| | But I that am exiled and bareyne | |
| | Of alle grace and so in gret despeir | |
| | That ther nys water erthe fyre ne eir | |
| | Ne creature that of hem made is | |
| 390 | That may me helpe or comfort do I wis | |
| | Wel oughte I sterue in wanhope and distres | |
| | Far wel my lif my lust and my gladnes | |
| | Allas why playnen men so in comune | |
| | Of purneaunce of god or of fortune | |
| 395 | That yeueth hem ofte in meny wyse | |
| | Wel better than hem self can deuyse | |
| | Som men desire to haue rychesse | |
| | That cause is of murdre or gret siknesse | |
| | And som man wolde out of his prison feyn | |
| 400 | That in his hous of his meyne is sleyn | |
| | Infynyt harmes be in this matere | |
| | We woot not what thing we praye here | |
| | We faren as he that dronke is as a mous | |
| | A dronken man wot wel he hath an hous | |
| 405 | But he woot not whiche is the righte wey thider | |
| | To a dronkyn man the wey is slidir | |
| | And certis in this worlde so fare we | |
| | We sekyn faste aftir felicite | |
| | But we go wrong ful ofte sikirly | |
| 410 | Thus may we say alle and namely I | |
| | That wente haue had a gret oppinion | |
| | That and I myghte scape out of prison | |
| | Than hadde I be in Ioye and in parfyt hele | |
| | Ther now I am exiled fro myn hele | |
