4. DE EXPULTIONE BLANDIENTIUM MUSARUM.
Quȩ ubi poeticas musas . assistentes nostro thoro. Sô sî gesáh fóre mînemo bétte stân . tîe mêter-uuúrchûn. Et dictantes meis verba fletibus. Únde mír trâne récchende . mít íro uuórten. Commota paulisper. Sâr dés éin lúzzel zórneg uuórteníu. Ac toruis inflammata luminibus. Ióh trôlicho séhentíu.
Inquit. Frâgeta si. Quis permisit has skenicas . i. theatrales meretriculas accedere ad hunc ȩgrum? Uuér lîez hára/ín ze dísemo sîechen . tíse geuuéneten hûorâ ze theatro? In fornicibus theatri . uuúrten meretrices prostratȩ . dánnân íst fornicatio gehéizen. Álso dîe den mán íro lenociniis árgerotôn . sô tâten óuh tíse mít íro âmerên uuórten. Fóne díu héizet er sîe meretrices. Álde skenicas meretriculas . héizet er skenicas musas . álso comediȩ uuâren . únde tragȩdiȩ . dîe óuh mánne scádatôn . uuánda comediȩ ráchtôn ímo risum . tragȩdiȩ luctvm. Quȩ non modo nullis remediis fouerent . dolores eius . uerum insuper alerent dulcibus uenenis. Tîe ímo sîn sêr nîeht éin nehéilent . núbe ióh mêrônt . mít sûozemo éitere íro uuórto.
Hȩ sunt enim quȩ necaNT | infructuosis spinis affectuum . uberem segetem fructibus rationis. Tíz sínt tîe dén uuôcher únde dén ézisg tero rationis ertémfent . mít tîen dórnen uuíllônnes. Táz chît mít íro uuíllechôsônne . ergézzent sie mán sînero rationis. Hominumque mentes assuefaciunt morbo . non liberant. Únde ménniskôn mûot stôzent sin ín dia súht . sîe nelôsent siu nîeht.
At si quem profanum detraherent blanditiȩ vestrȩ, uti uulgo solitum uobis. Áber infûortînt ir mír éinen uréiden . mít íuuermo zárte . sô ir díccho tûont. Minus moleste ferendum putarem. Táz neuuâge mír sô nîeht. Nihil quippe lȩderentur in eo operȩ nostrȩ. Án démo neinfûore mìr nîeht mînero árbéito.
Hunc uero innutritum eleaticis studiis . atque achademicis . non patior mihi subtrahi. Áber dísen chrîechiskero méisterskéfte . únde achademiskero dúrhlêrten.
Sed abite potius sirenes . usque in exitium dulces. Rûment sirenes . lústsáme únz án dia uerlórnísseda. Sirenes sínt mére-tîer . fóne déro sánge intslâfent tie uérigen . et patiuntur naufragium. Et relinquite eum curandum sanandumque meis musis. Únde lâzent míh ímo sîn mûot néren . únde héilen . mít mînên carminibus.
His ille chorus increpitus . deiecit humi mestior uultum. Tô snífta níder dáz sús erstóuta gezuâhte. Confessusque rubore uerecundiam . tristis limen excessit. Únde uóre scámôn irrôtende . gelîez iz síh.
At ego cuius acies caligarat . mersa lacrimis . nec dinoscere possim . quȩnam hȩc mulier tam imperiosȩ auctoritatis . obstipui. Áber íh erchám míh tô dés . uuér dáz uuîb uuâre sô geuuáltîgo uárentíu . íh nemáhta sia bechénnen . uuánda mír daz óuga tímbereta . fóllez trâno. Uisuque in terram defixo. Únde íh fúre míh níder-séhende. Quid deinceps esset actura . exspectare tacitus coepi. Pegónda íh suîgendo chîesen . uuáz sî dára-nâh tûon uuólti.
Tum illa propius accedens . consedit in extrema parte lectuli mei. Tô hítemon náhôr gânde . gesáz si ze énderôst mînes péttes. Et intuens meum uultum grauem luctv. Únde ána-séhende mîn ánalútte . trâglichez fóne uuûofte. Atque deiectum in humum merore. Únde fóne trûregi níder-gehángtez. His uersibus conquesta est . de perturbatione nostrȩ mentis. Chlágeta si síh mít tísên uérsen . mînes únmûotes.
Et quant elle vit les Muses des poetes estans entour notre lit et dictanz paroles a mes pleurs, elle en fu un petit esmeue et enfamblee de cruelz eulz et dist :
« Qui a lessié aprochier a ce malade ces communes putereles abandonnees au peuple qui tant seulement ne li assouageront pas ses douleurs par quelques remedez, mais enseurquetout les li norriront de doulz veninz ?
