J'aloie l'autrier errant
Sanz compaignon
Sor mon palefroi, pensant
A faire une chançon,
Quant j'oï, ne sai coment,
Lez un boisson
La voix dou plus bel enfant
C'onques veïst nus hom;
Et n'estoit pas enfes, si
N'eüst .xv. anz et demi.
Onques nule riens ne vi
De si gente façon.
Vers li m'en vois en riant,
Mis l'a raison:
'Bele, dites moi coment,
Por Deu, vos avez non.'

Et ele saut maintenant
A son baston:
'Se vos venez plus avant,
Ja avrez la tançon.
Sire, fuiez vos de ci!
N'ai cure de tel ami,
Que j'ai mout plus bel choisi,
Qu'en clainme Robeçon.'

Quant je la vi esfreer
Si durement
Qu'el ne me doigne esgarder
Ne faire autre semblant,
Lors començai a penser
Confaitement
Ele me porroit amer
Et changier son talant.
A terre lez li m'assis.
Com plus resgar son cler vis,
Tant est plus mes cuers espris,
Qui double mon talant.

Lors li pris a demander
Mout belement
Que me doignast esgarder
Et faire autre semblant.
Ele comence a plorer
Et dit itant:
'Je ne vos puis esgarder;
Ne sai qu'alez querant.'
Vers li me trais, si li dis:
'Ma bele, por Deu, merci.'
Ele rit, si respondi:
'Vos faites paour la gent'.

Devant moi lors la montai
Demaintenant
Et trestot droit m'en alai
Lez un bois verdoiant.
Aval les prez esgardai,
.ij. pastors par mi un blé,
Qui venoient huant,
Et leverent un grant cri.
Assez fis plus que ne di:
Je la lais, si m'en foï;
N'oi cure de tel gent.

The other day I went wandering
Without any companion
On my palfrey, thinking
To make a song,
When I heard—I don't know how—
Near a bush
The voice of the most beautiful child
That any man has ever seen;
And she was not a child,
For she was fifteen and a half years old.
I have never seen anyone
With such a noble face.
Laughing, I rode towards her
And made this speech:
'Beautiful one, tell me,
By God, what your name is.'

But she jumped up
With her crook:
'If you come any nearer,
You'll get a blow from this.
Sir, get away from here!
I don't care for a friend such as you,
And I'd rather choose
A more handsome one called Robin!'

When I saw that she was scared
So thoroughly
That she wouldn't look at me
Or give any other positive sign,
Then I began to think
How to make her
Fall in love with me
And change her mind.
I sat down on the ground beside her,
And the more I looked upon her bright face,
The more it fired my heart,
Which doubled my desire.

Then I took upon myself to ask her,
In the most beautiful terms,
To look at me
And give me a different expression.
She started to cry
And said thus:
'I cannot look at you;
I don't even know what you're after.'
I leant towards her, and told her:
'My beautiful one, by God, your mercy.'
She laughed and responded:
'You make folk scared.'

Then I took her up before me
And made straightaway
In the direction of a small, green wood.
Across the fields I saw
And heard calling out
Two shepherds amongst the wheat;
They came shouting
And raising a great cry.
And I accomplished nothing more than I have said.
I let her down and fled from there;
I didn't care for such folk.

In a fryth as I gan fare fremede,
I founde a wel fair fenge to fere;
She glystnede as gold when hit glemede,
Nas ner gome so gladly on gere.
I wolde wyte in world who hire kenede,
This byrde bright, if hire wil were;
She me bad go my gates lest hire gremede;
Ne kepte she non henyng here.

'Y-here thou me nou, hendest in helde,
N'ave I thee none harmes to hethe.
Caste I wol thee from cares and kelde,
Comely I wol thee nou clethe.'

'Clothes y have on for to caste,
Such as I may were with wynne;
Better is were thinne bute laste,
Then syde robes, and synke into synne.
Have ye your wyl ye waxen unwraste,
Afterward your thonk be thynne;
Better is make forewardes faste,
Then afterward to mene and mynne.'

'Of mynning ne minte thou namore;
Of menske thou were worthe by my myght;
I take on honde to holde, that I hore,
Of al that I thee have byhight.
Why is thee loth to leven on my lore
Lengere then my love were on thee lyght?
Another myghte yerne thee so yore
That nolde thee noght rede so ryght.'

'Such reed me myghte spakliche rewe
When al my ro were me atraght;
Sone thou woldest fecchen anewe
And take another withinne nyne naght.
Thenne might I hungren on hewe,
In ech an hird be hated and forhaght,
And ben y-cayred from all that I knewe,
And bede cleven ther I hade claght.'

[Stanza Missing]

'Better is taken a comeliche in clothe
In armes to kepen to kisse and to clyppe,
Then a wrecche I wedded so wrothe,
Though he me slowe, ne myght I him aslyppe.
The beste red that I can to us bothe,
That thou me take and I thee toward hyppe;
Though I swore by trouthe and othe,
That God hath shaped may non atlyppe.

With shaping ne may hit me ashunche;
Nas I never wycche ne wyle;
Ich am a maide, that me ofthuncheth;
Leef me were gome byt gyle.'

In a wood as I walked as a stranger,
I found a very fair prize for a companion;
She shone as gold when it gleams,
There was never anyone so radiant in clothing.
I wished to know who had given birth to herm
This bright maiden, if she were willing (to tell me);
She bade me go on my way, lest she should get angry;
She did not wish to hear any dishonourable proposal.

'Listen to me now, most comely in grace,
I do not bring any harm to mock you.
I will free you from cares and cold,
Beautifully will I clothe you now.

'Clothes I have to put on
Such as I may wear with pleasure;
It is better to wear threadbare (robes) without taint,
Than ample robes, and sink into sin.
If you have your way, you will become fickle,
Afterwards, your gratitude will be slight;
It is better to make pledges firm,
Than afterwards to moan and regret.'

'Think no more of regretting,
Of honour you would be worth all I could offer;
I undertake to abide until I grow grey
By all that I have promised you.
Why do you refuse to trust my advice
Any longer than my love had settled on you?
Another might entreat you so long
Who would not advise you so well.'

'Such advice I might soon regret
When all my peace was taken from me;
Soon you would seek afresh
And take another within nine nights.
Then might I starve in my family,
In each household be hated and despised,
And be separated from all that I knew,
And be bidden to cling where I had clung [i.e. embraced].

[Stanza Missing]

'Better is taken a well-attired person
In the arms to kiss and embrace,
Than I should marry a wretch so ill-tempered,
Though he should beat me, I might not escape him.
The best advice that I know for us both,
Is that you should take my and I should jump towards you;
Though I swore by pledge and oath,
What God has decreed may no one escape.

With shape-shifting it may not be evaded;
I was never a witch nor a sorceress;
I am a maid, which vexes me;
Dear to me would be a man without guile.'