John Gower's Confessio amantis
Lines 801 through 900
Fro thenne wolde he nevere wende,
6.801
Bot there unto the worldes ende
6.802
He wolde abyde, if that he mihte,
6.803
And fieden him upon the syhte.
6.804
For thogh I mihte stonden ay
6.805
Into the time of domesday
6.806
And loke upon hire evere in on,
6.807
Yit whanne I scholde fro hire gon,
6.808
Min yhe wolde, as thogh he faste,
6.809
Ben hungerstorven al so faste,
6.810
Til efte ayein that he hire syhe.
6.811
Such is the nature of myn yhe:
6.812
Ther is no lust so deintefull,
6.813
Of which a man schal noght be full,
6.814
Of that the stomac underfongeth,
6.815
Bot evere in on myn yhe longeth:
6.816
For loke hou that a goshauk tireth,
6.817
Riht so doth he, whan that he pireth
6.818
And toteth on hire wommanhiede;
6.819
For he mai nevere fulli fiede
6.820
His lust, bot evere aliche sore
6.821
Him hungreth, so that he the more
6.822
Desireth to be fed algate:
6.823
And thus myn yhe is mad the gate,
6.824
Thurgh which the deyntes of my thoght
6.825
Of lust ben to myn herte broght.
6.826
Riht as myn yhe with his lok
6.827
Is to myn herte a lusti coc
6.828
Of loves fode delicat,
6.829
Riht so myn Ere in his astat,
6.830
Wher as myn yhe mai noght serve,
6.831
Can wel myn hertes thonk deserve
6.832
And fieden him fro day to day
6.833
With suche deyntes as he may.
6.834
For thus it is, that overal,
6.835
Wher as I come in special,
6.836
I hiere on seith that sche is wys,
6.838
An other seith that sche is good,
6.839
And som men sein, of worthi blod
6.840
That sche is come, and is also
6.841
So fair, that nawher is non so;
6.842
And som men preise hire goodli chiere:
6.843
Thus every thing that I mai hiere,
6.844
Which souneth to mi ladi goode,
6.845
Is to myn Ere a lusti foode.
6.846
And ek min Ere hath over this
6.847
A deynte feste, whan so is
6.848
That I mai hiere hirselve speke;
6.849
For thanne anon mi faste I breke
6.850
On suche wordes as sche seith,
6.851
That full of trouthe and full of feith
6.852
Thei ben, and of so good desport,
6.853
That to myn Ere gret confort
6.854
Thei don, as thei that ben delices.
6.855
For al the metes and the spices,
6.856
That eny Lombard couthe make,
6.857
Ne be so lusti forto take
6.858
Ne so ferforth restauratif,
6.859
I seie as for myn oghne lif,
6.860
As ben the wordes of hire mouth:
6.861
For as the wyndes of the South
6.862
Ben most of alle debonaire,
6.863
So whan hir list to speke faire,
6.864
The vertu of hire goodly speche
6.865
Is verraily myn hertes leche.
6.866
And if it so befalle among,
6.867
That sche carole upon a song,
6.868
Whan I it hiere I am so fedd,
6.869
That I am fro miself so ledd,
6.870
As thogh I were in paradis;
6.871
For certes, as to myn avis,
6.872
Whan I here of hir vois the stevene,
6.873
Me thenkth it is a blisse of hevene.
6.874
Fulofte time it falleth so,
6.876
Min Ere with a good pitance
6.877
Is fedd of redinge of romance
6.878
Of Ydoine and of Amadas,
6.879
That whilom weren in mi cas,
6.880
And eke of othre many a score,
6.881
That loveden longe er I was bore.
6.882
For whan I of here loves rede,
6.883
Min Ere with the tale I fede;
6.884
And with the lust of here histoire
6.885
Somtime I drawe into memoire
6.886
Hou sorwe mai noght evere laste;
6.887
And so comth hope in ate laste,
6.888
Whan I non other fode knowe.
6.889
And that endureth bot a throwe,
6.890
Riht as it were a cherie feste;
6.891
Bot forto compten ate leste,
6.892
As for the while yit it eseth
6.893
And somdel of myn herte appeseth:
6.894
For what thing to myn Ere spreedeth,
6.895
Which is plesant, somdel it feedeth
6.896
With wordes suche as he mai gete
6.897
Mi lust, in stede of other mete.
6.898
Lo thus, mi fader, as I seie,
6.899
Of lust the which myn yhe hath seie,
6.900
