Tels rit au main qui au soir pleure
Et tels cuide qu'Amours labeure
Pour son bien, qu'elle li court seure
Et ma l'atourne;
Et tels cuide que joie aqueure
Pour li aidier, qu'elle demeure.
Car Fortune tout ce deveure,
Quant elle tourne,
Qui n'atent mie qu'il adjourne
Pour tourner; qu'elle ne sejourne,
Eins tourne, retourne et bestourne,
Tant qu'au desseur
Mest celui qui gist mas en l'ourne;
Le sormonté au bas retourne,
Et le plus joieus mat et mourne
Fait en po d'eure.
Car elle n'est ferme n'estable,
Juste, loyal, ne veritable;
Quant on la cuide charitable,
Elle est avere,
Dure, diverse, espouentable,
Traitre, poignant, decevable;
Et quant on la cuide amiable,
Lors est amere.
Car ja soit ce qu'amie appere, [bad word] miel, [bad word] mere,
La pointure d'une vipere
Qu'est incurable
En riens a li ne [bad word] 
Car elle traïroit son pere
Et mettroit d'onneur en misere
Deraisonnable.
Fortune est par dessus les drois;
Ses estatus fait et ses lois
Seur empereurs, papes et rois,
Que nuls debat
N'i porroit mettre de ces trois
Tant fus fiers, orguilleus ou rois,
Car Fortune tous leurs desrois
Freint et abat.
Bien est voirs qu'elle se debat
Pour eaus avancier, [bad word] 
Et leur preste honneur et estat
Ne sai quens mois.
Mais partout ou elle s'embat,
De ses gieus telement s'esbat
Qu'en veinquant dit: "Eschac et mat"
De fiere vois.
Einsi m'a fait, ce m'est avis,
Fortune que ci vous devis.
Car je soloie estre assevis
De toute joie,
Or m'a d'un seul tour si bas mis
Qu'en grief plour est mué mon ris,
Et que tous li biens est remis
Qu'avoir soloie.
Car la bele ou mes cuers s'ottroie,
Que tant aim que plus ne porroie,
Maintenant vëoir n'oseroie
En mi le vis.
Et se desir tant que la voie
Que mes dolens cuers s'en desvoie,
Pour ce ne say que faire doie,
Tant sui despris.

He laughs in the morning who weeps in the evening,
And he believes Love works
For his benefit while she is attacking him
And doing him wrong;
And he thinks Joy is hastening
To help him, while she lags behind.
Fortune does all this harm
As she turns her wheel,
And she doesn't wail for daybreak
To turn it; she doesn't stop,
But turns, turns again, turns it upside down,
Until she brings to the top
He who was lying Hat in the gutter;
He who was exalted she brings down low,
And makes the happiest man sad and gloomy
In no time at all.
For she's not fixed or stable,
Just, loyal, or [bad word] 
When you think she's charitable
She's stingy,
Hard, fickle, frightening,
Traitorous, biting, deceptive;
And when you think she's amiable,
Then she's bitter.
For even though she appears a friend
Sweet as honey, [bad word] as a mother,
The viper's bite
Which is incurable
Is [bad word] to her,
Because she'd betray her own father
And cast him from a place of honor
Into unspeakable misery.
Fortune is above rights;
She makes her own statutes and laws
Over emperors, popes, and kings.
And no opposition
Can these three present.
No matter how bold, proud, or firm they are,
Because Fortune breaks and overthrows
All their resistance.
It's [bad word] enough that she strives
And [bad word] to elevate them.
And lends them honor and status
For I don't know how many months.
But everywhere she wanders
She gets much pleasure from her tricks
That in victory she exclaims "Checkmate!"
In a proud voice.
Fortune has treated me, I believe.
Just as I've told you here;
For once I abounded in
Every sort of joy,
But now with a single twist she's brought me so low
That my laughter has turned to bitter tears
And all the good I had
Is left behind.
For with respect to