No wonder is thogh that I swelte and swete;
I moorne as dooth a lamb after the tete.
Ywis, lemman, I have swich love-longynge
That lik a turtel trewe is my moornynge.
– Geoffrey Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales, The Miller’s Tale. Calling up to Alison’s window, Absolon compares himself to animals when speaking about his lovesickness. He is mourning like a turtle dove, or a lamb hungering for the tit, making himself sound rather foolish and more like a parody of himself.