But Crist, that starf283 for oure redempcioun,
So yeve me grace his hestes284 to fulfille.
285 I, wrecche womman, no fors thogh I spille285.
Wommen are born to thraldom286 and penaunce,
And to been under mannes governaunce287.’
I trowe at Troye, whan Pirrus brak the wal
Or289 Ilion brende, at Thebes the citee,
290 N’at Rome for the harm thurgh Hanibal,
That Romains hath venquisshed times thre,
Nas herd swich tendre weping, for pitee,
As in the chambre was for hir departinge293!
But forth she moot, wherso294 she wepe or singe.
295 O Firste Moeving295, cruel firmament!
With thy diurnal sweigh296 that crowdest ay
And hurlest al from est til occident297
That naturelly wolde holde another way,
Thy crowding299 set the hevene in swich array
300 At the biginning of this fiers viage300,
That cruel Mars hath slain this mariage.
Infortunat ascendent tortuous302,
Of which the lord is helplees falle, allas,
Out of his angle into the derkest304 hous!
305 O Mars, o atazir305, as in this cas!
O fieble moone, unhappy306 been thy pas!
Thow knittest thee307 ther thow art nat received;
Ther thow were wel308, fro thennes artow weived.
Inprudent Emperour of Rome, allas!
310 Was ther no philosophre310 in al thy toun?
Is no time bet than oother in swich cas?
Of viage is ther noon eleccioun312,
Namely313 to folk of heigh condicioun,
Nat whan a roote is of a burthe314 yknowe?
315 Allas, we been to lewed315 or to slowe!
To ship is broght this woful faire maide,
Solempnely317, with every circumstance.
‘Now Jesu Crist be with yow alle,’ she saide.
Ther nis namoore but ‘farewel, faire Custaunce!’
320 She320 peineth hire to make good contenaunce;
And forth I lete hir saille in this manere,
And turne I wol again to my matere.
The moder of the Sowdan, welle323 of vices,
Espied hath hir sones plein entente,
325 How he wol lete325 his olde sacrifices,
And right anon she for hir conseil326 sente,
And they ben come to knowen what she mente.
And whan assembled was this folk in-feere328,
She sette hir doun329, and seide as ye shal heere:
330 ‘Lordes,’ quod she, ‘ye knowen, everychon,
How that my sone in point is331 for to lete
The holy lawes of oure Alkaron332,
Yeven by Goddes message Makomete333.
But oon avow to grete God I hete334:
335 The lif shal rather335 out of my body sterte,
Or336 Makometes lawe out of min herte!
‘What sholde us tiden337 of this newe lawe
But thraldom338 to oure bodies and penaunce,
And afterward in helle to be drawe339
340 For we reneyed340 Mahoun oure creaunce?
But lordes, wol ye maken assuraunce341
As I shal seyn, assenting to my loore342,
And I shal make us sauf343 for everemoore?’
They sworen and assenten, every man,
345 To live with hire and die, and by hir stonde,
And everich, in the beste wise346 he kan,
To strengthen hire shal alle his freendes fonde347.
And she hath this emprise348 ytake on honde
Which ye shal heren that I shal devise349,
350 And to hem alle she spak right in this wise:
‘We shul first feine us351 Cristendom to take –
Coold water shal nat greve us but a lite352!
And I shal swich a feste and revel make
That, as I trowe, I shal the Sowdan quite354.
355 For, thogh his wif be cristned never so white,
She shal have nede to wasshe awey the rede,
Thogh she a font-ful water with hir lede357.’
O Sowdanesse, roote of iniquitee,
Virago, thow Semirame the secounde!
360 O serpent under femininitee360,
Lik to the serpent depe in helle ybounde!
O feined womman, al that may confounde362
Vertu and innocence, thurgh thy malice,
Is bred in thee, as nest of every vice!
365 O Sathan, envious sin thilke day
That thow were chaced from366 oure heritage,
Wel knowestow to wommen the olde way!
Thow madest Eva bringe us in servage368.
Thow wolt fordoon369 this Cristen mariage.
