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The Canterbury Tales and Other Works of Chaucer (Middle English), by Geoffery Chaucer, [14th cent.], at sacred-texts.com

The Shorter Poems

The Former Age

 A blisful lyf, a paisible and a swete,
 Ledden the peples in the former age.
 They helde hem payed of the fruites that they ete,
 Which that the feldes yave hem by usage;
 They ne were nat forpampred with outrage.
 Unknowen was the quern and ek the melle;
 They eten mast, hawes, and swich pounage,
 And dronken water of the colde welle.
 Yit nas the ground nat wounded with the plough,
10 But corn up-sprong, unsowe of mannes hond,
 The which they gnodded and eete nat half ynough.
 No man yit knew the forwes of his lond,
 No man the fyr out of the flint yit fond,
 Unkorven and ungrobbed lay the vyne;
 No man yit in the morter spyces grond
 To clarre ne to sause of galantyne.
 No mader, welde, or wood no litestere
 Ne knew; the flees was of his former hewe;
 No flesh ne wiste offence of egge or spere.
20 No coyn ne knew man which was fals or trewe,
 No ship yit karf the wawes grene and blewe,
 No marchaunt yit ne fette outlandish ware.
 No trompes for the werres folk ne knewe,
 Ne toures heye and walles rounde or square.
 What sholde it han avayled to werreye?
 Ther lay no profit, ther was no richesse;
 But cursed was the tyme, I dare wel seye,
 That men first dide hir swety bysinesse
 To grobbe up metal, lurkinge in derknesse,
30 And in the riveres first gemmes soghte.
 Allas, than sprong up al the cursednesse
 Of coveytyse, that first our sorwe broghte.
 Thise tyraunts putte hem gladly nat in pres
 No wildnesse ne no busshes for to winne,
 Ther poverte is, as seith Diogenes,
 Ther as vitaile is ek so skars and thinne
 That noght but mast or apples is therinne;
 But, ther as bagges ben and fat vitaile,
 Ther wol they gon, and spare for no sinne
40 With al hir ost the cite for to asayle.
 Yit was no paleis-chaumbres ne non halles;
 In caves and wodes softe and swete
 Slepten this blissed folk withoute walles
 On gras or leves in parfit quiete.
 Ne doun of fetheres ne no bleched shete
 Was kid to hem, but in seurtee they slepte.
 Hir hertes were al oon withoute galles;
 Everich of hem his feith to other kepte.
 Unforged was the hauberk and the plate;
50 The lambish peple, voyd of alle vyce,
 Hadden no fantasye to debate,
 But ech of hem wolde other wel cheryce.
 No pryde, non envye, non avaryce,
 No lord, no taylage by no tyrannye;
 Humblesse and pees, good feith the emperice.
 Yit was not Jupiter the likerous,
 That first was fader of delicacye,
 Come in this world; ne Nembrot, desirous
 To regne, had nat maad his toures hye.
60 Allas, allas, now may men wepe and crye!
 For in oure dayes nis but covetyse,
 Doublenesse, and tresoun, and envye,
 Poyson, manslawhtre, and mordre in sondry wyse.

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