“Which as me thought was right a pleasing sight,
      And eke the briddes song for to here,
      Would haue rejoyced any earthly wight,
      And I that couth not yet in no manere
      Heare the nightingale of all the yeare,
      Ful busily herkened with herte and with eare,
      If I her voice perceiue coud any where.

      And I that all this pleasaunt sight sie,
      Thought sodainly I felt so sweet an aire
      Of the eglentere, that certainely
      There is no herte I deme in such dispaire,
      Ne with thoughts froward and contraire,
      So ouerlaid, but it should soone haue bote,
      If it had ones felt this savour sote.

      And as I stood and cast aside mine eie,
      I was ware of the fairest medler tree
      That ever yet in all my life I sie
      As full of blossomes as it might be,
      Therein a goldfinch leaping pretile
      Fro bough to bough, and as him list he eet
      Here and there of buds and floures sweet.

      And to the herber side was joyning
      This faire tree, of which I haue you told,
      And at the last the brid began to sing,
      Whan he had eaten what he eat wold,
      So passing sweetly, that by manifold
      It was more pleasaunt than I coud deuise,
      And whan his song was ended in this wise,

      The nightingale with so merry a note
      Answered him, that all the wood rong
      So sodainly, that as it were a sote,
      I stood astonied, so was I with the song
      Thorow rauished, that till late and long,
      I ne wist in what place I was, ne where,
      And ayen me thought she song euen by mine ere.

      Wherefore I waited about busily
      On euery side, if I her might see,
      And at the last I gan full well aspie
      Where she sat in a fresh grene laurer tree,
      On the further side euen right by me,
      That gaue so passing a delicious smell,
      According to the eglentere full well.

      Whereof I had so inly great pleasure,
      That as me thought I surely rauished was
      Into Paradice, where my desire
      Was for to be, and no ferther passe
      As for that day, and on the sote grasse,
      I sat me downe, for as for mine entent,
      The birds song was more conuenient,

      And more pleasaunt to me by manifold,
      Than meat or drinke, or any other thing,
      Thereto the herber was so fresh and cold,
      The wholesome sauours eke so comforting,
      That as I demed, sith the beginning
      Of the world was neur seene or than
      So pleasaunt a ground of none earthly man.

      And as I sat the birds harkening thus,
      Me thought that I heard voices sodainly,
      The most sweetest and most delicious
      That euer any wight I trow truly
      Heard in their life, for the armony
      And sweet accord was in so good musike,
      That the uoice to angels was most like.”