12 THE SHAKESPEARE GARDEN 



flowers push their way through the sweet grass! 

 Like the birds, the poets broke out into rapturous 

 song, as, for instance, in Richard Cceur de Lion: 



Merry is in the time of May, 

 Whenne f owlis synge in her lay ; 

 Flowers on appyl trees and perye ; 1 

 Small fowlis 2 synge merye ; 

 Ladyes strew their bowers 

 With red roses and lily flowers; 

 Great joy is in grove and lake. 



In Chaucer's "Franklyn's Tale" Dorigen goes 

 into her garden to try to divert herself in the absence 

 of her husband : 



And this was on the sixte morne of May, 

 Which May had painted with his softe shoures. 

 This gardeyn full of leves and of flowers : 

 And craft of mannes hand so curiously 

 Arrayed had this gardeyn of such pris, 

 As if it were the verray paradis. 



In the "Roman de Berte" Charles Martel dines in 

 the garden, when the rose is in bloom que la rose 

 est fleurie and in "La Mort de Garin" a big dinner- 

 party is given in the garden. Naturally the garden 

 was the place of all places for lovers. In "Blonde 

 of Oxford" Blonde and Jean meet in the garden 

 under a blossoming pear-tree, silvery in the blue 



'Pear. 

 3 Birds. 



