A NIGHT IN THE WOODS 271
In the monethe of Maye when mirthes bene fele,
And the sesone of somere when softe bene the wedres,
Als I went to the wodde my werdes to dreghe,
In-to J>e schawes my-selfe a schotte me to gete
5 At ane hert or ane hynde, happen as it myghte:
And as Dryghtyn the day droue from ]?e heuen,
Als I habade one a banke be a bryme syde,
There the gryse was grene growen with floures—
The primrose, the pervynke, and piliole }>e riche—
10 The dewe appon dayses donkede full faire,
Burgons & blossoms & braunches full swete,
And the mery mystes full myldely gane falle:
The cukkowe, the cowschote, kene were }>ay bothen,
And the throstills full throly threpen in the bankes,
15 And iche foule in that frythe faynere f>an oj>er
That the derke was done & the daye lightenede:
Hertys and hyndes one hillys J>ay gouen,
The foxe and the filmarte f>ay flede to ]?e erthe,
The hare hurkles by hawes, & harde thedir dryves,
20 And ferkes faste to hir fourme & fatills hir to sitt.
Als I stode in that stede one stalkynge I thoghte;
Bothe my body and rny bowe I buskede with leues;
And turnede to-wardes a tree & tariede there a while;
And als I lokede to a launde a littill me be-syde,
25 I seghe ane herte with ane hede, ane heghe for the nones;
Alle vnburneschede was J>e beme, full borely J>e mydle,
I In May, when there are many things to enjoy, and in the summer
season when airs are soft, I went to the wood to take my luck, and
5 in among the shaws to get a shot at hart or hind, as it should
happen. And, as the Lord drove the day through the heavens, I
stayed on a bank beside a brook where the grass was green and
starred with flowers—primroses, periwinkles and the rich penny-
10 royal. The dew dappled the daisies most beautifully, and also the
buds, blossoms and branches, while around me the soft mists began
to fall. Both the cuckoo and pigeon were singing loudly, and the
15 throstles in the bank-sides eagerly poured out their songs, and
every bird in the wood seemed more delighted than his neighbour
that darkness was done and the daylight returned.
Harts and hinds betake themselves to the hills; the fox and pole-
cat seek their earths; the hare squats by the hedges, hurries and
20 hastens thither to her forme and prepares to lurk there. As I stood
in that place the idea of stalking came to me, so I covered both
body and bow with leaves, turned in behind a tree and waited there
25 awhile. And as I gazed in the glade near by me I saw a hart with
tall antlers: the main stem was unburnished and in the middle
very strong. And he was full grown and adorned with horns of