Вот еще два стихотворения (это последние из тех, которые войдут в первую версию собрания сочинений). Всем желающим перевести буду очень благодарен, так как сам в переводе поэзии являюсь нулем.
1) THE CLERKE’S COMPLEINTE
[Clerkes
Whanne that Octobre mid his schoures derke
The erthe hath dreint, and wete windes cherke
And swoghe in naked braunches colde and bare,
And th’ olde sonne is hennes longe yfare ;
Whan misti cloudes blake ymeind with smoke
Her yen blenden and her throtes choke,
And frosty Eurus with his kene teth
Ech man forwelked biteth that him fleth,
And wrecche cattes youlen umbewhiles,
That slepen nat bot wandren on the tiles
(So priketh hem nature in her corages),
Than thinken folk to doon her avantages,
And seken hem faire educacioun
In yonge dayes of the sessioun ;
And specially from every schires ende
In al the North to Leedes don they wende,
And in the fairest toune of Yorkeschire
Seken of lore the welle depe and schire.
Bifel that in that sesoun dim and mat,
In Leedes atte dores as I sat,
At morne was come into tho halles hye
Wel nigh fyve hondred in my companye
Of newe clerkes in an egre presse,
Langages old that wolden lerne, I gesse,
Of Fraunce or Engelonde or Spayne or Ruce,
Tho tonges harde of Hygh Almaine and Pruce,
Or historye, or termes queinte of lawe ;
Yet nas bot litel Latin in her mawe,
And bolde men, alas, ther were yet lece
That thoughten wrestle with the tonge of Grece,
Or doon her hedet aken with etyk [hedes
And with philosophye malencolyk.
Bot yonder was an heep so huge ythronge
Unnethe mighte I counte tho clerkes yonge
That wolden lerne how here in fattes depe
With queynte odour men hydes sethe and stepe,
And weven wolle in webbes soft and faire;
Or brennen col and fylen nat the aire ;
And soghte a grete prees matematyk,
And fragraunt chymistrie and sleigh physyk,
And mani uncouth science for the nones
Of floures, fissches, or of olde stones.
The mani vois ther maden swich a din
The hoote aires schook, and mani a pin
Unherd ther fel upon tho floores wide,
Till that on cride schille min ere biside
Of fees and of examinacioun,
And axede of matriculacioun,
And wher I hadde of goddes ful faire grace
By adventure ychaunced it to pace.
Thogh maystres hadde I mo than thryes ten,
And wisdom of an heap of lerned men, [heep
That were of lore expert and curious,
Yet couthe I nat, not more than can a mous,
Of swiche lettrure, ne wiste I what he mente ;
And fro the halles swithe men me sente
To dwellen al a year withoute yate [yeer
And pleinen me of myn unkind fate ;
Withoute yates al a yeer to dwelle,
Ne durre drinken of the clere welle
N.N.
English Version:
When October with his dark showers
has drained the earth, and wet winds whine
and sigh in naked branches cold and bare,
and the old sun is long since gone from here;
when misty black clouds mingled with smoke
blind their eyes and choke their throats,
and frosty Eurus with his keen teeth
bites each forwandred man who flees him,
and wretched cats wail at whiles,
that do not sleep but wander on the tiles
(so spurs them Nature in their hearts),
then people think of doing something advantageous,
and seek themselves fair education
in the first days of term:
and especially from the ends of every shire
in all the North they go down to Leeds,
and in the fairest town of Yorkshire
seek the deep and pure well of learning.
In that dim and dreary season it befell
that in Leeds as I sat at the doors
in the morning were come into those high halls
in my company well-nigh five hundred
new clerkes in an eager crowd,
that would learn old languages, I guess,
of France or England or Spain or Russia,
the hard tongues of High Germany and Prussia,
or history, or quaint terms of law;
yet there was but little Latin in their bellies,
and there were, alas, even fewer bold men
that thought to wrestle with the tongue of Greece,
or make their heads ache with ethics,
and with melancholy philosophy.
But yonder was a crowd so tightly packed
that I could hardly count those young clerks
that would learn how here in deep vessels
with strange smell men seethe and steep hides,
and weave wool in soft and fair webs;
and burn coal without polluting the air;
and a great crowd sought mathematics,
and fragrant chemistry and sly physics,
and many a strange science by the way,
of flowers, fish, and old stones.
The many voices there made such a din,
the hot air shook, and many a pin
unheard there fell upon those wide floors,
until one cried shrilly beside my ear
of fees and of examination,
and asked of matriculation,
and whether I had by God’s full fair grace
by chance happened to pass it.
Though I had more than thrice ten skills (lit. masters)
and the wisdom of a heap of learned men
that were knowledgable and curious for learning,
yet I had no command, no more than a mouse has,
of such book-language, nor did I know what he meant;
and swiftly men sent me from the halls
to stay a whole year outside the gate
and complain of my unkind fate;
to dwell outside the gates for a whole year,
not daring to drink from that clear well.
N.N.
2-е стихотворение — во вложении!