The owl and the nightingale (MS Cotton)

Lines 301 through 400

"Þat wit þe fule haueþ imene, ne cumeþ he neuer from him cleine." Wenestu þat haueck bo þe worse þoȝ crowe bigrede him bi þe mershe,

& goþ to him mid hore chirme Line 305 riȝt so hi wille wit him schirme? Þe hauec folȝeþ gode rede, [folio 235r.2] & fliȝt his wei & lat him grede." "Ȝet þu me seist of oþer þinge, & telst þat ich ne can noȝt singe, Line 310 ac al mi rorde is woning, & to ihire grislich þing. Þat nis noȝt soþ, ich singe efne, mid fulle dreme & lude stefne. Þu wenist þat ech song bo grislich, Line 315 þat þine pipinge nis ilich. Mi stefne is [bold] & noȝt unorne, ho is ilich one grete horne, & þin is ilich one pipe, of one smale wode unripe. Line 320 Ich singe bet þan þu dest: þu chaterest so doþ on Irish prost. Ich singe an eue a riȝte time, & soþþe won hit is bed-time, þe þridde siþe a[t] middel-niȝte: Line 325 & so ich mine song adiȝte wone ich iso arise vorre oþer dai-rim oþer dai-sterre. Ich do god mid mine þrote, & warni men to hore note. Line 330 Ac þu singest alle longe niȝt, from eue fort hit is dai-liȝt, & eure seist þin o song so longe so þe niȝt is long:

& eure croweþ þi wrecche crei, Line 335 þat he ne swikeþ niȝt ne dai. Mid þine pipinge þu adunest þas monnes earen þar þu wunest, & makest þine song so unw[u]rþ þa[t] me ne telþ of þar noȝ[t] w[u]rþ. Line 340 Eurich murȝþe mai so longe ileste [folio 235v.1] þat ho shal liki wel unwreste: vor harpe, & pipe, & fuȝeles [song] mislikeþ, ȝif hit is to long. Ne bo þe song neuer so murie, Line 345 þat he ne shal þinche wel unmurie ȝef he ilesteþ ouer unwille: so þu miȝt þine song aspille. Vor hit is soþ, Alured hit seide, & me hit mai ine boke rede: Line 350 "Eurich þing mai losen his godhede mid unmeþe & mid ouerdede." Mid este þu þe miȝt ouerquatie, & ouerfulle makeþ wlatie:

an eurich mureȝþe mai agon Line 355 ȝif me hit halt eure forþ in on, bute one, þat is Godes riche, þat eure is svete & eure iliche: þeȝ þu nime eure o[f] þan lepe, hit is eure ful bi hepe. Line 360 Wunder hit is of Godes riche, þat eure spenþ & euer is iliche. ȝut þu me seist an oþer shome, þat ich a[m] on mine eȝen lome, an seist, for þat ich flo bi niȝte, Line 365 þat ich ne mai iso bi liȝte. Þu liest! on me hit is isene þat ich habbe gode sene: vor nis non so dim þusternesse þat ich euer iso þe lasse. Line 370 Þu wenest þat ich ne miȝte iso, vor ich bi daie noȝt ne flo. Þe hare luteþ al dai, ac noþeles iso he mai. Ȝif hundes urneþ to him-ward, [folio 235v.2] Line 375 [h]e gengþ wel suiþe awai-ward, & hokeþ paþes sviþe narewe, & haueþ mid him his blenches ȝarewe, & hupþ & star[t] suþe coue, an secheþ paþes to þe groue: Line 380 ne sholde he uor boþe his eȝe so don, ȝif he þe bet niseȝe.

Ich mai ison so wel so on hare, þeȝ ich bi daie sitte an dare. Þar aȝte men [boþ] in worre, Line 385 an fareþ boþe ner an forre, an oueruareþ fele [þ]ode, an doþ bi niȝte gode node, ich folȝi þan aȝte manne, an flo bi niȝte in hore banne." Line 390 Þe niȝtingale in hire þoȝte athold al þis, & longe þoȝte wat ho þarafter miȝte segge: vor ho ne miȝte noȝt alegge þat þe hule hadde hire ised, Line 395 vor he spac boþe riȝt an red. An hire ofþuȝte þat ho hadde þe speche so for uorþ iladde, an was oferd þat hire answare ne w[u]rþe noȝt ariȝt ifare. Line 400