| |
| A BLISFUL lyf, a paisible and a swete | |
| Ledden the peples in the former age; | |
| They helde hem payed of fruites, that they ete, | |
| Which that the feldes yave hem by usage; | |
| They ne were nat forpampred with outrage; | 5 |
| Unknowen was the quern and eek the melle; | |
| They eten mast, hawes, and swich pounage, | |
| And dronken water of the colde welle. | |
| |
| Yit nas the ground nat wounded with the plough, | |
| But corn up-sprong, unsowe of mannes hond, | 10 |
| The which they gniden, and eete nat half y-nough. | |
| No man yit knew the forwes of his lond; | |
| No man the fyr out of the flint yit fond; | |
| Un-korven and un-grobbed lay the vyne; | |
| No man yit in the morter spyces grond | 15 |
| To clarre, ne to sause of galantyne. | |
| |
| No mader, welde, or wood no litestere | |
| Ne knew; the flees was of his former hewe; | |
| No flesh ne wiste offence of egge or spere; | |
| No coyn ne knew man which was fals or trewe; | 20 |
| No ship yit karf the wawes grene and blewe; | |
| No marchaunt yit ne fette outlandish ware; | |
| No trompes for the werres folk ne knewe, | |
| No toures heye, and walles rounde or square. | |
| |
| What sholde it han avayled to werreye? | 25 |
| Ther lay no profit, ther was no richesse, | |
| But cursed was the tyme, I dar wel seye, | |
| That men first dide hir swety bysinesse | |
| To grobbe up metal, lurkinge in darknesse, | |
| And in the riveres first gemmes soghte. | 30 |
| Allas! than sprong up al the cursednesse | |
| Of covetyse, that first our sorwe broghte! | |
| |
| Thise tyraunts putte hem gladly nat in pres, | |
| No wildnesse, ne no busshes for to winne | |
| Ther poverte is, as seith Diogenes, | 35 |
| Ther as vitaile is eek so skars and thinne | |
| That noght but mast or apples is ther-inne. | |
| But, ther as bagges been and fat vitaile, | |
| Ther wol they gon, and spare for no sinne | |
| With al hir ost the cite for tassaile. | 40 |
| |
| Yit were no paleis-chaumbres, ne non halles; | |
| In caves and [in] wodes softe and swete | |
| Slepten this blissed folk with-oute walles, | |
| On gras or leves in parfit quiete. | |
| No doun of fetheres, ne no bleched shete | 45 |
| Was kid to hem, but in seurtee they slepte; | |
| Hir hertes were al oon, with-oute galles, | |
| Everich of hem his feith to other kepte. | |
| |
| Unforged was the hauberk and the plate; | |
| The lambish peple, voyd of alle vyce, | 50 |
| Hadden no fantasye to debate, | |
| But ech of hem wolde other wel cheryce; | |
| No pryde, non envye, non avaryce, | |
| No lord, no taylage by no tyrannye; | |
| Humblesse and pees, good feith, the emperice, | 55 |
| [Fulfilled erthe of olde curtesye.] | |
| |
| Yit was not Iupiter the likerous, | |
| That first was fader of delicacye, | |
| Come in this world; ne Nembrot, desirous | |
| To reynen, had nat maad his toures hye. | 60 |
| Allas, allas! now may men wepe and crye! | |
| For in our dayes nis but covetyse | |
| [And] doublenesse, and tresoun and envye, | |
Poysoun, manslauhtre, and mordre in sondry wyse.
Finit Etas prima. Chaucers. | |
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