The Prioress' Prologue
O lord, oure lord, thy name how merveillous Line 453
Is in this large world ysprad, quod she; Line 454
For noght oonly thy laude precious Line 455
Parfourned is by men of dignitee, Line 456
But by the mouth of children thy bountee Line 457
Parfourned is, for on the brest soukynge Line 458
Somtyme shewen they thyn heriynge. Line 459
Wherfore in laude, as I best kan or may, Line 460
Of thee and of the white lyle flour Line 461
Which that the bar, and is a mayde alway, Line 462
To telle a storie I wol do my labour; Line 463
Nat that I may encressen hir honour, Line 464
For whe hirself is honour and the roote Line 465
Of bountee, next hir sone, and soules boote. Line 466
O mooder mayde! o mayde mooder free! Line 467
O bussh unbrent, brennynge in moyses sighte, Line 468
That ravyshedest doun fro the dietee, Line 469
Thurgh thyn humbless, the goost that in th' alighte, Line 470
Of whos vertu, whan he thyn herte lighte, Line 471
Conceyved was the fadres sapience, Line 472
Help me to telle it in thy reverence! Line 473
Lady, thy bountee, thy magnificence, Line 474
Thy vertu, and thy grete humylitee, Line 475
Ther may no tonge expresse in no science; Line 476
For somtyme, lady, er men praye to thee, Line 477
Thou goost biforn of thy benyngnytee, Line 478
And getest us the lyght, of thy preyere, Line 479
To gyden us unto thy sone so deere. Line 480
My konnyng is so wayk, o blisful queene, Line 481
For to declare thy grete worthynesse Line 482
That I ne may the weighte nat susteene; Line 483
But as a child of twelf month oold, or lesse, Line 484
That kan unnethes any word expresse, Line 485
Right so fare I, and therfore I yow preye, Line 486
Gydeth my song that I shal of yow seye. Line 487