Classic Poem

When Nature heard the barons swear their oath,
A great alleviation of the grief
That weighed her down she felt within her heart;
And yet to be deceived she feared, and said:
" Alas! What have I done! I do repent
Of nothing that has happened soon or late
Except one deed committed long ago
When this fair world was young. In that I erred
Most miserably, and for that one act
I call myself a fool. When I regard
My foolishness, it seems to me but right
That I should make repentance for my sin.
Unhappy wretch! Most miserable dunce!
One hundred times unfortunate mischance!
Where can good faith be found? How well have I
Employed my pains! I certainly must be
Devoid of wit, who, to deserve their grace,
Have always taken care to serve my friends;
And yet my efforts turn out finally
To aid my enemies. By kindness I'm misled. "
Then Nature went to parley with the priest
Who in her chapel celebrated mass —
The same liturgics that he had performed
Since first he had been cleric in the church.
Boldly, in place of other rites, the priest
Before the goddess Nature, in accord
With her, recalled in open audience
The figures representative of all
Things mortal, that he'd written in his book
As Nature had delivered them to him.
" Genius, " said she, " my gentle priest, who are
The god and master of this place, and who,
According to their qualities, direct
All creatures in the works to them assigned,
And well perform your task, as to each one
Is needful, of one foolishness I did,
Of which I've never given full account,
Although repentance I've expressed for it,
I now would make confession unto you. "
" My lady, queen of all the world, " he said,
" Before whom all things earthly bow the knee,
If there is anything that gives you grief,
Of which you would repent, or which to speak
Would please you, whatsoe'er the matter is,
Of joy or dolor, well you may confess
To me at leisure and as you desire;
For I'm entirely at your command.
I'll gladly give you what advice I can
And keep the matter secret, if it's such
A thing as is not proper to be told;
And, if you absolution need, I'd not
Withhold it from you. But first dry your tears. "
" Good Genius, that I weep is certainly
No wonder. "
" Ne'ertheless, I counsel you
To cease your crying and consider well
That which you have to say, if you would make
A good confession. Well may I believe
You're moved by some great outrage, for I know
No noble heart would be by trivial thing
So daunted. What fool dares to trouble you?
But it is true that easily inflamed
With ire is woman. Vergil testifies,
And well he knew the female character,
That never any woman was so stanch
As not to be capricious and unfixed —
An easily offended animal.
Solomon says, " There is no head above
The cruel serpent's, and there is no wrath
Above an angry woman's, and no thing
Of such maliciousness" So much of vice
There is in woman that her traits perverse
Cannot be told in meter or in rhyme.
So Titus Livius, who knew the modes
And manners of the female sex, declares
That prayers are less effective to reform
Their customs than are lies and blandishments,
So pliable and foolish are their hearts;
And Scripture also says that all the vice
Of women has its origin in avarice. "