From "Parlement of Foules", 1382 (in Modern English: The Parliament of Fowls) by Geoffrey Chaucer (b. ca. 1340, d. 1400-10-25) lines 302-315:
And in a launde, upon an hille of floures,
Was set this noble goddesse Nature;
Of braunches were hir halles and hir boures,
Y-wrought after hir craft and hir mesure;
Ne ther nas foul that cometh of engendrure,
That they ne were prest in hir presence,
To take hir doom and yeve hir audience.
For this was on Seynt Valentynes day,
Whan every foul cometh ther to chese his make,
Of every kinde, that men thynke may;
And that so huge a noyse gan they make,
That erthe and see, and tree, and every lake
So ful was, that unnethe was ther space
For me to stonde, so ful was al the place.
The same section in a Modern English translation/retelling by Richard Scott-Robinson:
In an open space, high upon a hill covered in flowers, the noble goddess Nature was sitting. Her halls and chambers were the branches and boughs of trees, made according to her design and her measure, and there was not a single bird born of a mother that was not sitting attentively before her, to hear what she had to say and to receive its fortune, for this was Saint Valentine's Day and every bird was there to choose its mate.
Every sort of bird imaginable was present. They made such a noise and were so crowded together - on every tree, and land and sea, and on every lake - that there was scarcely room for me to stand anywhere at all.
The same section again, in a line-by-line translation (2007) by A. S. Kline:
And in a clearing on a hill of flowers
Was set this noble goddess, Nature;
Of branches were her halls and her bowers
Wrought according to her art and measure;
Nor was there any fowl she does engender
That was not seen there in her presence,
To hear her judgement, and give audience.
For this was on Saint Valentine's day,
When every fowl comes there his mate to take,
Of every species that men know, I say,
And then so huge a crowd did they make,
That earth and sea, and tree, and every lake
Was so full, that there was scarcely space
For me to stand, so full was all the place.
[On Wikipedia's page about Chaucer, it mentions, "The first recorded association of Valentine's Day with romantic love is believed to be in Chaucer's Parliament of Fowls." I wish everyone celebrating the holiday a lovely St. Valentine's Day, I wish everyone for whom the day is painful as easy a day as it can be for you (and those around you giving plenty of space for self-care), and I wish everyone else a pleasant Monday and patience in putting up with the rest of us.]
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