370 Thin instrument – so weilawey the while370! –
Makestow of wommen, whan thou wolt bigile.
This Sowdanesse, whom I thus blame and warie372,
Leet prively hir conseil goon hir way373.
What sholde I in this tale lenger tarye?
375 She rideth to the Sowdan on a day,
And seide him that she wolde reneye376 hir lay,
And Cristendom of preestes handes fonge377,
Repentinge hir she hethen was so longe,
Biseking379 him to doon hire that honour,
380 That she moste380 han the Cristen folk to feste.
‘To plesen hem I wol do my labour381.’
The Sowdan seyth, ‘I wol doon at youre heste382,’
And, knelinge, thanketh hire of that requeste.
So glad he was, he niste384 what to seye.
385 She kiste hir sone, and hom she gooth hir weye.
[Part Two]
Arrived been this Cristen folk to londe
In Surrye, with a gret solempne387 route,
And hastily this Sowdan sente his sonde388,
First to his moder, and al the regne aboute,
390 And seide his wif was comen, out of doute.
And preide hire for to ride again391 the queene,
The honour of his regne to sustene.
Greet was the prees393, and riche was th’array
Of Surriens and Romains met ifeere394.
395 The moder of the Sowdan, riche and gay395,
Receiveth hire with also glad a cheere396
As any moder mighte hir doghter deere.
And to the nexte citee therbiside
A softe paas399 solempnely they ride.
400 Naught trowe I the triumphe of Julius,
Of which that Lucan maketh swich a boost,
Was royaller ne moore curius402
Than was th’assemblee of this blisful oost403.
But this scorpion, this wikked goost,
405 The Sowdanesse, for al hir flateringe,
Caste406 under this ful mortally to stinge.
The Sowdan comth himself soone after this,
So royally, that wonder is to telle.
He welcomth hire with alle joye and blis.
410 And thus in mirthe and joye I lete hem dwelle;
The fruit of this matere is that I telle.
Whan time cam, men thoughte it for the beste
That revel stinte413, and men go to hir reste.
The time cam, this olde Sowdanesse
415 Ordeined hath this feste of which I tolde,
And to the feste Cristen folk hem dresse416
In general417, ye, bothe yonge and olde.
Heer may men feste and royaltee biholde,
And deintees mo419 than I kan yow devise –
420 But al to deere they boghte420 it er they rise.
O sodein wo, that evere art successour
To worldly blisse, spreind422 with bitternesse!
Th’ende of the joye of oure worldly labour!
Wo occupieth the fin424 of oure gladnesse.
425 Herke this conseil425 for thy sikernesse:
‘Upon thy glade day426 h
ave in thy minde
The unwar427 wo or harm that comth bihinde.’
For shortly for to tellen, at o word428,
The Sowdan and the Cristen everychone
430 Been al to-hewe430 and stiked at the bord,
But it were431 oonly dame Custaunce allone.
This olde Sowdanesse, cursed crone,
Hath with hir freendes doon this cursed dede,
For she hirself wolde al the contree lede434.
435 Ne ther nas Surrien noon that was converted,
That of the conseil of the Sowdan woot,
That he nas al to-hewe er he asterted437.
And Custaunce han they take anon, foot-hoot438,
And in a ship al sterelees439, God woot,
440 They han hir set, and bidde hir lerne saille440
Out of Surrye againward441 to Itaille.
A certein tresor that she thider ladde,
And, sooth to seyn, vitaille443 gret plentee,
They han hir yeven, and clothes eek she hadde;
445 And forth she sailleth in the salte see.
O my Custaunce, ful of benignitee446,
O emperoures yonge doghter deere,
He that is lord of Fortune be thy steere448!
