"that courtesy rewards no deed
if all be true that thou dost say;
our life not two years didst thou lead
nor learned to please god, nor to pray,
no paternoster knew nor creed,
and made a queen on the first day!
i may not think, so god me speed!
that god from right would swerve away;
as a countess, damsel, by my fay!
to live in heaven were a fair boon,
or like a lady of less array,
but a queen! ah, no! it is too soon."
"with him there is no soon nor late,"
replied to me that worthy wight;
"true always is his high mandate;
he doth no evil, day nor night.
hear matthew in the mass narrate,
in the gospel of the god of might,
his parable portrays the state
of the kingdom of heaven, clear as light:
'my servants,' saith he, 'i requite
as a lord who will his vineyard prune;
the season of the year is right,
and labourers must be hired soon.'"
"right soon the hirelings all may see
how the master with the dawn arose;
to hire his labourers forth went he,
and workmen stout and strong he chose.
for a penny a day they all agree,
even as the master doth propose,
they toil and travail lustily,
prune, bind, and with a ditch enclose.
then to the market-place he goes,
and finds men idle at high noon:
'how can a man stand here who knows
the vineyards should be tilled so soon?'"
"'soon as day dawned we hither won,
and no man hath our labour sought;
we have been standing since rose the sun
and no one bids us to do aught.'
'enter my vineyard every one,'
the master answered quick as thought:
'the work that each by night has done
i will truly pay, withholding naught.'
among the vines they went and wrought,
while morning, noon and afternoon,
more labourers the master brought,
until the night must gather soon."
"soon fell the time of evensong.
an hour before the sun was set,
he saw more idlers, young and strong;
his voice was sober with regret:
'why stand ye idle all day long?'
'no man,' they said, 'hath hired us yet.'
'go to my vineyard, fear no wrong;
each man an honest wage shall get.'
the day grew dark and darker yet,
"before the rising of the moon;
the master who would pay his debt,
bade summon all the hirelings soon."
