Ne findes none yow to defend,
Yowr lose ben lorn withouten end.
The lady said, sho wald be dede:
"Der Lunet, what es thi rede?
Wirk i wil by thi kounsail,
For i ne wate noght what mai avail.”
Madame, sho said, i wald ful fayn
Kownsail yow if it might gayn,
Bot in this case it war mystere
To have a wiser kownsayler:
And by desait than gan sho say,
Madame, per chance, this ilk day,
Sum of yowr knightes mai cum hame,
And yow defend of al this shame.
A, sho said, Lunet, lat be!
Speke na mor of my menyè,
For wele i wate, so god me mend,
I have na knight me mai defend;
Tharfor my kownsail bus the be,
And i wil wirk al efter the;
And tharfor help at al thi myght.
Madame, sho said, had we that knyght,
That es so curtais and avenant,
And has slane the grete geant,
And als that the thre knightes slogh,
Of him ye myght be trist inogh;
Bot forthermar, madame, i wate
He and his lady er at debate,
And has bene so ful many day,
And als i herd hym-selvyn say,
He wald bileve with no lady,
Bot on this kownand utterly,
That thai wald mak sertayn ath
To do thair might and kunyng bath,
Trewly both by day and naght,
To make him and hys lady saght,
The lady answered sone hir tyll,
That wil i do with ful gode will;
Unto the her mi trowth i plight,
That i sal tharto do mi might.
Sho said, Madame, be ye noght wrath,
I most nedes have of yow an ath,
So that i mai be sertayn.
The lady said, That will i fayn.
Lunet than riche relikes toke,
The chalis and the mes boke,
On knese the lady down hir set,
Wit ye wele than liked Lunet:
Thai spak na word to na man born,
Of al the folk thai fand byforn.
Als sone so the lady herd sayn.
Hir damisel was cumen ogayn,
And als the liown and the knight,
Than in hert shò was ful lyght;
Scho covait ever of al thing
Of him to have knawageing.
Sir Ywain sone on knese him set,
When he with the lady met.
Lunet said to the lady sone,
Take up the knight, Madame, have done,
And, als convenand betwixt us was,
Makes his pese fast or he pas.
And what man so wil mercy crave,
By goddes law he sal it have.
Than sho asented saghteling to mak,
And sone in arms he gan hir tak,
And kissed hir ful oft sith,
Was he never ar so blith.
Now has sir Ywain ending made
Of al the sorows that he hade;
Ful lely lufed he ever hys whyfe,
And sho him als hyr owin life;
That lasted to thair lives ende;
And trew Lunet, the maiden hende,
Was honord ever wit ald and ying,
And lifed at hir owin likyng.
Of alkins thing sho has maystri,
Next the lord and the lady;
Al honord hir in tour and toun.
Thus the knyght with the liown
Es turned now to syr Ywayn,
And has his lordship al ogayn;
And so sir Ywain and his wive
In joy and blis thai led thair live;
So did Lunet, and the liown,
Until that ded haves dreven tham down:
Of tham ha mar have i herd tell,
Nowther in rumance, ne in spell.
Bot Jhesu Criste, for his grete grace,
In hevyn blis grante us a place
To bide in, if his wills be.
Amen, amen, pur charité.
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