| 105 | Whan Phebus dwelled heere in this erthe adoun, |
| As olde bookes maken mencioun, |
| He was the mooste lusty bachiler |
| In al this world, and eek the beste archer. |
| He slow Phitoun, the serpent, as he lay |
| 110 | Slepynge agayn the sonne upon a day; |
| And many another noble worthy dede |
| He with his bowe wroghte, as men may rede. |
| Pleyen he koude on every mynstralcie, |
| And syngen that it was a melodie |
| 115 | To heeren of his cleere voys the soun. |
| Certes the kyng of Thebes, Amphioun, |
| That with his syngyng walled that citee, |
| Koude nevere syngen half so wel as hee. |
| Therto he was the semelieste man |
| 120 | That is or was sith that the world bigan. |
| What nedeth it his fetures to discryve? |
| For in this world was noon so faire on-lyve. |
| He was therwith fulfild of gentillesse, |
| Of honour, and of parfit worthynesse. |
| 125 | This Phebus, that was flour of bachilrie, |
| As wel in fredom as in chivalrie, |
| For his desport, in signe eek of victorie |
| Of Phitoun, so as telleth us the storie, |
| Was wont to beren in his hand a bowe. |
| 130 | Now hadde this Phebus in his hous a crowe |
| Which in a cage he fostred many a day, |
| And taughte it speken, as men teche a jay. |
| Whit was this crowe as is a snow-whit swan, |
| And countrefete the speche of every man |
| 135 | He koude, whan he sholde telle a tale. |
| Therwith in al this world no nyghtyngale |
| Ne koude, by an hondred thousand deel, |
| Syngen so wonder myrily and weel. |
| Now hadde this Phebus in his hous a wyf |
| 140 | Which that he lovede moore than his lyf, |
| And nyght and day dide evere his diligence |
| Hir for to plese and doon hire reverence, |
| Save oonly, if the sothe that I shal sayn, |
| Jalous he was, and wolde have kept hire fayn. |
| 145 | For hym were looth byjaped for to be, |
| And so is every wight in swich degree; |
| But al in ydel, for it availleth noght. |
| A good wyf, that is clene of werk and thoght, |
| Sholde nat been kept in noon awayt, certayn; |
| 150 | And trewely the labour is in vayn |
| To kepe a shrewe, for it wol nat bee. |
| This holde I for a verray nycetee, |
| To spille labour for to kepe wyves: |
| Thus writen olde clerkes in hir lyves. |
| 155 | But now to purpos, as I first bigan: |
| This worthy Phebus dooth al that he kan |
| To plesen hire, wenynge for swich plesaunce, |
| And for his manhede and his governaunce, |
| That no man sholde han put hym from hir grace. |
| 160 | But God it woot, ther may no man embrace |
| As to destreyne a thyng which that nature |
| Hath natureelly set in a creature. |
| Taak any bryd, and put it in a cage, |
| And do al thyn entente and thy corage |
| 165 | To fostre it tendrely with mete and drynke |
| Of alle deyntees that thou kanst bithynke, |
| And keep it al so clenly as thou may, |
| Although his cage of gold be never so gay, |
| Yet hath this brid, by twenty thousand foold, |
| 170 | Levere in a forest that is rude and coold |
| Goon ete wormes and swich wrecchednesse. |
| For evere this brid wol doon his bisynesse |
| To escape out of his cage, yif he may. |
| His libertee this brid desireth ay. |
| 175 | Lat take a cat, and fostre hym wel with milk |
| And tendre flessh, and make his couche of silk, |
| And lat hym seen a mous go by the wal, |
| Anon he weyveth milk and flessh and al, |
| And every deyntee that is in that hous, |
| 180 | Swich appetit hath he to ete a mous. |
| Lo, heere hath lust his dominacioun, |
| And appetit fleemeth discrecioun. |
| A she-wolf hath also a vileyns kynde. |
| The lewedeste wolf that she may fynde, |
| 185 | Or leest of reputacioun, wol she take, |
| In tyme whan hir lust to han a make. |
| Alle thise ensamples speke I by thise men |
| That been untrewe, and nothyng by wommen. |
| For men han evere a likerous appetit |
| 190 | On lower thyng to parfourne hire delit |
| Than on hire wyves, be they never so faire, |
