| At Babiloyne whylom fil it thus, |
| The whyche toun the queen Semyramus |
| Let dychen al aboute and walles make |
| Ful hye, of hard tiles wel ybake: |
| 710 | There were dwellyng in this noble toun |
| Two lordes, whiche that were of gret renoun, |
| And woneden so nygh, upon a grene, |
| That there nas but a ston-wal hem betweene, |
| As ofte in grete tounes is the wone. |
| 715 | And soth to seyne, that o man hadde a sone, |
| Of al that lond oon of the lustyeste. |
| That other hadde a doughter, the fayreste |
| That estward in the world was tho dwellynge. |
| The name of everych gan to other sprynge |
| 720 | By women that were neighebores aboute. |
| For in that contre yit, withouten doute, |
| Maydenes been ykept, for jelosye, |
| Ful streyte, lest they diden som folye. |
| This yonge man was called Piramus, |
| 725 | Tysbe hight the maide, Naso seyth thus; |
| And thus by report was hire name yshove |
| That, as they wex in age, wex here love. |
| And certeyn, as by resoun of hire age, |
| There myghte have ben bytwixe hem maryage, |
| 730 | But that here fadres nolde it nat assente; |
| And bothe in love ylyke sore they brente, |
| That non of alle hyre frendes myght it lette, |
| But pryvyly som tyme yit they mette |
| By sleyghte, and spoken som of here desyr; |
| 735 | As wry the glede and hotter is the fyr, |
| Forbede a love, and it is ten so wod. |
| This wal, which that bitwixe hem bothe stod, |
| Was clove a-two, ryght from the cop adoun, |
| Of olde tyme of his fundacioun; |
| 740 | But yit this clyfte was so narw and lyte |
| It nas nat sene, deere ynogh a myte. |
| But what is that that love can nat espye? |
| Ye loveres two, if that I shal nat lye, |
| Ye founden first this litel narwe clifte; |
| 745 | And with a soun as softe as any shryfte, |
| They lete here wordes thourgh the clifte pace, |
| And tolden, whil that they stode in the place, |
| Al here compleynt of love and al here wo, |
| At every tyme whan they durste so. |
| 750 | Upon that o syde of the wal stod he, |
| And on that other side stod Thesbe, |
| The swote soun of other to receyve. |
| And thus here wardeyns wolde they deceyve, |
| And every day this wal they wolde threte, |
| 755 | And wisshe to God that it were doun ybete. |
| Thus wolde they seyn: "Alas, thow wikkede wal! |
| Thorgh thyn envye thow us lettest al. |
| Why nylt thow cleve or fallen al a-two? |
| Or at the leste, but thou woldist so, |
| 760 | Yit woldest thow but ones lat us mete, |
| Or ones that we myghte kyssen swete, |
| Thanne were we covered of oure cares colde. |
| But, natheles, yit be we to thee holde, |
| In as muche as thow sufferest for to gon |
| 765 | Oure wordes thourgh thy lym and ek thy ston. |
| Yit oughte we with the been wel apayd." |
| And whan these ydele wordes weren sayd, |
| The colde wal they wolden kysse of ston, |
| And take here leve and forth they wolden gon. |
| 770 | And this was gladly in the eve-tyde, |
| Or wonder erly, lest men it espyde. |
| And longe tyme they wroughte in this manere, |
| Tyl on a day, whan Phebus gan to cleere -- |
| Aurora with the stremes of hire hete |
| 775 | Hadde dreyed up the dew of herbes wete -- |
| Unto this clyft, as it was wont to be, |
| Com Piramus, and after com Thysbe, |
| And plyghten trouthe fully in here fey |
| That ilke same nyght to stele awey, |
| 780 | And to begile here wardeyns everichon, |
| And forth out of the cite for to goon; |
| And, for the feldes ben so brode and wide, |
| For to mete in o place at o tyde, |
| They sette mark here metynge sholde be |
| 785 | There kyng Nynus was grave under a tre -- |
| For olde payens that idoles heryed |
| Useden tho in feldes to ben beryed -- |
| And faste by this grave was a welle. |
| And shortly of this tale for to telle, |
| 790 | This covenaunt was affermed wonder faste; |
| And longe hem thoughte that the sonne laste, |
| That it nere gon under the se adoun. |
| This Tisbe hath so gret affeccioun |
| And so gret lykinge Piramus to se, |
| 795 | That whan she say hire tyme myghte be, |
| At nyght she stal awey ful pryvyly, |
| With hire face ywympled subtyly; |
| For alle hire frendes -- for to save hire trouthe -- |
| She hath forsake; allas, and that is routhe |
| 800 | That evere woman wolde ben so trewe |
| To truste man, but she the bet hym knewe. |
| And to the tre she goth a ful good pas, |
| For love made hire so hardy in this cas, |
| And by the welle adoun she gan hyre dresse. |
| 805 | Allas! Than cometh a wilde lyonesse |
| Out of the wode, withoute more arest, |
| With blody mouth, of strangelynge of a best, |
| To drynken of the welle there as she sat. |
| And whan that Tisbe hadde espyed that, |
| 810 | She rist hire up, with a ful drery herte, |
| And in a cave with dredful fot she sterte, |
| For by the mone she say it wel withalle. |
| And as she ran hire wympel let she falle |
| And tok non hed, so sore she was awhaped, |
| 815 | And ek so glad that that she was escaped; |
