Classic Poem

Then was there naught to do but form the troops.
Love loudly called, " Delay not the assault! "
Full of ardor, he quickly sallied forth.
Now at the mighty castle they've arrived,
From which they swear they never will depart
Until it's taken or they all are dead.
Their forces in four battles they divide
To make attack at once against four gates
Whose guards are far from slothful, ill, or dead;
But, rather, strong and eager for the fray.
Now I'll tell in what guise went Abstinence,
False Seeming partnering her, to Evil Tongue.
A conference between the two was held
About how best they might their ends attain —
Whether to go disguised or openly.
On this decision they accorded soon:
That they should go in the array of folk —
Good, pious, saintly — who make pilgrimage.
Immediately Forced Abstinence appeared
Like Beguine clothed in robe of cameline,
With coverchief of white upon her head
Her psalter she forgot not, nor her beads,
Which hung upon a lace of whitest silk.
She never bought them, for they were the gift
Of one who called her daughter, though a friar;
She paid him visits much more frequently
Than any other of her nunnery,
And often he would visit her in turn
And many charming sermons preach to her.
He never let False Seeming interfere
With frequent shrivings that he gave to her;
Confession heard he so devotedly
That often their two heads were in one hood.
I should consider her of figure fair,
But somewhat pale of face. The lustful bitch
The horse resembled in the Apocalypse
That signifies the evil people, tinged
With pale hypocrisy; he shows no hue
Upon his body but the white of death.
Such jaundiced color Abstinence displayed.
Her face seemed proof she her condition rued.
Theft was the pilgrim staff she had from Fraud
As gift; it was embrowned with doleful smoke —
And full of cares her scrip. Upon her way
She went when she had thus prepared herself.
False Seeming, for his part, was well equipped.
As if to try it out, he wore the cloak
Of Preaching Friar. He seemed to have no pride.
Peaceful and mild he in appearance was,
With simple, pious look upon his face.
A Bible hung suspended from his neck.
Squireless he went; but, as he weakness feigned,
He carried, to support his limbs, the crutch
Of Treason; and a sharp steel razor slipped
Into his sleeve; 'twas made at Cut Throat's forge.
So forth they went, and Evil Tongue approached,
Who, watching wayfarers, sat at his gate.
He saw them come, as humbly they drew nigh
And bowed to him with mock humility.
Abstinence came close and curtsied low,
And afterward False Seeming made salute.
In turn, and quite unmoved, he greeted them
He had no doubt or fear, because he thought
He recognized their faces when he looked,
For well with Abstinence he was acquaint,
Though he knew not Constraint. He little guessed
Her feigned and thievish life was now but forced,
But rather thought she came of her free will.
However, she now came quite otherwise;
For, if she willingly began the game,
That will had failed her ere she reached the end.
False Seeming he examined with more care,
But knew him not for False. False as he was,
His falseness could not well be recognized;
For Seeming covered up his falsity.
Though you before had known the knave now dressed
In this attire, you would have taken oath
By Heaven's Eternal King, that he, who once
Had led the dance as jolly Robin, now
Was quite transformed into a Jacobin.
But surely Jacobins are honest men;
Most evilly their order were disgraced
If all of them were charlatans like him.
So with the Carmelites and Cordeliers —
Fat and big bellied though they all may be —
The brothers who wear sacks, and all the rest;
No one of them seems aught but honest man.
But no good consequence can you conclude
From mere appearances in arguments
That men may make, if there is any fault
In entity; you'll sophistry perceive
That quite invalidates the consequence,
If you can penetrate duplicity.
When as they should these pilgrims had come near
To Evil Tongue, they laid their harness by
And sat beside him as he said to them:
" Come here, now; tell me all the news you know,
And what occasion brings you to my home. "
Forced Abstinence replied, " Fair gentleman,
We come as pilgrims pure, with hearts devout,
To do our penance. Almost all the way
We've come afoot; all dusty are our heels.
About this erring world we both are sent
To set a good example and to preach
And fish for souls; we want no other catch.
As we have been accustomed, in God's name
Shelter we seek of you; and for your good,
Unless it would displease you, we'd recite
A fitting sermon in a few brief words. "
Then answered Evil Tongue, " Such as it is,
My shelter shall not be denied to you.
Take it, and preach whatever you may wish;
I'll listen to it, whatsoe'er it be. "
" Gramercy, sire, " said Abstinence, and then
She thus began her speech: " The virtue first
And greatest that a mortal man may have
By acquisition or inheritance
Is to restrain his tongue. That, every wight
Should strive to do, for it is better far
That he say nothing than some evil word.
And those who listen to him willingly
Are not good men, nor have they fear of God.
Above all other sins this sin taints you;
You lately told a lie about a youth
Who here repaired, and 'twas an evil act.
