Chaucer's Works-The Canterbury Tales Part 12

Som wikke aspect or disposicioun Of Saturne, by sum constellacioun, (230) Hath yeven us this, al-though we hadde it sworn; So stood the heven whan that we were born; 1090 We moste endure it: this is the short and pleyn.'

1036. Hl. on hire. 1039. E. Hl. fyner; Cm. fynere; Hn. Cp. Pt.

fairer. 1042. E. slogardrie; _rest_ slogardye (sloggardye, sluggardie). 1049. E. Hn. Cm. Cp. broyded; Pt. breided; Ln. Hl.

browded. 1054. Ln. sotil; Cp. sotyl; E. Hn. Cm. subtil; Pt. subtile; Hl. certeyn. 1055. Hl. Pt. heuenly; Cm. heueneliche; E. Hn. Cp. Ln.

heuenysshly. 1063. E. And this Palamon. 1065. Hl. Cp. Pt. on; _rest_ an. 1091. _Only_ E. _om._ it.

This Palamon answerde, and seyde ageyn, 'Cosyn, for sothe, of this opinioun Thou hast a veyn imaginacioun.

This prison caused me nat for to crye. 1095 But I was hurt right now thurgh-out myn ye In-to myn herte, that wol my bane be.

The fairnesse of that lady that I see (240) Yond in the gardin romen to and fro, Is cause of al my crying and my wo. 1100 I noot wher she be womman or G.o.ddesse; [33: T. 1104-1139.]

But Venus is it, soothly, as I gesse.'

And ther-with-al on knees doun he fil, And seyde: 'Venus, if it be thy wil Yow in this gardin thus to transfigure 1105 Bifore me, sorweful wrecche creature, Out of this prisoun help that we may scapen.

And if so be my destinee be shapen (250) By eterne word to dyen in prisoun, Of our linage have som compa.s.sioun, 1110 That is so lowe y-broght by tirannye.'

And with that word Arcite gan espye Wher-as this lady romed to and fro.

And with that sighte hir beautee hurte him so, That, if that Palamon was wounded sore, 1115 Arcite is hurt as muche as he, or more.

And with a sigh he seyde pitously: 'The fresshe beautee sleeth me sodeynly (260) Of hir that rometh in the yonder place; And, but I have hir mercy and hir grace, 1120 That I may seen hir atte leeste weye, I nam but deed; ther nis namore to seye.'

1096. Cm. Pt. ye; Hn. Iye; Cp. Hl. yhe; E. eye. 1101. Cm. wheer; Hl.

wheur. 1103. Hl. Cp. a doun. 1115. E. _wrongly om._ was. 1116.

Hn. muche; E. moche. 1122. E. is; _rest_ nys.

This Palamon, whan he tho wordes herde, Dispitously he loked, and answerde: 'Whether seistow this in ernest or in pley?' 1125

1125 E. Wheither.

'Nay,' quod Arcite, 'in ernest, by my fey!

G.o.d help me so, me list ful yvele pleye.'

This Palamon gan knitte his browes tweye: (270) 'It nere,' quod he, 'to thee no greet honour For to be fals, ne for to be traytour 1130 To me, that am thy cosin and thy brother Y-sworn ful depe, and ech of us til other, That never, for to dyen in the peyne, Til that the deeth departe shal us tweyne, Neither of us in love to hindren other, 1135 Ne in non other cas, my leve brother; But that thou sholdest trewely forthren me [34: T. 1140-1174.]

In every cas, and I shal forthren thee. (280) This was thyn ooth, and myn also, certeyn; I wot right wel, thou darst it nat withseyn. 1140 Thus artow of my counseil, out of doute.

And now thou woldest falsly been aboute To love my lady, whom I love and serve, And ever shal, til that myn herte sterve.

Now certes, fals Arcite, thou shalt nat so. 1145 I loved hir first, and tolde thee my wo As to my counseil, and my brother sworn To forthre me, as I have told biforn. (290) For which thou art y-bounden as a knight To helpen me, if it lay in thy might, 1150 Or elles artow fals, I dar wel seyn.'

1132. til] Cm. Pt. Ln. Hl. to. 1134. E. Ln. Hl. _om._ the. 1135. E.

hyndre; Cm. hynderyn. 1138. E. as; _rest_ and. 1141, 1151. E. Hn.

artow; _rest_ art thou. 1145. E. Nay; _rest_ Now. 1147. E. Cm. and to my.

This Arcite ful proudly spak ageyn, 'Thou shalt,' quod he, 'be rather fals than I; But thou art fals, I telle thee utterly; For _par amour_ I loved hir first er thow. 1155 What wiltow seyn? thou wistest nat yet now Whether she be a womman or G.o.ddesse!

Thyn is affeccioun of holinesse, (300) And myn is love, as to a creature; For which I tolde thee myn aventure 1160 As to my cosin, and my brother sworn.

I pose, that thou lovedest hir biforn; Wostow nat wel the olde clerkes sawe, That 'who shal yeve a lover any lawe?'

Love is a gretter lawe, by my pan, 1165 Than may be yeve to any erthly man.

And therefore positif lawe and swich decree Is broke al-day for love, in ech degree. (310) A man moot nedes love, maugree his heed.

He may nat fleen it, thogh he sholde be deed, 1170 Al be she mayde, or widwe, or elles wyf.

