We wommen konne no thyng hele - Anthony Linden Jones

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"Text from the ''Wife of Bath's Tale'', from ''The Canterbury Tales''.<br>"

◈ Genre / Form Partsongs

♬ Voicing → SSATBB ¶ Language → Middle English

Parts 6

Instruments Percussion

Pages 8

CPDL # 3520

Editor Anthony Linden Jones

Posted 2002-04-10

License Personal

¶Lyrics / Text

We wommen konne no thyng hele; Witnesse on Myda, - wol ye heere the tale? Ovyde, amonges othere thynges smale, Seyde Myda hadde, under his longe heres, Growynge upon his heed two asses eres, The whiche vyce he hydde, as he best myghte, Ful subtilly from every mannes sighte, That, save his wyf, ther wiste of it namo. he loved hire moost, and trusted hire also; He preyede hire that to no creature She sholde tellen of his disfigure. She swoor him, ‘Nay,’ for al this world to wynne, She nolde nat do that vileynye or synne, To make hir housbonde han so foul a name. She nolde nat telle it for hir owene shame. But natheless, hir thoughte that she dyde, That she so longe sholde a conseil hyde; Hir thoughte it swal so soore aboute hir herte That nemely so work hire moost asterte; And sith she dorste telle it to no man, Doun to a mareys faste by she ran – Til she cam there, hir herte was a-fyre – And as a bitore bombleth in the myre, She leyde hir mouth unto the water doun; ‘Biwreye me nat, thou water, with thy soun,’ Quod she; ‘to thee I telle it and namo; Myn housbonde hath longe asses erys two! Now is myn herte al hool, now is it oute. I myghte no lenger kepe it, out of doute.’ Heere may ye se, thogh we a tyme abyde, Yet out it moot; we kan no conseil hyde.

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