Geoffrey Chaucer, The Man Of Law's Prologue (A Minimalist Translation) Poem by Forrest Hainline

Geoffrey Chaucer, The Man of Law's Prologue (A Minimalist Translation)

O hateful harm, condition of poverty!
100 With thirst, with cold, with hunger so confounded!
To ask help thou shamed in thy heart;
If thou none ask, with need art thou so wounded
That very need unwrapped all thy wounds hid!
Despite thy heed, thou must for indigence
105 Or steal, or beg, or borrow thy expense!
Thou blamest Christ and sayest full bitterly
He misdeparted riches temporal;
Thy neighbor thou blamest sinfully,
And sayest thou hast too lite and he hath all.
110 "Par faith, " sayest thou, "sometime he reckon shall,
When that his tail shall burn in the glede,
For he not helpeth needful in their need."
Hearken what is the sentence of the wise:
"Better to die than have indigence";
115 "Thy self neighbor will thee despise."
If thou be poor, farewell thy reverence!
Yet of the wise man take this sentence:
"All the days of poor men be wicked."
Beware, therefore, er thou come to that prick!
120 If thou be poor, thy brother hates thee,
And all thy friends flee from thee, alas!
O rich merchants, full of weal be yee,
O noble, o prudent folk, as in this case!
Your bags be not filled with ambsace,
125 But with six cinque, that runneth for your chance;
At Christmas merry may you dance!
You seek land and sea for your winnings;
As wise folk you know all the estate
Of reign; you be fathers of tidings
130 And tales, both of peace and of debate.
I were right now of tales desolate,
Nere that a merchant, gone is many a year,
Me taught a tale, which that you shall hear