群鸟会议 英国诗人Chaucer

"Ever would it be night, but always clear day to any man's sight."曾经陷入黑暗但对每个人来说又宛若白昼

PF 1 The lyf so short, the craft so long to lerne,

PF 2 Th' assay so hard, so sharp the conquerynge,

PF 3 The dredful joye alwey that slit so yerne:

PF 4 Al this mene I by Love, that my felynge

PF 5 Astonyeth with his wonderful werkynge

PF 6 So sore, iwis, that whan I on hym thynke

PF 7 Nat wot I wel wher that I flete or synke.

PF 8 For al be that I knowe nat Love in dede,

PF 9 Ne wot how that he quiteth folk here hyre,

PF 10 Yit happeth me ful ofte in bokes reede

PF 11 Of his myrakles and his crewel yre.

PF 12 There rede I wel he wol be lord and syre;

PF 13 I dar nat seyn, his strokes been so sore,

PF 14 But "God save swich a lord!" -- I can na moore.

PF 15 Of usage -- what for lust and what for lore --

PF 16 On bokes rede I ofte, as I yow tolde.

PF 17 But wherfore that I speke al this? Nat yoore

PF 18 Agon it happede me for to beholde

PF 19 Upon a bok, was write with lettres olde,

PF 20 And therupon, a certeyn thing to lerne,

PF 21 The longe day ful faste I redde and yerne.

PF 22 For out of olde feldes, as men seyth,

PF 23 Cometh al this newe corn from yer to yere,

PF 24 And out of olde bokes, in good feyth,

PF 25 Cometh al this newe science that men lere.

PF 26 But now to purpos as of this matere:

PF 27 To rede forth hit gan me so delite

PF 28 That al that day me thoughte but a lyte.

PF 29 This bok of which I make mencioun

PF 30 Entitled was al ther, as I shal telle:

PF 31 "Tullyus of the Drem of Scipioun."

PF 32 Chapitres sevene it hadde, of hevene and helle

PF 33 And erthe, and soules that therinne dwelle,

PF 34 Of whiche, as shortly as I can it trete,

PF 35 Of his sentence I wol yow seyn the greete.

PF 36 Fyrst telleth it, whan Scipion was come

PF 37 In Affrike, how he meteth Massynisse,

PF 38 That hym for joie in armes hath inome;

PF 39 Thanne telleth [it] here speche and al the blysse

PF 40 That was betwix hem til the day gan mysse,

PF 41 And how his auncestre, Affrycan so deere,

PF 42 Gan in his slep that nyght to hym apere.

PF 43 Thanne telleth it that, from a sterry place,

PF 44 How Affrycan hath hym Cartage shewed,

PF 45 And warnede hym beforn of al his grace,

PF 46 And seyde hym what man, lered other lewed,

PF 47 That lovede commune profyt, wel ithewed,

PF 48 He shulde into a blysful place wende

PF 49 There as joye is that last withouten ende.

PF 50 Thanne axede he if folk that here been dede

PF 51 Han lyf and dwellynge in another place.

PF 52 And Affrican seyde, "Ye, withouten drede,"

PF 53 And that oure present worldes lyves space

PF 54 Nis but a maner deth, what wey we trace;

PF 55 And rightful folk shul gon, after they dye,

PF 56 To hevene; and shewede hym the Galaxye.

PF 57 Thanne shewede he hym the lytel erthe that here is, PF 58 At regard of the hevenes quantite;

PF 59 And after shewede he hym the nyne speres;

PF 60 And after that the melodye herde he

PF 61 That cometh of thilke speres thryes thre,

PF 62 That welle is of musik and melodye

PF 63 In this world here, and cause of armonye.

PF 64 Than bad he hym, syn erthe was so lyte,

PF 65 And dissevable and ful of harde grace,

PF 66 That he ne shulde hym in the world delyte.

PF 67 Thanne tolde he hym, in certeyn yeres space

PF 68 That every sterre shulde come into his place

PF 69 Ther it was first, and al shulde out of mynde

PF 70 That in this world is don of al mankynde.

PF 71 Thanne preyede hym Scipion to telle hym al

PF 72 The wey to come into that hevene blisse.

PF 73 And he seyde, "Know thyself first immortal,

PF 74 And loke ay besyly thow werche and wysse

PF 75 To commune profit, and thow shalt not mysse

PF 76 To comen swiftly to that place deere

PF 77 That ful of blysse is and of soules cleere.

PF 78 "But brekers of the lawe, soth to seyne,

PF 79 And likerous folk, after that they ben dede,

PF 80 Shul whirle aboute th' erthe alwey in peyne,

PF 81 Tyl many a world be passed, out of drede,

PF 82 And than, foryeven al hir wikked dede,

PF 83 Than shul they come into that blysful place,

PF 84 To which to comen God the sende his grace."

PF 85 The day gan faylen, and the derke nyght,