Art. 54, Ferroy chaunsoun

by: Susanna Greer Fein (Editor)

from: The Complete Harley 2253 Manuscript, Volume 2  2014

76r] 5 10 15 20    25 30 35

¶ Ferroy chaunsoun que bien doit estre oyé — De ma amie chaunterai qe m’ad deguerpié! Bien le sai e bien le voi, Qe ele ne me ayme mye,    E ele ayme un autre plus de moi,    E si ad perdu la foy    Que ele me out plevye!       Je pri a Dieu e seint Thomas       Qe il la pardoigne le trespas,       E je si verroiement le fas          Si ele “merci” me crye! Il n’y a guere passé Que je ne la amay sauntz fauceté E tot sauntz trycherye — Pur ce me tient ele fol e tot pleyn de folye!    En verité, le vous dy,    Si ma amie me ust garny,    Je usse pris amye!       Je pri a Dieu e seint Thomas       Qe il la pardoigne le trespas,       E je si verroiement le fas          Si ele “merci” me crye! Certes uncore la ameray, Quei que l’em me dye, E par taunt asayerai Si amour soit folie.    Par cest chaunsoun salutz portez    A ma tresdouce amye,    Quar ne vueil autre message, quei que je me afye.            Si ele die rien de moi,       Que me ayme en bone foy,       Ja aylours ne ameroi          Taunt come su en vie!          Je pri a Dieu e seint Thomas          Qe il la pardoigne le trespas,          E je si verroiement le fas             Si ele “merci” me crye!

¶ I’ll compose a song that much needs to be heard — I’ll sing of my love who has left me! Well I know it and well I see it, How she doesn’t love me at all,    And loves another more than me,    And thus has broken the faith    That she had pledged to me!       I pray to God and Saint Thomas       That they forgive her her trespass,       And very truly will I give it          Should she “mercy” beg me! Never has there been a time That I’ve not loved her without lie And completely without guile — For this she deems me a fool and all full of folly!    In truth, I tell you,    Had my love welcomed me,    I would have had a lover!       I pray to God and Saint Thomas       That they forgive her her trespass,       And very truly will I give it          Should she “mercy” beg me! Certainly I’ll love her still, No matter what they say to me, And by this I’ll ascertain Whether love be folly.    May this song carry greetings    To my dearest gentle love,    For I won’t send a different message, no matter how I’m received.       If she speaks of me at all,       Saying she loves me faithfully,       Then I’ll never love elsewhere          For as long as I live!          I pray to God and Saint Thomas          That they forgive her her trespass,          And very truly will I give it             Should she “mercy” beg me!

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Go To Art. 55, Dum ludis floribus, introduction
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Footnotes

ART. 54, FERROY CHAUNSOUN: TEXTUAL NOTES

ABBREVIATIONS: As: Aspin; Bö: Böddeker; Bos: Bossy; Br: Brook; BS: Bennett and Smithers; BZ: Brandl and Zippel; B13: Brown 1932; B14: Brown 1952; DB: Dunn and Byrnes; Deg: Degginger; Do: Dove 1969; Gr: Greene 1977; Ha: Halliwell; Hal: Hall; Hol: Holthausen; Hor¹: Horstmann 1878; Hor²: Horstmann 1896; Hu: Hulme; JL: Jeffrey and Levy; Ju: Jubinal; Kel: Keller; Ken: Kennedy; Le: Lerer 2008; Mc: McKnight; Mi: Millett; MR: Michelant and Raynaud; Mo: Morris and Skeat; MS: MS Harley 2253; Mu: H. M. R. Murray; Pa: Patterson; Pr: Pringle 2009; Rei: Reichl 1973; Rev¹: Revard 2004; Rev²: Revard 2005b; Ri¹: Ritson 1877; Ri²: Ritson 1885; Ro: Robbins 1959; Sa: Saupe; Si: Silverstein; St: Stemmler 1970; Tr: Treharne; Tu: Turville-Petre 1989; Ul: Ulrich; W¹: Wright 1839; W²: Wright 1841; W³: Wright 1842; W⁴: Wright 1844; WH: Wright and Halliwell.

5 E ele. So MS, W³, Ken. JL: Cele.

9 la. So MS, W³, JL. Ken: omitted.

15 fol. MS: a line break mark appears after this word. W³, Ken, JL: divided as two lines.

19–22 So JL. MS, W³, Ken: Je pri a Dieu &c.

27 salutz portez. Emended for rhyme. MS, W³, Ken, JL: portez salutz.
27–28 So Ken. MS: no line break indicated. W³, JL: combined as one line.

34–37 So JL. MS, W³, Ken: Je pri a Dieu &c.