THE ROMAUNT OF THE ROSE

B

FRAGMENT A

MANY men seyn that in sweveninges
Ther nis but fables and lesinges;
But men may somme swevenes seen,
Which hardely ne false been,
But afterward ben apparaunte.
This may I drawe to waraunte
An authour, that hight Macrobes,
That halt not dremes false ne lees,
But undoth us the avisioun
That whylom mette king Cipioun.
And who-so sayth, or weneth it be
A jape, or elles a nycetee

To wene that dremes after falle,
Let who-so liste a fool me calle.
For this trowe I, and say for me,
That dremes signifiaunce be

Of good and harme to many wightes,
That dremen in her slepe a-nightes
Ful many thinges covertly,

That fallen after al openly.

THE DREAM

Within my twenty yere of age,
Whan that Love taketh his corage
Of yonge folk, I wente sone
To bedde, as I was wont to done,
And fast I sleep; and in sleping,

3

Me mette swiche a swevening,
That lykede me wonders wel;
But in that sweven is never a del
That it nis afterward befalle,

Right as this dreem wol telle us alle.
Now this dreem wol I ryme aright,
To make your hertes gaye and light;
For Love it prayeth, and also
Commaundeth me that it be so.
And if ther any aske me,
Whether that it be he or she,
How that this book the which is here
Shall hote, that I rede you here;
It is the Romance of the Rose,
In which al the art of love I close.
The mater fair is of to make;
God graunte in gree that she it take
For whom that it begonnen is!
And that is she that hath, y-wis,
So mochel prys; and ther-to she
So worthy is biloved be,

That she wel oughte, of prys and right,
Be cleped Rose of every wight.

That it was May me thoughte tho,
It is fyve yere or more ago;
That it was May, thus dremed me,
In tyme of love and jolitee,
That al thing ginneth waxen gay,
For ther is neither busk nor hay
In May, that it nil shrouded been,
And it with newe leves wreen.
These wodes eek recoveren grene,
That drye in winter been to sene;
And therthe wexeth proud withalle,
For swote dewes that on it falle,
And al the pore estat forget

In which that winter hadde it set;
And than bicometh the ground so proud
That it wol have a newe shroud,

And maketh so queynt his robe and fayr