| Ne never so trewe, ne so debonaire. |
| Flessh is so newefangel, with meschaunce, |
| That we ne konne in nothyng han plesaunce |
| 195 | That sowneth into vertu any while. |
| This Phebus, which that thoghte upon no gile, |
| Deceyved was, for al his jolitee. |
| For under hym another hadde shee, |
| A man of litel reputacioun, |
| 200 | Nat worth to Phebus in comparisoun. |
| The moore harm is, it happeth ofte so, |
| Of which ther cometh muchel harm and wo. |
| And so bifel, whan Phebus was absent, |
| His wyf anon hath for hir lemman sent. |
| 205 | Hir lemman? Certes, this is a knavyssh speche! |
| Foryeveth it me, and that I yow biseche. |
| The wise Plato seith, as ye may rede, |
| The word moot nede accorde with the dede. |
| If men shal telle proprely a thyng, |
| 210 | The word moot cosyn be to the werkyng. |
| I am a boystous man, right thus seye I: |
| Ther nys no difference, trewely, |
| Bitwixe a wyf that is of heigh degree, |
| If of hir body dishonest she bee, |
| 215 | And a povre wenche, oother than this -- |
| If it so be they werke bothe amys -- |
| But that the gentile, in estaat above, |
| She shal be cleped his lady, as in love; |
| And for that oother is a povre womman, |
| 220 | She shal be cleped his wenche or his lemman. |
| And, God it woot, myn owene deere brother, |
| Men leyn that oon as lowe as lith that oother. |
| Right so bitwixe a titlelees tiraunt |
| And an outlawe or a theef erraunt, |
| 225 | The same I seye: ther is no difference. |
| To Alisaundre was toold this sentence, |
| That, for the tirant is of gretter myght |
| By force of meynee for to sleen dounright, |
| And brennen hous and hoom, and make al playn, |
| 230 | Lo, therfore is he cleped a capitayn; |
| And for the outlawe hath but smal meynee, |
| And may nat doon so greet an harm as he, |
| Ne brynge a contree to so greet mescheef, |
| Men clepen hym an outlawe or a theef. |
| 235 | But for I am a man noght textueel, |
| I wol noght telle of textes never a deel; |
| I wol go to my tale, as I bigan. |
| Whan Phebus wyf had sent for hir lemman, |
| Anon they wroghten al hire lust volage. |
| 240 | The white crowe, that heeng ay in the cage, |
| Biheeld hire werk, and seyde never a word. |
| And whan that hoom was come Phebus, the lord, |
| This crowe sang "Cokkow! Cokkow! Cokkow!" |
| "What, bryd?" quod Phebus. "What song syngestow? |
| 245 | Ne were thow wont so myrily to synge |
| That to myn herte it was a rejoysynge |
| To heere thy voys? Allas, what song is this?" |
| "By God," quod he, "I synge nat amys. |
| Phebus," quod he, "for al thy worthynesse, |
| 250 | For al thy beautee and thy gentilesse, |
| For al thy song and al thy mynstralcye, |
| For al thy waityng, blered is thyn ye |
| With oon of litel reputacioun, |
| Noght worth to thee, as in comparisoun, |
| 255 | The montance of a gnat, so moote I thryve! |
| For on thy bed thy wyf I saugh hym swyve." |
| What wol ye moore? The crowe anon hym tolde, |
| By sadde tokenes and by wordes bolde, |
| How that his wyf had doon hire lecherye, |
| 260 | Hym to greet shame and to greet vileynye, |
| And tolde hym ofte he saugh it with his yen. |
| This Phebus gan aweyward for to wryen, |
| And thoughte his sorweful herte brast atwo. |
| His bowe he bente, and sette therinne a flo, |
| 265 | And in his ire his wyf thanne hath he slayn. |
| This is th' effect; ther is namoore to sayn; |
| For sorwe of which he brak his mynstralcie, |
| Bothe harpe, and lute, and gyterne, and sautrie; |
| And eek he brak his arwes and his bowe, |
| 270 | And after that thus spak he to the crowe: |
| "Traitour," quod he, "with tonge of scorpioun, |
| Thou hast me broght to my confusioun; |
| Allas, that I was wroght! Why nere I deed? |
| O deere wyf! O gemme of lustiheed! |
| 275 | That were to me so sad and eek so trewe, |
| Now listow deed, with face pale of hewe, |
