Classic Poem

"O palace, whilom crown of houses all,
Enlumined with sun of alle bliss!
O ring, fro which the ruby is outfall,
O cause of woe, that cause hast been of liss!
Yet since I may no bet, fain would I kiss
Thy colde doores, durst I for this rout;
And farewell shrine, of which the saint is out! . . .'

From thennesforth he rideth up and down,
And everything come him to remembrance,
As he rode forby places of the town
In which he whilom had all his pleasance.
"Lo, yonder saw I last my lady dance;
And in that temple, with her eyen clear,
Me caughte first my righte lady dear.

"And yonder have I heard full lustily
My deare hearte laugh; and yonder play
Saw I her ones eek full blissfully.
And yonder ones to me gan she say,
"Now goode sweete, love me well, I pray;"
And yond so goodly gan she me behold,
That to the death mine heart is to her hold.

"And at that corner, in the yonder house
Heard I my allerliefest lady dear
So womanly, with voice melodious,
Singen so well, so goodly, and so clear,
That in my soule yet me think'th I hear
The blissful sound; and in that yonder place
My lady first me took unto her grace.

"O star, of which I lost have all the light,
With hearte sore well ought I to bewail,
That ever dark in torment, night by night,
Toward my death with wind in steer I sail:
For which the tenthe night, if that I fail
The guiding of thy beames bright an hour,
My ship and me Charybdis will devour.'

"Was there none other brooch you liste let
To fiefe with your newe love,' quod he,
"But thilke brooch that I, with teares wet,
You gave, as for a remembraance of me?
None other cause, alas, ne hadde ye
But for despite, and eek for that ye meant
All utterly to shewen your entent.

"Through which I see that clean out of your mind
Ye have me cast; and I ne can nor may,
For all this world, within my hearte find
To unloven you a quarter of a day!
In cursed time I born was, wellaway,
That you, that do me all this woe endure,
Yet love I best of any creature!'