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第3章

confessio amantis-第3章

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With chastite schal stonde stille:
And natheles I can noght seie;
In aunter if that I misseye。   480
Touchende of this; how evere it stonde;
I here and wol noght understonde;
For therof have I noght to done:
Bot he that made ferst the Mone;
The hyhe god; of his goodnesse;
If ther be cause; he it redresce。
Bot what as eny man accuse;
This mai reson of trowthe excuse;
The vice of hem that ben ungoode

Is no reproef unto the goode:   490
For every man hise oghne werkes
Schal bere; and thus as of the clerkes
The goode men ben to comende;
And alle these othre god amende:
For thei ben to the worldes ije
The Mirour of ensamplerie;
To reulen and to taken hiede
Betwen the men and the godhiede。
Now forto speke of the comune;
It is to drede of that fortune   500
Which hath befalle in sondri londes:
Bot often for defalte of bondes
Al sodeinliche; er it be wist;
A Tonne; whanne his lye arist;
Tobrekth and renneth al aboute;
Which elles scholde noght gon oute;
And ek fulofte a litel Skar
Upon a Banke; er men be war;
Let in the Strem; which with gret peine;
If evere man it schal restreigne。   510
Wher lawe lacketh; errour groweth;
He is noght wys who that ne troweth;
For it hath proeved ofte er this;
And thus the comun clamour is
In every lond wher poeple dwelleth;
And eche in his compleignte telleth
How that the world is al miswent;
And ther upon his jugement
Yifth every man in sondry wise。
Bot what man wolde himself avise;   520
His conscience and noght misuse;
He may wel ate ferste excuse
His god; which evere stant in on:
In him ther is defalte non;
So moste it stonde upon ousselve
Nought only upon ten ne twelve;
Bot plenerliche upon ous alle;
For man is cause of that schal falle。
And natheles yet som men wryte
And sein that fortune is to wyte;   530
And som men holde oppinion
That it is constellacion;
Which causeth al that a man doth:
God wot of bothe which is soth。
The world as of his propre kynde
Was evere untrewe; and as the blynde
Improprelich he demeth fame;
He blameth that is noght to blame
And preiseth that is noght to preise:
Thus whan he schal the thinges peise;   540
Ther is deceipte in his balance;
And al is that the variance
Of ous; that scholde ous betre avise;
For after that we falle and rise;
The world arist and falth withal;
So that the man is overal
His oghne cause of wel and wo。
That we fortune clepe so
Out of the man himself it groweth;
And who that other wise troweth;   550
Behold the poeple of Irael:
For evere whil thei deden wel;
Fortune was hem debonaire;
And whan thei deden the contraire;
Fortune was contrariende。
So that it proeveth wel at ende
Why that the world is wonderfull
And may no while stonde full;
Though that it seme wel besein;
For every worldes thing is vein;   560
And evere goth the whiel aboute;
And evere stant a man in doute;
Fortune stant no while stille;
So hath ther noman al his wille。
Als fer as evere a man may knowe;
Ther lasteth nothing bot a throwe;
The world stant evere upon debat;
So may be seker non astat;
Now hier now ther; now to now fro;
Now up now down; this world goth so;   570
And evere hath don and evere schal:
Wherof I finde in special
A tale writen in the Bible;
Which moste nedes be credible;
And that as in conclusioun
Seith that upon divisioun
Stant; why no worldes thing mai laste;
Til it be drive to the laste。
And fro the ferste regne of alle
Into this day; hou so befalle;   580
Of that the regnes be muable
The man himself hath be coupable;
Which of his propre governance
Fortuneth al the worldes chance。
The hyhe almyhti pourveance;
In whos eterne remembrance
Fro ferst was every thing present;
He hath his prophecie sent;
In such a wise as thou schalt hiere;
To Daniel of this matiere;   590
Hou that this world schal torne and wende;
Till it be falle to his ende;
Wherof the tale telle I schal;
In which it is betokned al。
As Nabugodonosor slepte;
A swevene him tok; the which he kepte
Til on the morwe he was arise;
For he therof was sore agrise。
To Daniel his drem he tolde;
