The Canterbury Tales

Fragment VII

The Prioress's Prologue

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The Prologe of the

Prioresses Tale.

Domine dominus noster.

O lord, oure lord, thy name how merveillous

Is in this large world ysprad, quod she;

455

For noght oonly thy laude precious

Parfourned is by men of dignitee,

But by the mouth of children thy bountee

Parfourned is, for on the brest soukynge

Somtyme shewen they thyn heriynge.

460

Wherfore in laude, as I best kan or may,

Of thee and of the white lyle flour

Which that the bar, and is a mayde alway,

To telle a storie I wol do my labour;

Nat that I may encressen hir honour,

465

For whe hirself is honour and the roote

Of bountee, next hir sone, and soules boote.

O mooder mayde! o mayde mooder free!

O bussh unbrent, brennynge in moyses sighte,

That ravyshedest doun fro the dietee,

470

Thurgh thyn humbless, the goost that in th' alighte,

Of whos vertu, whan he thyn herte lighte,

Conceyved was the fadres sapience,

Help me to telle it in thy reverence!

Lady, thy bountee, thy magnificence,

475

Thy vertu, and thy grete humylitee,

Ther may no tonge expresse in no science;

For somtyme, lady, er men praye to thee,

Thou goost biforn of thy benyngnytee,

And getest us the lyght, of thy preyere,

480

To gyden us unto thy sone so deere.

My konnyng is so wayk, o blisful queene,

For to declare thy grete worthynesse

That I ne may the weighte nat susteene;

But as a child of twelf month oold, or lesse,

485

That kan unnethes any word expresse,

Right so fare I, and therfore I yow preye,

Gydeth my song that I shal of yow seye.