In the original manuscript, the reading is difficult enough that coherency is less feasible. Without changing the meter at all, the replacement in cases such as that can smoothly be made. This helpful spelling should not be taken too far, however. In Middle English, that letter is not always silent. The drought of March hath pierc d to the root.
Further translations go even further to lose the lyrical feel of the original.
A modern translation by David Wright has the alliterative feel of the original, but none of the rhyming which lends smoothness to the lines. Another by Neville Coghill attempts to preserve the rhyme scheme. This is perhaps the worst of all, because it loses the richness of the language, the alliteration of sounds, and frustratingly changes the length of lines, which lends a choppy feel to the poem from the start. And pierce the drought of March to the root, and all. This is a collection of most of the above arguments compiled into one translation that comes out sounding like mediocre modern poetry.