You said that he sought nothing here at all
But to seduce Fair Welcome. 'Twas not true,
But rather 'twas hyperbole, perhaps.
Now he no longer comes and goes; perchance
You'll never see him more. And yet immured
Is still Fair Welcome, who throughout the week
Was wont to play his merriest games with you
Without one evil thought, but now dares not
Give solace to himself. The youth who here
Came to enjoy himself you've had chased hence.
What is it moves you to annoy him thus
But your bad mind that thinks up all these lies?
What moves you but your foolish eloquence
That rages, screams, and scolds, and makes a row,
Puts blame on folks, dishonors them, then grieves
With accusations which have no support
Except appearances that you've contrived?
I dare to tell you openly that truth
Is not what it appears; it is a sin
To forge a lie that brings one to reproof.
This you know well, which makes the matter worse.
However, naught the Lover cares for this;
He would not give an acorn how things went.
You may know well that he intends no wrong,
For if he did he'd come and go at will;
No reason would detain him. As it is,
He cares so little that he comes not here
Except by chance, and less than others do.
Yet tirelessly you're watching, lance at rest,
Here at the gate for him. May you, you fool,
Fool all your time away! You stay awake
Both day and night for naught; for naught you slave.
For Jealousy, attentive as she is
To you, will ne'er repay you for your toil.
Fair Welcome gets the worst of it, for he
Remains in pledge though he has had no loan;
Imprisoned though he's made no forfeiture,
Like felon wretch he languishes and weeps.
If never you've committed other sin
In all the world but that wrong you did him,
It would be only just — don't take it hard —
That men should dispossess you of your post,
Thrust you in prison, chain you up in irons.
Unless you shall repent of all your sin,
You will be doomed to go to hell's backside. "
Cried Evil Tongue, " Now certainly you lie.
Ill come are you! Did I but take you in
To hear your insults and your injuries?
'Twas evil chance you took me for a clown.
Now you who give the lie to me may seek
A lodging place elsewhere. The two of you
Are sorcerers come here to do me wrong
And put me to shame because I tell the truth.
Go you about now seeking this to do?
May God confound me — devils take my soul —
If, but ten days before this tower was built,
That varlet came not here, as I was told
And so repeated it, and kissed the Rose.
What more he did with her I do not know.
If 'twere not true, why was it told to me?
What I have said, by God, I will repeat;
And I don't think I lie. I'll trumpet it
To all my neighbors, how he came and went. "

Then spoke False Seeming, " All's not gospel truth
That's rumored in the town; be you not deaf,
And I will prove that all the tales are lies.
You certainly know well that no man loves
With all his heart one who speaks ill of him,
Though he be poor of wit, if he's informed.
It's just as true, if I have read aright,
That men are fond of visiting the place
Where live their sweethearts. Take this Lover, now,
Who loves and honors you and calls you oft
His most dear friend, and when he meets you shows
A fair and friendly face, salutes you well,
Yet never bores you with solicitude,
For others come far oftener than he —
You know, were he enamored of the Rose,
That he would come, you'd often see him here
And catch him in the act. He could not stay
Away though he risked being burned alive.
Things have not come unto that pass with him,
So you may know that it's not in his mind.
Fair Welcome's no more guilty, though he has
Ill payment for his innocence. By God,
If those two really wished, they'd pluck the Rose
In spite of you. As for this youth you wrong —
Who loves you well, you know — if he were bent
To steal the Rose, you'd learn it soon enough.
Not one day more he'd love you — call you friend —
But lie awake at night to plan assault
To break your castle. Were't as you surmise,
Someone had told him; he would know it all.
Or he himself would guess, since he's denied
Access that formerly he had, the truth.
But now his actions are quite different,
And so I say you utterly deserve
The pains of hell, since you've served him so ill. "
False Seeming thus the matter proved to him
So well that he knew not how to respond —
At any rate in such light saw the case
That he was near repentance when he said:
" By God, it well might be. I hold you both,
False Seeming and Forced Abstinence, as wise.
You're both good teachers and of one mind seem.
What would you counsel me that I should do? "
False Seeming answered, " You must here be shrived;
Confess to me no more than this one sin
Of which you now repent; for I'm a priest
In orders; I have all the world in charge
To shrive the mightiest of men there be
Long as the world shall last. No curate priest,
Sworn to his church, has such great power as I;
I swear by Our High Dame. One hundred times
More pity than your parish priest have I
Upon your soul, though he were your close friend.
Moreover, I a great advantage have:
No prelate is one half so wise or learned
As I, a doctor of divinity.
A piece ago I taught theology.
The best men known on earth have chosen me,
Both for my learning and for my good sense,
As their confessor. If you'd now be shrived,
And banish this one sin, not mentioning
The rest of them, my absolution you shall have. "