Romance of the Rose (Ellis)/Chapter 71
LXXI
Induced by what the hag hath said,
Fair-Welcome setteth on his head
The garland, and doth take therein
A pledge to sell his very skin.13420
The chaplet accepted
Fair-welcome saith no more, but sets
The chaplet of sweet flowerets
Above his flowing golden hair,
And hears his keeper laughing swear
By body and soul, and skin and bones,
That no man fairer chaplet owns.
And often doth Fair-Welcome place
Himself before the mirror’s face.
In heart rejoiced and gratified.
The dame then, seeing none beside13430
Themselves are there, en tête à tête
Anear him seats her, all elate,
And thus begins to sermon him:
The Duenna.
The Duenna’s tale
Fair-Welcome, dear, no cherubim
Is fair, and sweet, and good as you.
My joyous days are all worn through,
While yours are barely yet begun,
Your woof of life as yet unspun.
Alas! my strength is on the wane,
And needs must I my limbs sustain13440
Ere long on helpful crutch or staff,
While you with joy-brimmed heart may laugh
Careless of what your fate may be.
Yet must you pass, assuredly,
Sooner or later, through the fire,
Which all men feel of love’s desire,
And in that wave must plunge you, which
Queen Venus dights for poor and rich.
Prepare you, then, belovèd one,
Ere over you love’s waters run,13450
By these wise counsellings I give;
For he doth perilously live
Who breasts love’s waves, yet knows them not,
But if my creed you once have got
By heart, you shall arrive at last
Safely in port, all dangers past.
Love’s heyday
Believe me, if, when young as you,
I’d known love’s art as now I do,
And of its ways had been aware
(For I, in youth, was passing fair),13460
You would not hear me groan and sigh
As I consider mournfully
My outworn visage, and repine
At every pucker, seam and line,
When of my beauty lost I think,
Whereof gay lovers fain would drink
Long draughts to quench their lovesick heat:
(Good Lord! it makes my pulses beat!)
For then was I of high renown,
Alike in countryside and town,13470
For fairness, and of gallants proud
And rich there never lacked a crowd
Around my dwelling. Many a score
Of blows came rattling ’gainst my door,
When I disdained with answering word
To let them know their calls were heard,
Because it happed forsooth that I
Already had good company.
Hereout grew oft a wild uproar,
And monstrous wroth was I therefor.13480
The porch, ’neath stout and sturdy stroke,
Would yield sometimes, and then awoke
A fierce mellee, and lives and limbs
Were lost to please my wayward whims,
Lover’s contests
For sharply raged fierce contests then.
If learnèd Algus, of all men
The wisest in his reckoning,
Should his ten wondrous figures bring
To bear thereon, I doubt if well
By multiplying he could tell13490
The number of the deadly fights
Wherein my gallants strove o’ nights.
Right fair of face was I, and sound
Of body, and of sterlings round
Had many a thousand, glistering white,
But like a dunce my business dight.
I was, in truth, a fair young fool,
Of no experience in love’s school.
Nought of love’s theory I knew,
But learned in its practice grew,13500
And all throughout my life have I
Its battles fought unflinchingly.
And now to you may I impart
The mysteries of that sweet art,
For blame were mine should I forego
To teach young folk the lore I know.
’Tis no great marvel if love’s pleasure
You neither know to mete or measure,
Since you are but a nestling still,
With callow wings and yellow bill;13510
While I so wrought have in the field
Of love that unto none I yield
In knowledge, but might lightly dare
To fill a grave professor’s chair.
’Tis but a fool who would despise
And mock old age, by time grown wise,
For wit and practice there are found,
And many who have trod the round
Of life have proved, beyond a doubt.
Those good, when all is else worn out13520
On which they have their substance spent;
Save for that twain their lives were shent.
When I had wit through practice won,
A thing with no small labour done,
Full many a noble man did I
Trick and beguile most skilfully;
But also, often was deceived
Ere yet full wit had I achieved.
Unhappy wretch! ’twas all too late,
Youth failed and left me desolate.13530
Times are changed
And now beheld I that my door,
Which on its hinges heretofore
Swung day and night, stood idly to,
From hour to hour none passed therethrough,
Until I thought: ‘Alas! poor soul,
Thy life is changed to grief and dole!’
When thus I saw my dwelling left
Deserted, nigh in twain was cleft
My heart, and I betook me thence,
Shamed and abashed my every sense.13540
Such misery scarce could I endure,
What balsam my deep wounds could cure,
When gay-clad gallants in the street,
Who lately fawned before my feet,
And spent their breath to sing my praise,
Now passed me in the public ways
Unheedingly, with heads tossed high,
As I were struck with leprosy?
They’d pass me by with hop and skip
sweet As one not worth an apple pip:13550
And some, to whom I’d favour shown,
Now voted me a wrinkled crone.
It seemed as each would put on me
Some new refined indignity.
Bittersweet remembrance
Upon the other hand no man,
How fine soe’er of feeling, can,
Dear friend, believe the woes I felt,
Or how mine eyes in tears would melt,
When rose the picture in my mind
Of old good days when kisses kind13560
Were showered upon me ’mid delights
Of joyous days and passioned nights—
Sweet words to sweeter actions wed.
