Sed tempus est medicinȩ inquit quam querelȩ. Nû íst áber dóh mêr zît . lâchenes tánne chlágo.
Tum uero intenta totis luminibus in me . inquit. Únde míh tára-nâh cnôto ána-sehentíu . frâgeta si. Tune es ille qui quondam nutritus nostro lacte . nostris educatus alimentis . euaseras in robur uirilis animi? Neuuúrte dû mít mînemo spúnne gesóuget . únde mít mînero frûondo gezógen . únz tû gestíge ze gómenes sínne? nebíst tû dér na?
Atqui. Ze uuâre. Contuleramus talia arma. Íh káb tír óuh sólíu gesáreuue. Quȩ te tuerentur invicta firmitate. Tíu díh skírmdîn . mít úngesuíchenero uésti . únder dîen . dû gehálten uuârîst. Nisi prior abiecisses. Úbe dû siu gérno hína neuuúrfîst.
Agnoscisne me? Pechénnest tu míh?
Quid taces? Zíu suîgest tu?
Siluisti pudore an stupore? Uuéder fóre scámôn . álde fóre erchómeni?
Mallem pudore . quia pudorem facit reuerentia . stuporem conscientia. Mír uuâre lîebera fóre scámôn . táz chît fóre gezógeni . únde fóre chíuski . únde fóre mîdenne . únde fóre êrháfti. Sed ut uideo stupor oppressit te . i. conscientia torquet te. Míh túnchet áber . fórhta tôt tir uuê . tû uuéist tíh scúldigen.
Cumque me uidisset non modo tacitum sed elinguem prorsus et mutum. Sô si míh tô gesáh . nîeht éin suîgenten . núbe sámo stúmmen . únde zúnglôsen. Admouit leniter manum pectori meo. Sô légeta sî íro hánt mámmendo an mîna brúst.
Et nihil pericli est. Nîeht féisôn chád si. Lȩthargum patitur. Úngehúht hábet er geuángen. Communem morbum inlusarum mentium. Keméine súht tero âuuîzzeôntôn.
Oblitus est sui paulisper. Ér habet sîn éin lúzzel ergézen. Recordabitur facile . si quidem ante cognoverit nos. Ér behúget síh uuóla sîn . échert er míh êr bechénne.
Quod ut possit. Únde dáz er míh pechénnen múge. Tergamus paulisper lumina eius . caligantia nube mortalium rerum. Sô uuískên sîníu óugen . petímbertíu mít témo nébele tero stírbigôn díngo.
Hȩc dixit. Sús chád si. Et contracta ueste in rugam . siccauit oculos meos . undantes fletibvs. Únde mít kelésô temo tûoche íro uuâte . uuísta sî mîníu uuûofenten óugen.
Mes ore est, dist elle, temps de medecine et non mie de complainte. »
Lors elle, entendanz en moy o touz les regars de ses yeulx, dist : « Ne es tu pas cil qui, jadis norris de notre let et peus de nos viandes, estoies eschapéz et venuz en courage de homme parfait ?
Certez, nous t’avions donné telz armes que, se tu ne les eusses premiers getees, elles te deffendissent par fermeté qui ne peust estre vaincue.
Ne me cognois tu pas ?
Pour quoy te tes tu ?
Est ce pour honte ou pour paour ?
Je vaudroie miex pour honte mais, si comme il me semble, paour t’a surpris. »
Et comme elle m’eust veu non mie tant seulement tesibles, mais du tout sans langue et mu, elle ajousta souevement sa main a mon piz et dist :
« Ci n’a point de peril ; il est cheuz en letargie ; c’est commune maladie de pensees deceues.
Il s’est un petit oubliez ; legierement certes se racordera s’il nous a cogneu avant.
Et pour ce que il le puisse, terdons li un petit ses yeux occurcissanz par la nublece des chosez mortiex. »
Ce dist elle et par sa robe pliee en fronce secha mes yeux ondoianz de pleurs.
But tyme is now,’ quod she, ‘of medicine more than of compleinte.’
Forsothe than she, entendinge to me-ward with alle the lookinge of hir eyen, seide:—‘Art nat thou he,’ quod she, ‘that whylom y-norisshed with my milk, and fostered with myne metes, were escaped and comen to corage of a parfit man?
Certes, I yaf thee swiche armures that, yif thou thy-self ne haddest first cast hem a-wey, they shulden han defended thee in sikernesse that may nat ben over-comen.
Knowest thou me nat?
Why art thou stille?
Is it for shame or for astoninge ?
It were me lever that it were for shame; but it semeth me that astoninge hath oppressed thee.’
And whan she say me nat only stille, but with-outen office of tunge and al doumb, she leide hir hand softely upon my brest, and seide:
‘Here nis no peril,’ quod she; ‘he is fallen into a litargie , whiche that is a comune sykenes to hertes that ben deceived.
He hath a litel foryeten him-self, but certes he shal lightly remembren him-self, yif so be that he hath knowen me or now;
and that he may so don, I wil wypen a litel his eyen, that ben derked by the cloude of mortal thinges.’
Thise wordes seide she, and with the lappe of hir garment, y-plyted in a frounce, she dryede myn eyen, that weren fulle of the wawes of my wepinges.
“But fittar time,” quoth she, “ for medecin than Compaint.”
The fixing on me her stedy yees: “Art thou the same, ” quoth she, “ who ons nourriched with my milke, fed with our foode art growen to strength of manly mynd?
On whom we bestowed suche weapons as, if though hadst no Cast away, had saved thè with invincible strenght.
Dost thou me knowe?
whi art thou doum?
is hit shame or wondar makes thè Silent?”
No English
But Whan she spied me not only stiL, but Woordles and dum, on my brest gently Layd her hand: Said,
“ther is no danger, he is enetered in a Lethargi, a Commen diseace of mynd distract.
He hath a litel forgotten himself, easily his memory wyl retorne, Whan first he hathe remembard me.
And that he may, a litel Let us wipe his yees overdimd with Cloude of erthely things.”
Thus she speaking, my yees flowing with teares, folding her garment she dried.
Complete text
Book I: THE SORROWS OF BOETHIUS