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Untitled
Original Text
d' Orléans, Chalres. The English Poems of Charles of Orleans. Ed. Robert Steele and Mabel Day. London: Oxford University Press, (1940) 1970: 157-159
1O thou fortune that causist pepille playne
2Vpon thi chaunge and mutabilite
3Did y thee so y blamyd wrong certayne
4For stabille yet herto as fynde y the
5Withouten chaunge forto prevaylen me
6But where as first thou fond me in symplesse
7Thou holdist me in myn aduersite
8So that y may biwayle thi stabilnes
9And yet fulle many holde opynyoun
10As that thou shulde now hurt and now amende
11And gladly als of thi condicioun
12A sympille wight in honure to ascende
13And most in weele as don him downe descende
14But y may welle contrary lo witnes
15For of my wrecchid lijf y fynde noon ende
16So that y may biwayle thi stabilnes
17For welle y se how ricches ascendith
18And alle folke bisy him to plese and yeue
19Where as the sympille wight descendith
20Of alle lothid and noon him lust releue
21Among whiche on am y in suche myschef
22Ordaynyd loue but to moche bisynes
23Thou hast me geve my ladi to acheue
24So that y may biwayle thi stabilnes
25Thorugh which y wynne more maugre oft þen loue
26By my to bisy demenyng
27And yet god wot that sitt aboue
28I most desire of any erthely thing
29To doon alle that as were to hir plesyng
30But of rewdenes thou gevist me such larges
31That thank to pike me wantith the konnyng
32So that y may biwayle thi stabilnes
33Alas fortune now were me wondir wise
34Sett me in wey my lady forto plese
35And if that y haue tane to high emprise
36I pardoun axe and that thou not displese
37But turne thi whele my langour to apese
38And of my smert to shape me sum redresse
39For yet thou baytist me in noyouslesse
40So that y may biwayle thi stabilnes
41For my dulle rewdenes hath no gouernaunce
42Thorugh my demenyng hir to doon plesere
43And yet got wot as that y haue pusshaunce
44I sett myn hert my wille and my desere
45Hir forto serue but alle to gret am hir
46I willid haue through fonnyd wilfulnes
47But me preuaylith werryng not prayere
48So that y may biwayle thi stabilnes
49Now fare welle fotune with þi stedfast face
50For as y fynde right so y write of thee
51And yn my refrait though y thee manace
52Thou oughtist not me thenke displesid be
53Though y say trouthe as that þou dost to me
54But evir truse and rewe on my distres
55That y endure in suche aduersite
56So that y may biwayle thi stedfastnes
RPO poem Editors
Ian Lancashire, assisted by Ana Berdinskikh
RPO Edition
2009
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