| Ful giltelees, that dorste I swere, ywys! |
| O rakel hand, to doon so foule amys! |
| O trouble wit, O ire recchelees, |
| 280 | That unavysed smyteth gilteles! |
| O wantrust, ful of fals suspecion, |
| Where was thy wit and thy discrecion? |
| O every man, be war of rakelnesse! |
| Ne trowe no thyng withouten strong witnesse. |
| 285 | Smyt nat to soone, er that ye witen why, |
| And beeth avysed wel and sobrely |
| Er ye doon any execucion |
| Upon youre ire for suspecion. |
| Allas, a thousand folk hath rakel ire |
| 290 | Fully fordoon, and broght hem in the mire. |
| Allas! For sorwe I wol myselven slee!" |
| And to the crowe, "O false theef!" seyde he, |
| "I wol thee quite anon thy false tale. |
| Thou songe whilom lyk a nyghtyngale; |
| 295 | Now shaltow, false theef, thy song forgon, |
| And eek thy white fetheres everichon, |
| Ne nevere in al thy lif ne shaltou speke. |
| Thus shal men on a traytour been awreke; |
| Thou and thyn ofspryng evere shul be blake, |
| 300 | Ne nevere sweete noyse shul ye make, |
| But evere crie agayn tempest and rayn, |
| In tokenynge that thurgh thee my wyf is slayn." |
| And to the crowe he stirte, and that anon, |
| And pulled his white fetheres everychon, |
| 305 | And made hym blak, and refte hym al his song, |
| And eek his speche, and out at dore hym slong |
| Unto the devel, which I hym bitake; |
| And for this caas been alle crowes blake. |
| Lordynges, by this ensample I yow preye, |
| 310 | Beth war, and taketh kep what that ye seye: |
| Ne telleth nevere no man in youre lyf |
| How that another man hath dight his wyf; |
| He wol yow haten mortally, certeyn. |
| Daun Salomon, as wise clerkes seyn, |
| 315 | Techeth a man to kepen his tonge weel. |
| But, as I seyde, I am noght textueel. |
| But nathelees, thus taughte me my dame: |
| "My sone, thenk on the crowe, a Goddes name! |
| My sone, keep wel thy tonge, and keep thy freend. |
| 320 | A wikked tonge is worse than a feend; |
| My sone, from a feend men may hem blesse. |
| My sone, God of his endelees goodnesse |
| Walled a tonge with teeth and lippes eke, |
| For man sholde hym avyse what he speeke. |
| 325 | My sone, ful ofte, for to muche speche |
| Hath many a man been spilt, as clerkes teche, |
| But for litel speche avysely |
| Is no man shent, to speke generally. |
| My sone, thy tonge sholdestow restreyne |
| 330 | At alle tymes, but whan thou doost thy peyne |
| To speke of God, in honour and preyere. |
| The firste vertu, sone, if thou wolt leere, |
| Is to restreyne and kepe wel thy tonge; |
| Thus lerne children whan that they been yonge. |
| 335 | My sone, of muchel spekyng yvele avysed, |
| Ther lasse spekyng hadde ynough suffised, |
| Comth muchel harm; thus was me toold and taught. |
| In muchel speche synne wanteth naught. |
| Wostow wherof a rakel tonge serveth? |
| 340 | Right as a swerd forkutteth and forkerveth |
| An arm a-two, my deere sone, right so |
| A tonge kutteth freendshipe al a-two. |
| A jangler is to God abhomynable. |
| Reed Salomon, so wys and honurable; |
| 345 | Reed David in his psalmes; reed Senekke. |
| My sone, spek nat, but with thyn heed thou bekke. |
| Dissimule as thou were deef, if that thou heere |
| A janglere speke of perilous mateere. |
| The Flemyng seith, and lerne it if thee leste, |
| 350 | That litel janglyng causeth muchel reste. |
| My sone, if thou no wikked word hast seyd, |
| Thee thar nat drede for to be biwreyd; |
| But he that hath mysseyd, I dar wel sayn, |
| He may by no wey clepe his word agayn. |
| 355 | Thyng that is seyd is seyd, and forth it gooth, |
| Though hym repente, or be hym nevere so looth. |
| He is his thral to whom that he hath sayd |
| A tale of which he is now yvele apayd. |
| My sone, be war, and be noon auctour newe |
| 360 | Of tidynges, wheither they been false or trewe. |
| Whereso thou come, amonges hye or lowe, |
| Kepe wel thy tonge and thenk upon the crowe." |