The Squire's Tale
Folio 124v
3 of 16 folios
And coude answere hī / in his ledne ageyn
Hatħ vnderstonden / what this faucon seide
430
And wel neigħ for the routhe / almest she deiede
And to the tree / she gotħ ful hastily
And on this faucon / loketħ pytously
And held hire lappe a brod / for wel she wiste
The faucon must fallen / fro the twiste
435
Whan that it swougħnetħ next / for lak of blood
A longe while / to wayten hire she stood
Til at the laste / she spak in this manere
Vn to the hauke / as ȝe shuln after heere
What is the cause / if that it be to telle
440
That ȝe ben / in this furyal peyne of helle
Quod Canacee / vn to this hauke a boue
Is this for sorwe of detħ / or losse of loue
For as I trowe / theise ben causes two
That causen moost / a gentil herte woo
445
Of other harm / it nedetħ nat to speke
For ȝe ȝoure self / vpon ȝoure self ȝow wreke
Whicħ preeuetħ wel / that either Ire or drede
Mote ben enchesoū / of ȝoure cruel dede
Syn that I se / noon oþer wygħt / ȝow chace
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For loue of god / as dotħ ȝoure seluen grace
Or what may ben ȝoure helpe / for west nortħ est
Ne saw I neuere or now / no bryd nor beest
That ferde witħ hī self / so pitously
Ȝe slee me witħ ȝoure sorwe / verreyly
455
I haue of ȝow / so gret compassioū
For goddes loue / come fro the tree adouñ
And as I am / a kynges dougħter trewe
If that I verreyly / the causes knewe
Of ȝoure dissese / if it lay in my mygħt
460
I wolde amende it / or that it were nygħt
As wisly helpe me / gret god of kynde
And herbes shal I / rigħt I nowe fynde
To hele witħ ȝoure hurtes / hastily
Tho shrigħt this faucou / ȝet more pitously
465
Than euere she dide / & fel to grounde a non
And litħ a swougħne / as ded as litħ a stoñ
Til Canacee / hatħ in hire lappe / hire take
In to that tyme / she gan of swougħ a wake
And after that / she of swouȝnyng gan a breyde
470
Rigħt in hire haukes ledne / thus she seide
¶ That pitee rennetħ sone / in gentil herte
Felyng his similitude / in peynes smerte
Is preeued alday / as men moun it se