Classic Poem

The time has come for me to sing;
I have been so asleep
That my song has not been heard afar;
But now I am awake,
And I shall regain my joy
In spite of the winter and the cold wind.

I should not run away from joy,
For I have never for a day been graced with it;
And it has surged deeply in my heart,
So that among people I sigh
For the great desire of love that I have;
I neither sleep nor wake, hear nor see.

If ever I stayed awake for love,
Or was a fool or betrayed because of it,
Or was crossed by a fickle woman,
Now I praise God and Saint John
Because I love with such a love
That never exchanged me for another.

I do not believe that this one would cheat me,
Though I have not yet been graced by her;
Nor am I so foolish
As ever to seek or ask anything of her,
Small or large, this or that,
Bad or good, or anything.

I know her to be so gracious and dignified,
And her deeds are of such high merit,
That here I consider myself rich,
And there [I shall be in] her command
Any night, day, month, or year,
For I am hers as I ought to be.

The song is plain, and I perfect it
Without a vile, false, bastardized word;
And it has been worked over to the point
That I practise it with polished words;
And it still continues to improve
If there's one to sing or perform it well.