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THOMAS DE HALES (bef. 1300)

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A LOVE LETTER

A maid of Christ doth plead with me
To write her a letter of love to-day,
From which she can learn most readily
To take another true love, i'fay,

Who faithfulest of all shall be,
And best can guard a lady gay.
No wise will 'I deny her plea,
But I will teach her as I may.

O maiden, here thou mayst behold
This earthly love is but a race,

And is beset so many fold,

Fickle and false and weak and base. Those knights that here were once so bold, Like wind have glided from their place; Under mould they are lying cold,

And wither as doth the meadow grass.

There's none so rich and none so free

That hence he shall not soon away. Nothing may ever his warrant be,

Gold, nor silver, nor ermine gay; Be he ever so swift, he may not flee, Nor guard his life a single day. Thus is this world, as thou mayst see, Like as the shadow that glides away. This world fareth like the wind,

One thing gone, another here; What was before is now behind, What now is loath before was dear; Therefore he doth as doth the blind, Who sets his love on this world's gear. The world is vanishing, ye shall find; Evil goes forward, truth to the rear. The love that may not here abide, Thou art wrong to trust it now; Away from thee that love will glide, Capricious and frail and false of vow, And hasting away at every tide.

The while it lasts, 'tis sorrow enow;

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49 therefore

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36 ermine 37 vair 38 be he never so swift 39 protect a single just as 42 glides swiftly when

13 will mayst

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may see true the 56

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19 is not 20 a race 21 in so many ways 22 fickle 23 ugly 24 weak 25 false 26 these nobles are passed 28 29 breath 31 30 the earth they lie 32 wither 33 there is none 34 free, 35 generous hence

away as

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trustest Vit very wrongly even

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SO pass away delicate 62 capricious hasting away at every time 65 sorrow enough

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An ende, ne werie 2 mon [robe] so syde,3 He schal to-dreosen 4 so lef on bouh.5

Hwer is Paris and Heleyne,

That weren so bryht and feyre on bleo; 6 Amadas and Dideyne, 7

Tristram, Yseude and alle theo; 8 Ector, with his scharpe meyne,9

And Cesar, riche of worldes feo? 10 Heo beoth iglyden "ut of the reyne 12 So 13 the schef 14 is of the cleo.15

Hit is of heom 16 al so hit nere; 17

Of heom 16 me haveth 18 wunder itold, Nere hit reuthe 19 for to here

Hw hi 20 were with pyne aquold,21 And what hi tholeden 22 alyve here.

Al is heore 23 hot iturnd to cold. Thus is thes world of false fere;

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1 at last 2 wear 3 wide fall 5 bough 6 of face 8 those 9 Idoyne strength have slipped away 12 land 13

10 wealth 11 they 14 sheaf 15 from the hillside 16 them 17 as if they had not existed

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people have were it not pity 20 how they 21 killed with torture 22 suffered 23 their 24 validity

25 foolish 26

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29 though 28 man who

our

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That were so bright and fair of face? Amadas and Ydoine gay,

Tristram, Yseult, and all that race? Hector, strong in battle array,

And Cæsar, great in worldly place? They all have glided from earth away

As sheaf from the hill, that leaves no trace. 72

They're now as though they never were here; Of them are many wonders told,

Were it not pity for one to hear

How they were tortured and died of old,
And what they suffered in life while here.
All their heat is turned to cold.'
Thus all this world doth false appear;
Foolish is he whc in it is bold.

Although he were a man as strong
As Henry is, our gracious King,
And fair as Absalom the young,

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Whose match no man on earth could bring, His pride were soon not worth a song, In value less than a red herring. O maid, if thou wilt love full long, I will show thee a loyal king. Ah, my sweet, if thou but knew The blessed virtues of this Lord! He is fair and bright of hue,

Both glad of cheer and mild of word, Of lovesome grace, of trust most true, Free-hearted, rich in wisdom's hoard; Never shouldst thou have need to rue, If thou but trust thee in his ward.

He is the strongest man in land,

As far as men can speak with mouth,
And all are liegemen in his hand,
East and west, north and south.
Henry, King of English and,

Doth hold of him and to him boweth.
O maid, he sends thee his command,
His will to be thy friend avoweth.

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Bytuene Mersh1 and Averil,

MIDDLE ENGLISH LYRICS

When spray biginneth to springe,

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He may me blisse bringe; Icham in hire baundoun.8

An hendy hap ichabbe yhent,"

(Unknown Authors)

ALYSOUN (c. 1300)

Ichot,10 from hevene it is me sent,
From alle wymmen mi love is lent "1

And lyht 12 on Alysoun.

On heu 13 hire her is fayr ynoh,

Hire browe broune, hire eye blake, With lossum chere 14 he on me loh! 15. With middel 16 smal, and wel ymake.1 Bote 18 he me wolle 19 to hire take, Forte buen 20 hire owen make,21 Longe to lyuen ichulle 22 forsake,

And feye 23 fallen adoun.

An hendy hap, etc.

Nihtes-when y wende 24 and wake;

Forthi 25 myn wonges 26 waxeth won.

Levedi,27 al for thine sake

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Betwixt old March and April gay, When sprays begin to spring,

The little bird in her own way

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Follows her will to sing.

But I must live in love longing

For one who is the fairest thing.

'Tis she who may to bliss me bring, For she my love hath won.

A blessed fortune is my lot,

'Tis sent to me from Heaven, I wot, To other women my love turns not But lights on Alison.

Fair enough in hue her hair,

Her brows are brown, and black her eyne. She smiled on me with lovesome air; Trim is her waist and neat and fine. Unless thou'lt take me to be thine, Thy own dear love, O lady mine, Of longer living shall I pine,

A blessed fortune is my lot, etc.

By death shall be undone.

Often at night I toss and wake;

IC

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For this my cheeks are pale and wan. Lady, 'tis all for thy dear sake Longing has fallen me upon.

In world nis non so wytermon,29

That al hire bounte 30 telle con.31

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In world is none so wise a man That all her goodness tell he can. Her neck is whiter than the swan; My heart she has undone.

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A blessed fortune is my lot, etc.

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