She blisseth hire449, and with ful pitous vois,
450 Unto the crois of Crist thus seide she:
‘O clere451, o weleful auter, holy crois,
Reed of452 the Lambes blood, ful of pitee,
That wesshe453 the world fro th’olde iniquitee,
Me fro the feend and fro his clawes kepe,
455 That day that I shal drenchen455 in the depe!
‘Victorious tree, proteccion of trewe456,
That oonly worthy were for to bere
The king of hevene, with his woundes newe,
The white Lamb, that hurt was with a spere;
460 Flemere460 of feendes out of him and here
On which thy limes feithfully461 extenden,
Me kepe, and yeve me might my lif t’amenden!’
Yeres and dayes fleet463 this creature
Thurghout the See of Grece, unto the Straite
465 Of Marrok, as it was hir aventure465.
On many a sory466 meel now may she baite!
After hir dethful467 often may she waite,
Er that the wilde wawes wol hir drive
Unto the place ther she shal arrive469.
470 Men mighten asken why she was noght slain
Eek at the feste? who mighte hir body save?
And I answere to that demaunde472 again,
Who saved Daniel in the horrible cave,
Ther474 every wight save he, maister and knave,
475 Was with475 the leoun frete er he asterte?
No wight but God, that he bar in his herte.
God liste to shewe his wonderful miracle
In hire, for we sholde seen his mighty werkes.
Crist, which that is to every harm triacle479,
480 By certein menes ofte, as knowen clerkes,
Dooth thing for certein ende that ful derk481 is
To mannes wit, that for oure ignoraunce
Ne konne noght knowe483 his prudent purveiaunce.
Now, sith she was nat at the feste yslawe484,
485 Who kept hire fro the drenching in the see?
Who kepte Jonas in the fisshes mawe,
Til he was spouted up at Ninivee?
Wel may men knowe it was no wight but he
That kepte peple Ebraik489 from hir drenchinge,
490 With drye feet thurghout the see passinge.
Who bad the foure spiritz of tempest
That power han t’anoyen492 lond and see,
Bothe north and south and also west and est,
‘Anoyeth neither see ne land ne tree’?
495 Soothly, the comandour of that was he
That fro the tempest ay this womman kepte,
As wel whan she wook as whan she slepte.
Wher mighte this womman mete and drinke have
Thre yeer and moore? how lasteth hir vitaille?
500 Who fedde th’Egipcien Marie in the cave
Or in desert? No wight but Crist, sanz faille501.
Five thousand folk it was as greet mervaille
With loves503 five and fisshes two to fede.
God sente his foison504 at hir grete nede.
505 She driveth forth into oure occian
Thurghout the wilde see, til at the laste
Under an hoold507 that nempnen I ne kan,
Fer in Northumberland, the wawe508 hir caste.
And in the sond hir ship stiked so faste
510 That thennes wolde it noght of al a tide510;
The wil of Crist was that she sholde abide.
The constable512 of the castel doun is fare
To seen this wrak513, and al the ship he soghte,
And foond this wery womman ful of care514;
515 He foond also the tresor that she broghte.
In hir langage mercy she bisoghte,
The lif out of hir body for to twinne517,
Hir to delivere of wo that she was inne.
A maner Latin corrupt519 was hir speche,
520 But algates520 therby was she understonde.
This constable, whan him liste no lenger seche521,
This woful womman broghte he to the londe.
She kneleth doun, and thanketh Goddes sonde523;
But what she was, she wolde no man seye,
525 For foul ne fair525, thogh that she sholde deye.
She seide, she was so mazed526 in the see
That she forgat hir minde527, by hir trouthe529.
The constable hath of hire so greet pitee,
And eek his wif, that they wepe for routhe.
530 She was so diligent, withouten slouthe530,
To serve and plesen everich in that place
That alle hir loven that looken on hir face.
This constable, and dame Hermengild his wif,
Were payens534, and that contree everywhere.
535 But Hermengild loved hire right as hir lif,
And Custaunce hath so longe sojourned there,
In orisons537, with many a bitter teere,
Til Jesu hath converted thurgh his grace
Dame Hermengild, constablesse539 of that place.
540 In al that land no Cristen dorste route540;
Alle Cristen folk been fled fro that contree,
Thurgh payens that conquereden al aboute
The plages543 of the north, by land and see.
To Walis544 fledde the Cristianitee