I am now take and stand under danger  
Hold straight that I may not flee  
A dew my song and all my notes clear  
Now that I have lost my liberty  
Now I am thrall where sometime I was free  
And trust well while I am in distress  
I can not sing nor make no gladness   

And though my cage forged were of gold  
And the pinnacles of berell and crystal  
I remember a proverb said of old  
Who loseth his freedom forsooth he loseth all  
For I had liefer upon a branch small  
Merrily to sing among the woods green  
Than in a cage of silver bright and sheen   

Song in prison hath none acordance  
Trowst thou I will sing in prison  
Song proceedeth of joy and of pleasance  
And prison causeth death and destruction  
ringing of feters is no merry sown  
Or how should he be glad or jocund  
Again his will that lieth in chains bond   

What availeth it a lion to be a king  
Of beasts all shut in a tour of stone  
Or an eagle under strait keeping  
Called also king of fowls everyone  
Fie on lordship when liberty is gone  
Answer hereto let it not asterte  
Who singeth merrily that singeth not at heart   

And if thou wilt rejoice of my singing  
Late me go flee fer from all danger  
And every day in the morning  
I shall repair unto thy lawrer  
And freshly sing with lusty notes clear  
Under thy chamber or a fore thine hall  
Every season when thou list me call   

To be shut up and pinned under dread  
No thing accordeth unto my nature  
Though I were fed with milk & wastel breed  
And with cruds brought to my pasture  
Yet had I liefer to do my busy cure  
early on morrow to scrape in the vale  
To find my dinner among the worms small   

The third is 〈…〉  
forget hit not 〈…〉  
For treasure lost 〈…〉  
Which in no wise 〈…〉  
For who sorroweth 〈…〉  
reckon first his loss 〈…〉  
Of one sorrow he 〈…〉   

After this lesson the bird 〈…〉  
Of her escape greatly 〈…〉  
And remembered her also 〈…〉  
Doon by the chorle first a● her 〈◊〉  
Of her affray and of her 〈◊〉  
Glad that she was at larg● 〈◊〉  
Said to him hooving above his 〈◊〉   

Thou were said she a veray naturel foo●  
To suffer me depart of thy lewdness  
Thou oughtest of right complain & make 〈◊〉  
And in thine heart to have great heaviness  
That thou hast lost so passing great riches  
Which might suffice by value in reckoning  
To pay the ransom of a mighty king   

 
〈…〉 entraylle  
〈…〉 ounce  
〈…〉 ●arnettis of entaylle  
〈…〉 in battle  
〈…〉 him this stone  
〈…〉 his mortal soon   

〈…〉 possession  
〈…〉 none in digence  
〈…〉 plente and foison  
〈…〉 do him reverence  
〈…〉 do him none offence  
〈…〉 now that I am gone  
〈…〉 thou ●●●●t/ for thy part is noon   

〈…〉 love it maketh men gracious  
〈…〉 favourable in every man's sight  
〈…〉 maketh accord between folk envious  
comforteth sorrowful/ maketh heavy hearts light  
Like to passion of colour sonnyssh bright  
I am a fool to tell all cettones  
Or teach a chorle the pris of precious stones