| And thus she sit and darketh wonder stylle. |
| Whan that this lyonesse hath dronke hire fille, |
| Aboute the welle gan she for to wynde, |
| And ryght anon the wympel gan she fynde, |
| 820 | And with hire blody mouth it al torente. |
| Whan this was don, no lengere she ne stente, |
| But to the wode hire weye thanne hath she nome. |
| And at the laste this Piramus is come; |
| But al to longe, allas, at hom was he! |
| 825 | The mone shon, and he myghte wel yse, |
| And in his wey, as that he com ful faste. |
| His eyen to the ground adoun he caste, |
| And in the sond, as he byheld adoun, |
| He sey the steppes brode of a lyoun, |
| 830 | And in his herte he sodeynly agros, |
| And pale he wex; therwith his heer aros, |
| And ner he com, and fond the wimpel torn. |
| "Allas," quod he, "the day that I was born! |
| This o nyght wol us lovers bothe sle! |
| 835 | How shulde I axe mercy of Tisbe, |
| Whan I am he that have yow slayn, allas! |
| My biddyng hath yow slayn, as in this cas. |
| Allas, to bidde a woman gon by nyghte |
| In place there as peril falle myghte! |
| 840 | And I so slow! Allas, I ne hadde be |
| Here in this place a furlong wey or ye! |
| Now what lyoun that be in this forest, |
| My body mote he renten, or what best |
| That wilde is, gnawe mote he now myn herte!" |
| 845 | And with that word he to the wympel sterte, |
| And kiste it ofte, and wep on it ful sore, |
| And seyde, "Wympel, allas! There is no more |
| But thow shalt feele as wel the blod of me |
| As thow hast felt the bledyng of Thisbe!" |
| 850 | And with that word he smot hym to the herte. |
| The blod out of the wounde as brode sterte |
| As water whan the condit broken is. |
| Now Tisbe, which that wiste nat of this, |
| But sittynge in hire drede, she thoughte thus: |
| 855 | "If it so falle that my Piramus |
| Be comen hider, and may me not yfynde, |
| He may me holde fals and ek unkynde." |
| And out she cometh and after hym gan espien, |
| Bothe with hire herte and with hire yen, |
| 860 | And thoughte, "I wol hym tellen of my drede, |
| Bothe of the lyonesse and al my deede." |
| And at the laste hire love thanne hath she founde, |
| Betynge with his heles on the grounde, |
| Al blody, and therwithal a-bak she sterte, |
| 865 | And lik the wawes quappe gan hire herte, |
| And pale as box she was, and in a throwe |
| Avisede hire, and gan hym wel to knowe, |
| That it was Piramus, hire herte deere. |
| Who coude wryte which a dedly cheere |
| 870 | Hath Thisbe now, and how hire heer she rente, |
| And how she gan hireselve to turmente, |
| And how she lyth and swouneth on the grounde, |
| And how she wep of teres ful his wounde; |
| How medeleth she his blod with hire compleynte; |
| 875 | How with his blod hireselve gan she peynte; |
| How clyppeth she the deede cors, allas! |
| How doth this woful Tisbe in this cas! |
| How kysseth she his frosty mouth so cold! |
| "Who hath don this, and who hath been so bold |
| 880 | To sle my leef? O spek, my Piramus! |
| I am thy Tisbe, that the calleth thus." |
| And therwithal she lifteth up his hed. |
| This woful man, that was nat fully ded, |
| Whan that he herde the name of Tisbe cryen, |
| 885 | On hire he caste his hevy, dedly yen, |
| And doun agayn, and yeldeth up the gost. |
| Tysbe ryst up withouten noyse or bost, |
| And saw hire wympel and his empty shethe, |
| And ek his swerd that hym hath don to dethe. |
| 890 | Thanne spak she thus: "My woful hand," quod she, |
| "Is strong ynogh in swich a werk to me; |
| For love shal yeve me strengthe and hardynesse |
| To make my wounde large ynogh, I gesse. |
| I wol thee folwe ded, and I wol be |
| 895 | Felawe and cause ek of thy deth," quod she. |
| "And thogh that nothing, save the deth only, |
| Mighte thee fro me departe trewely, |
| Thow shalt no more departe now fro me |
| Than fro the deth, for I wol go with thee. |
| 900 | And now, ye wrechede jelos fadres oure, |
| We that whilom were children youre, |
| We preyen yow, withouten more envye, |
| That in o grave yfere we moten lye, |
| Sith love hath brought us to this pitous ende. |
| 905 | And ryghtwis God to every lovere sende, |
| That loveth trewely, more prosperite |
| Than evere yit had Piramus and Tisbe! |
| And lat no gentil woman hyre assure |
| To putten hire in swich an aventure. |
| 910 | But God forbede but a woman can |
| Ben as trewe in lovynge as a man! |
| And for my part, I shal anon it kythe." |
| And with that word his swerd she tok as swythe, |
| That warm was of hire loves blod, and hot, |
| 915 | And to the herte she hireselven smot. |
| And thus are Tisbe and Piramus ygo. |
| Of trewe men I fynde but fewe mo |
| In alle my bokes, save this Piramus, |
| And therfore have I spoken of hym thus. |
| 920 | For it is deynte to us men to fynde |
| A man that can in love been trewe and kynde. |
| Here may ye se, what lovere so he be, |
| A woman dar and can as wel as he. |