

over-doing 32 in winter 37 36 wrath 7 grief burnest up 45 unpleasing

33 wela

38 hatred

nigh envy

46

42

47

louring ready

43 when

50 49 he would not care

though mixed

51 56

creatures sorrow

Then singest thou from eve till morrow.
But I all gladness with me bring,
All men are happy when I sing;
They all rejoice, when I appear,
And hope for me another year.
Blossoms begin to spring and grow,
On tree, in mead, and in hedge-row;
The lily with her fair white hue
Doth welcome me, I would thou knew;
With her sweet face she biddeth me
That I to her shall quickly flee;
Likewise the rose with ruddy hood,
That cometh from the thorny wood,
Biddeth me ever that I shall sing
For her dear love in carolling."

440

16 sai: and ga,

And folus 22 forth the wildrin 23 wai.

Herod, that es the child 24 fa,25

Fra nu

26 wil sek him for to sla.27

210

18

Thare sal 28 yee bide stil wit 29 the barn,30

Til that I eft 31 cum yow to warn."

36 tun,

Son 32 was Joseph redi bun; 33
Wit naghtertale 35 he went o
Wit 34 Maria mild and their meine : 37
A maiden and thair suanis 38 thre,
That servid tham in thair servis ;
With thaim was nan bot war 39 and wis.
Forth sco rad,40 that moder mild,
And in hir barm 41 sco ledd 42 hir child,
Til thai come at 43
44
a cove was depe.

Thar 5 thai tham thoght to rest and slepe;

Thar did 46 thai Mari for to light,47

Bot son thai sagh 48 an ugli sight.

Als 49 thai loked tham biside,

1 till morning 2 but 3

220

231

rejoices when 7 hopeth for

An angel thus to him did say:
"Rise up, Joseph, and busk and go,
Maria and thy child also;
For it behooves you now all three
To the land of Egypt for to flee;
Rise up, then, ere it be day,
And follow forth the desert way.
Herod, that is the infant's foe,
Henceforth will seek to lay him low.
There with the bairn shall ye remain
Till I come back to warn you plain."

Now soon was Joseph ready dight;
He left the town at fall of night,
With Mary mild and their company :
A maiden and their servants three,
That served them well in servants' guise;
With them was none but wary and wise.
Forth she rode, that mother mild,
And in her bosom bore her child,
Till they came to a cave full deep;
There they had thought to rest and sleep;
There helped they Mary to alight,
But soon they saw an ugly sight.
As they were looking them beside,

10 know 11 bids 12 visage 13 redness 14 pastime 15 to 16 did 17 get ready 18 go 19 also 22 follow 23 wilderness 24 child's 25 foe 26 from now

was

45

48

44

49

as

And pardes,30 als 31 the dragons did,
Bifor Maria and Joseph yede,
In right wai tham for to lede.
Quen Maria sagh thaa bestes lute,33
First sco 34 was gretli in dute,35

9

Til Jesus loked on hir blith

And dridnes 36 bad hir nan to kith.37
Moder," he said, "haf thou na ward 38
Nother o 39 leon ne o lepard,

For thai com noght us harm to do,
Bot thair servis at 40 serve us to."

Bath ass and ox that wit 42 tham war 43
And bestes that thair harnais bar
Ute o Jerusalem, thair kyth,"
The leons mekli yod 32 tham wit,42
Wit-uten harm of ox or ass,
Or ani best that wit tham was.
Than was fulfild the propheci,
That said was thoru Jeremi:
"Wolf and wether, leon and ox,
Sal 45

comen samen,46 and lamb and fox."

240

250

260

270

Out of this cave then saw they glide
Many dragons full suddenly;
The servants then began to cry.
When Jesus saw them frightened be,
He lighted from his mother's knee,
And stood upon those beasts so grim,
And low they bowed them under him.
Then came the prophecy all clear
As in the Psalter ye may hear:
"Dragons that in their cavern dwell
The praises of the Lord shall tell."

Jesus, he went before them then,
Forbade their harming any men.
Maria and Joseph, none the less,
For the child were in distress;
But Jesus answered them and said:
'For me have ye no manner dread;
For me as child have ye no fright,
A perfect man am I by right;
And all the beasts that are so wild,
For me must be both tame and mild."
A lion went them then amid;
And leopards, as the dragons did,
Before Maria and Joseph lay,
Ready to lead them on their way.
When Mary saw the beasts all lout,
Greatly, at first, she was in doubt,
Till Jesus blithely drew anear,
And bade her not at all to fear.
'Mother," said he, “have no regard
For lion or for fierce leopard;
For they come not us harm to do;
But us their service to give unto.'

Both ass and ox were with them there,
And other beasts that baggage bare
Out of their home, Jerusalem;
The lions meekly went with them,
And did no harm to ox or ass,
Or any beast that with them was.
Then was fulfilled the prophecy
That spoken was by Jeremy:
"Wolf and wether, lion and ox,

Shall come together, and lamb and fox."

7 6 when terri

came

14 the Psalter 15

13 to dwelling

34

16 Lord 17 ought 18 praise 19 forbade 20 neverthe

240

250

260

270

33 bow

26 child-sorrow perfect must a lion went with them also 30 leopards as doubt, fear 37 show, gard of 40 40 to 41 both 42 with 43

25

45

none

have at once

she

39

35

46

shall together

36

terror

38

went
feel re-
44

were country