25.

"All men may understanding have of me, But, Nightingale, so may they not of thee; For thou hast many a foolish and quaint cry:- Thou say'st OSEE, OSEE; then how may I Have knowledge, I thee pray, what this may be?"

26.

"Ah, fool!" quoth she, "wist thou not what it is?

Oft as I say OSEE, OSEE, I wis, Then mean I, that I should be wondrous fain That shamefully they one and all were slain, Whoever against Love mean aught amiss.

27.

"And also would I that they all were dead Who do not think in love their life to lead; For who is loth the G.o.d of Love to obey Is only fit to die, I dare well say, And for that cause OSEE I cry; take heed!"

28.

"Ay," quoth the Cuckoo, "that is a quaint law, That all must love or die; but I withdraw, And take my leave of all such company, For mine intent it neither is to die, Nor ever while I live Love's yoke to draw.

29.

"For lovers of all folk that be alive, The most disquiet have and least do thrive; Most feeling have of sorrow's woe and care, And the least welfare cometh to their share; What need is there against the truth to strive?"

30.

"What!" quoth she, "thou art all out of thy mind, That in thy churlishness a cause canst find To speak of Love's true Servants in this mood; For in this world no service is so good To every wight that gentle is of kind.

31.

"For thereof comes all goodness and all worth; All gentleness and honour thence come forth; Thence worship comes, content and true heart's pleasure, And full-a.s.sured trust, joy without measure, And jollity, fresh cheerfulness, and mirth:

32.

"And bounty, lowliness, and courtesy, And seemliness, and faithful company, And dread of shame that will not do amiss; For he that faithfully Love's servant is, Rather than be disgraced, would choose to die.

33.

"And that the very truth it is which I Now say--in such belief I'll live and die; And Cuckoo, do thou so, by my advice."

"Then," quoth she, "let me never hope for bliss, If with that counsel I do e'er comply.

34.

"Good Nightingale! thou speakest wondrous fair, Yet, for all that, the truth is found elsewhere; For Love in young folk is but rage, I wis; And Love in old folk a great dotage is; Whom most it useth, him 'twill most impair.

35.

"For thereof come all contraries to gladness; Thence sickness comes, and overwhelming sadness, Mistrust and jealousy, despite, debate, Dishonour, shame, envy importunate, Pride, anger, mischief, poverty and madness.

36.

"Loving is aye an office of despair, And one thing is therein which is not fair; For whoso gets of love a little bliss, Unless it alway stay with him, I wis He may full soon go with an old man's hair.

37.

"And, therefore, Nightingale! do thou keep nigh, For trust me well, in spite of thy quaint cry, If long time from thy mate thou be, or far, Thou'lt be as others that forsaken are; Then shalt thou raise a clamour as do I."

38.

"Fie," quoth she, "on thy name, Bird ill beseen!

The G.o.d of Love afflict thee with all teen, For thou art worse than mad a thousandfold; For many a one hath virtues manifold Who had been nought, if Love had never been.

39.

"For evermore his servants Love amendeth, And he from every blemish them defendeth; And maketh them to burn, as in a fire, In loyalty and worshipful desire, And when it likes him, joy enough them sendeth."

40.

"Thou Nightingale!" the Cuckoo said, "be still; For Love no reason hath but his own will; - For to th' untrue he oft gives ease and joy; True lovers doth so bitterly annoy, He lets them perish through that grievous ill.

41.

"With such a master would I never be, For he, in sooth, is blind, and may not see, And knows not when he hurts and when he heals; Within this court full seldom truth avails, So diverse in his wilfulness is he."

42.

Then of the Nightingale did I take note, How from her inmost heart a sigh she brought, And said, "Alas! that ever I was born, Not one word have I now, I am so forlorn," - And with that word, she into tears burst out.

43.

"Alas, alas! my very heart will break,"

Quoth she, "to hear this churlish bird thus speak Of Love, and of his holy services; Now, G.o.d of Love! thou help me in some wise, That vengeance on this Cuckoo I may wreak."

44.

And so methought I started up anon, And to the brook I ran, and got a stone, Which at the Cuckoo hardily I cast, And he for dread did fly away full fast; And glad, in sooth, was I when he was gone.

45.

And as he flew, the Cuckoo ever and aye Kept crying, "Farewell!--farewell, popinjay!"

As if in scornful mockery of me; And on I hunted him from tree to tree, Till he was far, all out of sight, away.

46.

Then straightway came the Nightingale to me, And said, "Forsooth, my friend, do I thank thee, That thou wert near to rescue me; and now, Unto the G.o.d of Love I make a vow, That all this May I will thy songstress be."

47.

Well satisfied, I thanked her, and she said, "By this mishap no longer be dismayed, Though thou the Cuckoo heard, ere thou heard'st me; Yet if I live it shall amended be, When next May comes, if I am not afraid.

48.

"And one thing will I counsel thee also, The Cuckoo trust not thou, nor his Love's saw; All that she said is an outrageous lie."

"Nay, nothing shall me bring thereto," quoth I, "For Love, and it hath done me mighty woe."

49.

"Yea, hath it? Use," quoth she, "this medicine, This May-time, every day before thou dine, Go look on the fresh daisy; then say I, Although for pain thou may'st be like to die, Thou wilt be eased, and less wilt droop and pine.

50.

"And mind always that thou be good and true, And I will sing one song, of many new, For love of thee, as loud as I may cry;"

And then did she begin this song full high, "Beshrew all them that are in love untrue."

51.

And soon as she had sung it to the end, "Now farewell," quoth she, "for I hence must wend; And, G.o.d of Love, that can right well and may, Send unto thee as mickle joy this day As ever he to lover yet did send."

52.

Thus takes the Nightingale her leave of me; I pray to G.o.d with her always to be, And joy of love to send her evermore; And shield us from the Cuckoo and her lore, For there is not so false a bird as she.

53.

Forth then she flew, the gentle Nightingale, To all the birds that lodged within that dale, And gathered each and all into one place; And them besought to hear her doleful case, And thus it was that she began her tale:-

54.

"The Cuckoo--'tis not well that I should hide How she and I did each the other chide, And without ceasing, since it was daylight; And now I pray you all to do me right Of that false Bird whom Love can not abide."

55.

Then spake one Bird, and full a.s.sent all gave: "This matter asketh counsel good as grave, For birds we are--all here together brought; And, in good sooth, the Cuckoo here is not; And therefore we a parliament will have.