And preide him faire that he wolde   600
Arede what it tokne may;
And seide: 〃Abedde wher I lay;
Me thoghte I syh upon a Stage
Wher stod a wonder strange ymage。
His hed with al the necke also
Thei were of fin gold bothe tuo;
His brest; his schuldres and his armes
Were al of selver; bot the tharmes;
The wombe and al doun to the kne;
Of bras thei were upon to se;   610
The legges were al mad of Stiel;
So were his feet also somdiel;
And somdiel part to hem was take
Of Erthe which men Pottes make;
The fieble meynd was with the stronge;
So myhte it wel noght stonde longe。
And tho me thoghte that I sih
A gret ston from an hull on hyh
Fel doun of sodein aventure
Upon the feet of this figure;   620
With which Ston al tobroke was
Gold; Selver; Erthe; Stiel and Bras;
That al was in to pouldre broght;
And so forth torned into noght。〃
This was the swevene which he hadde;
That Daniel anon aradde;
And seide him that figure strange
Betokneth how the world schal change
And waxe lasse worth and lasse;
Til it to noght al overpasse。   630
The necke and hed; that weren golde;
He seide how that betokne scholde
A worthi world; a noble; a riche;
To which non after schal be liche。
Of Selver that was overforth
Schal ben a world of lasse worth;
And after that the wombe of Bras
Tokne of a werse world it was。
The Stiel which he syh afterward
A world betokneth more hard:   640
Bot yet the werste of everydel
Is last; whan that of Erthe and Stiel
He syh the feet departed so;
For that betokneth mochel wo。
Whan that the world divided is;
It moste algate fare amis;
For Erthe which is meynd with Stiel
Togedre may noght laste wiel;
Bot if that on that other waste;
So mot it nedes faile in haste。   650
The Ston; which fro the hully Stage
He syh doun falle on that ymage;
And hath it into pouldre broke;
That swevene hath Daniel unloke;
And seide how that is goddes myht;
Which whan men wene most upryht
To stonde; schal hem overcaste。
And that is of this world the laste;
And thanne a newe schal beginne;
Fro which a man schal nevere twinne;   660
Or al to peine or al to pes
That world schal lasten endeles。
Lo thus expondeth Daniel
The kynges swevene faire and wel
In Babiloyne the Cite;
Wher that the wiseste of Caldee
Ne cowthen wite what it mente;
Bot he tolde al the hol entente;
As in partie it is befalle。
Of gold the ferste regne of alle   670
Was in that kinges time tho;
And laste manye daies so;
Therwhiles that the Monarchie
Of al the world in that partie
To Babiloyne was soubgit;
And hield him stille in such a plit;
Til that the world began diverse:
And that was whan the king of Perse;
Which Cirus hyhte; ayein the pes
Forth with his Sone Cambises   680
Of Babiloine al that Empire;
Ryht as thei wolde hemself desire;
Put under in subjeccioun
And tok it in possessioun;
And slayn was Baltazar the king;
Which loste his regne and al his thing。
And thus whan thei it hadde wonne;
The world of Selver was begonne
And that of gold was passed oute:
And in this wise it goth aboute   690
In to the Regne of Darius;
And thanne it fell to Perse thus;
That Alisaundre put hem under;
Which wroghte of armes many a wonder;
So that the Monarchie lefte
With Grecs; and here astat uplefte;
And Persiens gon under fote;
So soffre thei that nedes mote。
And tho the world began of Bras;
And that of selver ended was;   700
Bot for the time thus it laste;
Til it befell that ate laste
This king; whan that his day was come;
With strengthe of deth was overcome。
And natheles yet er he dyde;
He schop his Regnes to divide
To knyhtes whiche him hadde served;
And after that thei have deserved
Yaf the conquestes that he wan;
Wherof gret werre tho began   710
Among hem that the Regnes hadde;
Thurgh proud Envie which hem ladde;
Til it befell ayein hem thus:
The noble Cesar Julius;
Which tho was king of Rome lond;
With gret bataille and with strong hond
Al Grece; Perse and ek Caldee
Wan and put under; so that he
Noght al only of thorient
Bot al the Marche of thoccident   720
Governeth under his empire;
As he that was hol lord and Sire;
And hield thurgh his chiv

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