Parson_Translation_Lee

=The Parson's Portrait=

Translation by Stefan Lee
//477: A good man was ther of religioun,// //**A good religious man was there,**// 478: And was a povre persoun of a toun, //**And he was a poor townsperson,**// 479: But riche he was of hooly thoght and werk. //**But he had riches of holy thoughts and works.**// 480: He was also a lerned man, a clerk, //**He was also an educated scholar,**// 481: That cristes gospel trewely wolde preche; //**He would preach the gospels truly;**// 482: His parisshens devoutly wolde he teche. //**He taught his parishioners devoutly.**// 483: Benygne he was, and wonder diligent, //**He was gracious and contemplative,**// 484: And in adversitee ful pacient, //**And gave advice patiently,**// 485: And swich he was ypreved ofte sithes. //**Which was proved many times.**// 486: Ful looth were hym to cursen for his tithes, //**It was not like him to curse for his tithes,**// 487: But rather wolde he yeven, out of doute, //**But rather he would give out of duty,**// 488: Unto his povre parisshens aboute //**Unto his poor parishioners he gave,**// 489: Of his offryng and eek of his substaunce. //**Of his offering and also of his substance.**// 490: He koude in litel thyng have suffisaunce. //**He could in few things have sufficiency**// 491: Wyd was his parisshe, and houses fer asonder, //**Widowed was his parish, and houses were apart,**// 492: But he ne lefte nat, for reyn ne thonder, //**But he did not leave for rain and thunder,**// 493: In siknesse nor in meschief to visite, //**Neither in sickness nor in mischief’s visit,**// 494: The ferreste in his parisshe, muche and lite, //**The farthest in his parish, great and small,**// 495: Upon his feet, and in his hand a staf. //**Upon his feet, and with a staff in his hand,**// 496: This noble ensample to his sheep he yaf, //**This noble example to his sheep he gave,**// 497: That first he wroghte, and afterward he taughte. //**That first he wrought, and afterwards he taught.**// 498: Out of the gospel he tho wordes caughte, //**He caught your words out of the gospel,**// 499: And this figure he added eek therto, //**And this figure he added also thereto,**// 500: That if gold ruste, what shal iren do? //**That if gold should rust, what shall iron do?**// 501: For if a preest be foul, on whom we truste, //**For if a priest be foul, on whom should we trust,**// 502: No wonder is a lewed man to ruste; //**It is no wonder for a lewd man to rust;**// 503: And shame it is, if a prest take keep, //**And it is a shame for a priest to take keep,**// 504: A shiten shepherde and a clene sheep. //**A defiled shepherd and a clean sheep.**// 505: Wel oghte a preest ensample for to yive, //**A priest should be an example as how to live,**// 506: By his clennesse, how that his sheep sholde lyve. //**By his cleanliness, is how his sheep should live.**// 507: He sette nat his benefice to hyre //**He make not his ecclesiastical living to hire**// 508: And leet his sheep encombred in the myre //**And left his sheep encumbered in the mire**// 509: And ran to londoun unto seinte poules //**And ran to London to St. Paul's Cathedral**// 510: To seken hym a chaunterie for soules, //**To seek an appointment with a chapel,**// 511: Or with a bretherhed to been withholde; //**Or with a guild to be withheld;**// 512: But dwelte at hoom, and kepte wel his folde, //**But he dwelt at home, and kept his flock well,**// 513: So that the wolf ne made it nat myscarie; //**So that the wolf not made it not go wrong;**// 514: He was a shepherde and noght a mercenarie. //**He was a shepherd and not a mercenary.**// 515: And though he hooly were and vertuous, //**And though he was holy and virtuous.**// 516: He was to synful men nat despitous, //**He was not scornful to sinfull men,**// 517: Ne of his speche daungerous ne digne, //**Not he was not arrogant nor worthy in speech,**// 518: But in his teaching discreet and benign. //**But in his teaching discrete and benign**// 519: To drawen folk to hevene by fairnesse, //**To people drawn to heaven by kindness,**// 520: By good ensample, this was his bisynesse. //**By good example, this was his business.**// 521: But it were any persone obstinat, //**But if any person were obstinate,**// 522: What so he were, of heigh or lough estat, //**If he was of high status or rich,**// 523: Hym wolde he snybben sharply for the nonys. //**Him would he rebuke sharply for their pride.**// 524: A bettre preest I trowe that nowher noon ys. //**A better priest I think that nowhere now is.**// 525: He waited after no pompe and reverence, //**He waited after no recognition or reverence,**// 526: Ne maked him a spiced conscience, //**He did not have a bothersome conscience,**// 527: But cristes loore and his apostles twelve //**But Christ our Lord and his twelve apostles,**// 528: He taughte, but first he folwed it hymselve. //**He taught, but first he followed it himself.

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click here to view the Plowman translation**//