Car ce sont celles qui par painturez de entalentemenz qui ne sont profitables ne fructueuses ocient le blé planteureuz des fruiz de raison et tiennent les pensees des hommes en coustume et ne les delivrent pas de maladie.
Mais se vos blandices me fortreissent aucun homme rude et non profitable, si comme l’en le seult communement trouver ou peuple, je cuidasse que je le deusse souffrir mainz dolereusement ; ne ce n’est pas merveille, car nos ententes ne fussent de riens blecees en celui.
Mais vous me toléz cestui qui a esté norris es estudes eleatiques et academianz.
Mais alés vous en anceiz, vous qui estes Sereines douces jusque a destruction, et le me laisséz a curer et a guerir avec mes sciences. »
Cele compaignie des Muses, blasmee par ces chosez dites, geta plus courrouciee son voult a terre et monstranz sa vergoigne par roigeur passa triste le sueil de l’uis et ala hors.
Mais je, de cui la veue plungiee en lermes estoit occurcie, ne ne peusse pas cognoistre qui fust ceste fame de si emperiable auctorité, m’esbahi et, mon regart en terre geté, commençai tesibles a atendre que elle feroit des ore en avant.
Lors vint elle plus pres et se sist en la derreniere partie de mon lit et regardanz mon voult pesant et grief de pleur et par pleur en terre degeté, s’est complainte par ces vers de la perturbacion de notre pensee.
And whan she say thise poetical Muses aprochen aboute my bed, and endytinge wordes to my wepinges, she was a litel amoved, and glowede with cruel eyen.
‘Who,’ quod she, ‘hath suffred aprochen to this syke man thise comune strompetes of swich a place that men clepen the theatre? The whiche nat only ne asswagen nat hise sorwes with none remedies, but they wolden feden and norisshen hem with swete venim.
Forsothe, thise ben tho that with thornes and prikkinges of talents or affecciouns, whiche that ne ben no-thing fructefyinge nor profitable, destroyen the corn plentevous of fruites of resoun; for they holden the hertes of men in usage, but they ne delivere nat folk fro maladye.
But if ye Muses hadden withdrawen fro me, with your flateryes, any uncunninge and unprofitable man, as men ben wont to finde comunly amonges the people, I wolde wene suffre the lasse grevously; for-why, in swiche an unprofitable man, myn ententes ne weren no-thing endamaged.
But ye withdrawen me this man, that hath be norisshed in the studies or scoles of Eleaticis and of Achademicis in Grece.
But goth now rather awey, ye mermaidenes, whiche that ben swete til it be at the laste, and suffreth this man to be cured and heled by myne Muses,’ that is to seyn, by noteful sciences.
And thus this companye of Muses y-blamed casten wrothly the chere dounward to the erthe ; and, shewinge by reednesse hir shame, they passeden sorowfully the threshfold.
And I, of whom the sighte, plounged in teres, was derked so that I ne mighte not knowen what that womman was, of so imperial auctoritee, I wex al abaisshed and astoned, and caste my sighte doun to the erthe, and bigan stille for to abyde what she wolde don afterward.
Tho com she ner, and sette hir doun up-on the uttereste corner of my bed; and she, biholdinge my chere, that was cast to the erthe, hevy and grevous of wepinge, compleinede, with thise wordes that I shal seyen, the perturbacioun of my thought.
Who, whan she spied poetz musis standing by my bed and to my teares inditing wordes, somewhat moued inflamed with gloting yees:
“Who suffered,” quoth she, “thes stagis harlotz aproche this sik man? wiche not only wold not ease his sorow with no remedies,
but with baren affections thornes destroies the ful eares of reasons fruitt, and mens mynds with disease invries, not fries.
But if of vane man, as vulgar wontz, your alurements had deprived me, with les grefe had I borne hit. For by suche our worke had got no harme.
But this man haue you touched, whom Stoike and Academique study broght out.
Get you away, Sirenes swite; til ende be seen, to my musis leve him for cure and helthe.”
To this the checked rabel, with looke downe cast with wo, with blusche confessing shame, doleful out of doores thé went.
But I, whose sisght, drowned in tears, was dimed, could not knowe what she was, so imperius rule, and setteling my yees on ground, what she wold more do, in silence, I attended.
Than she, drawing nar, on my bedsfite sat doune, and, vewing my looke of hevy woe and with my dole to the erthe throwne downe, in versis thes of my mynds pane complaineth thus.
Complete text
Book I: THE SORROWS OF BOETHIUS