Alas! for ever all are fled,
Past over to return no more.
Far better had a prison door
Closed on me than that I were born
So soon. Ah God! what scathing scorn
Have fair gifts lost brought down on me,
And consciousness they ne’er can be13570
Reclaimed hath sent a poisoned dart
Of anguish through my wasted heart.
I ask again, why was I born
So soon? unhappy wretch forlorn!
Is there, but you, one single one
To whom I can complain, dear son?
In nowise could my vengeance reach
My foes so well as if I teach
To you my doctrine for this end;
Thereon my breath I well may spend,13580
With well-proved precepts how to be
A scourge to those who scourèd me;
And you right apt will be thereto
Recalling all I say to you,
Since you by happy chance have got
So young a mind as faileth not
To keep in memory the wit
That old experience plants in it.
For Plato said, long years agone,
That, things which men in youth had known
Stay fixed within the memory fast,13591
Though many a year be overpast.
A woman’s revenge
Ah, dearest son, beloved youth,
If strong and young as you forsooth
I were, the laws by Draco made
My fierce revenge should cast in shade:
Such vengeance on my foes I’d take,
Before I could mine anger slake,
As never yet was known ere now
In all the world’s great age I trow.13600
Those ribalds who have passed me by
With mocks and jeers, insultingly,
And have disdained my glance to meet,
With open scorn in public street,
Good Lord! but they should dearly pay
Whene’er arrived the reckoning day,
For that contemptuous, scathing pride
Wherewith they have my spirit tried.
For, using the experience I
Have learned through God’s good clemency.
Know you the fashion they should fare?13611
In my turn would I pluck them bare;
And then, as grapes within a press
Are trod, I’d tread them; penniless
Should they be left, and foul worms feed
Upon them in their direful need,
Whilst on a dunghill should they lie
Naked, in filth and misery.
And those who, in my prosperous days,
Were foremost in my love and praise,13620
Would I most cruelly entreat,
And spurn like dogs beneath my feet,
Aye, grind them to the very earth,
And pill them till they were not worth
A clove of garlick—it would fain
My heart to see their need and pain,
And bring them to such dire distress
That they should on my footsteps press
Stamping with rage.
Regrets are vain
Regrets are vain;
Time flown can ne’er return again,13630
Nor could I, of all those who bowed
Before me ere my face was ploughed
With wrinkles, keep on one my hold,
My menace was a tale that’s told,
But, by the ribalds, I thereof
Was warned erewhile with many a scoff.
Believe you, much I wept therefor,
Aye, and shall weep for evermore,
Yet, when thereon I musing think,
Long draughts of joy supreme I drink13640
From memory’s well. Oh, dear delights!
Whereof the very thought excites
A thrill through every limb, as though
The merry life of long ago
I lived once more. My body seems
Rejuvenate, as in sweet dreams
Sometimes appears. Now, by the rood,
I swear it does me untold good
To muse on youth’s sweet joys, though I
By men was cozened cruelly:13650
No idle life a damsel leads
Who makes her pleasures serve her needs.
Joys remembered
Then to this country-side I came,
And service took beneath the dame
Who holds you here, and gives me charge
That hence you wander not at large.
The Lord, who guards us all from ill,
Grant that my duty I fulfil,
And doubt I not this well may be,13660
If you will walk but prudently.
The charge, forsooth, were one of rare
And special peril, seen how fair
Nature hath made you, if your wit
Did not your body’s beauty fit:
But you have prowess, sense, and grace;
And since that now both time and place
Serve us so well, nor need we fear
To suffer from intruders here,
’Tis well that you should list from me
Good counsel, but you need not be13670
Surprised to find my words but few.
No will have I to press on you
The theme of love and thereon preach.
But since that goal you’ll someday reach.
Suffer that I point out the way
And paths thereof, where many a day
I wandered ere my beauty went
And left me wearied, worn and spent.
The Lover.
Then ceased the dame and gave a sigh.
In case Fair-Welcome made reply.13680
But little rest of tongue she took,
Noting his fixed attentive look,
Prepared to listen and say nought;
And so within herself she thought:
A proverb ’tis; Who saith not nay,
May well be credited with yea;
Thus far he’s listened, and no doubt,
If I proceed, will hear me out.
The Duenna’s tale
Then once more did the crone begin
Her wearisome foul tale to spin,13690
Deeming that she by wordy trick
Might cozen me to try and lick
Honey from thorns, and hoping he
Might his mere friend consider me,
Without true love, but he amain
Told me the tale he heard again;
And had he ta’en her word for truth
I needs had been betrayed forsooth,
But whatsoe’er the hag might do
Or say, Fair-Welcome proved him true;13700
I had his solemn oath and word
And that my heart had reassured.
O dear sweet son, towards whom I yearn,
’Tis my desire that you should learn
Love’s wiles, to save you from deceit.
When you upon life’s journey meet
With Cupid, let my counsels guide
Your steps, for no man ever tried
That path untaught, but hath perforce
Been stripped of all, till last his horse13710
He needs must sell; I charge you hear
My counsel which your way will clear,
If you but heed the lore I tell,
Who know love’s art and mystery well.