And eek it is nat lykly, al thy lyf, [35: T. 1175-1210.]

To stonden in hir grace; namore shal I; For wel thou woost thy-selven, verraily, That thou and I be dampned to prisoun 1175 Perpetuelly; us gayneth no raunsoun.

We stryve as dide the houndes for the boon, They foughte al day, and yet hir part was noon; (320) Ther cam a kyte, whyl that they were wrothe, And bar awey the boon bitwixe hem bothe. 1180 And therfore, at the kinges court, my brother, Ech man for him-self, ther is non other.

Love if thee list; for I love and ay shal; And soothly, leve brother, this is al.

Here in this prisoun mote we endure, 1185 And everich of us take his aventure.'

1154. E. Hn. And; _rest_ But. Hl. Cm. uttirly; Cp. Pt. Ln. witterly; E.

Hn. outrely. 1156. Cp. Pt. wilt thou; Hl. wolt thou. 1157. E.

Wheither. 1163. Cm. Wist thou; Hl. Ln. Wost thou; Pt. Woost thow.

1166. E. of; _rest_ to. 1167. Hl. _om._ And. 1168. L. Cm. broken.

1170. Hn. Cp. Pt. fleen; E. Hl. flee. 1177. Hn. Cm. Hl. stryue; _rest_ stryuen. 1179. E. _om._ that. _All but_ Cm. Hl. _ins._ so _after_ were.

Greet was the stryf and long bitwixe hem tweye, If that I hadde leyser for to seye; (330) But to theffect. It happed on a day, (To telle it yow as shortly as I may) 1190 A worthy duk that highte Perotheus, That felawe was un-to duk Theseus Sin thilke day that they were children lyte, Was come to Athenes, his felawe to visyte, And for to pleye, as he was wont to do, 1195 For in this world he loved no man so: And he loved him as tendrely ageyn.

So wel they loved, as olde bokes seyn, (340) That whan that oon was deed, sothly to telle, His felawe wente and soghte him doun in h.e.l.le; 1200 But of that story list me nat to wryte.

Duk Perotheus loved wel Arcite, And hadde him knowe at Thebes yeer by yere; And fynally, at requeste and preyere Of Perotheus, with-oute any raunsoun, 1205 Duk Theseus him leet out of prisoun, Freely to goon, wher that him liste over-al, In swich a gyse, as I you tellen shal. (350) [36: T. 1211-1247.]

This was the forward, pleynly for tendyte, Bitwixen Theseus and him Arcite: 1210 That if so were, that Arcite were y-founde Ever in his lyf, by day or night or stounde In any contree of this Theseus, And he were caught, it was acorded thus, That with a swerd he sholde lese his heed; 1215 Ther nas non other remedye ne reed, But taketh his leve, and homward he him spedde; Let him be war, his nekke lyth to wedde! (360)

1192. E. to; Hl. to the; _rest_ un-to. 1195. E. won; Cm. wone; _rest_ wont. 1197. E. Cp. als; Hn. Cm. Hl. as. 1198. E. louede. 1200.

Hn. soghte; E. soughte. 1205. Hl. Cp. Pt. with-oute; _rest_ with-outen. 1217. Hl. (_alone_) took.

How greet a sorwe suffreth now Arcite!

The deeth he feleth thurgh his herte smyte; 1220 He wepeth, wayleth, cryeth pitously; To sleen him-self he wayteth prively.

He seyde, 'Allas that day that I was born!

Now is my prison worse than biforn; Now is me shape eternally to dwelle 1225 Noght in purgatorie, but in h.e.l.le.

Allas! that ever knew I Perotheus!

For elles hadde I dwelled with Theseus (370) Y-fetered in his prisoun ever-mo.

Than hadde I been in blisse, and nat in wo. 1230 Only the sighte of hir, whom that I serve, Though that I never hir grace may deserve, Wolde han suffised right y-nough for me.

O dere cosin Palamon,' quod he, 'Thyn is the victorie of this aventure, 1235 Ful blisfully in prison maistow dure; In prison? certes nay, but in paradys!

Wel hath fortune y-turned thee the dys, (380) That hast the sighte of hir, and I thabsence.

For possible is, sin thou hast hir presence, 1240 And art a knight, a worthy and an able, That by som cas, sin fortune is chaungeable, Thou mayst to thy desyr som-tyme atteyne.

But I, that am exyled, and bareyne Of alle grace, and in so greet despeir, 1245 [37: T. 1248-1283.]

That ther nis erthe, water, fyr, ne eir, Ne creature, that of hem maked is, That may me helpe or doon confort in this. (390) Wel oughte I sterve in wanhope and distresse; Farwel my lyf, my l.u.s.t, and my gladnesse! 1250

1223. that (i)] Hn. Hl. the. E. he; _rest_ I. 1226. Hn. Noght; E.

Nat; Cm. Not; _rest_ Nought. E. _ins._ my _after_ in. 1228. Hl.

dweld. 1237. Cp. Pt. Ln. _om._ in. 1242. E. (_alone_) _om._ by.

1248. E. heele; _rest_ helpe.

Allas, why pleynen folk so in commune Of purveyaunce of G.o.d, or of fortune, That yeveth hem ful ofte in many a gyse Wel bettre than they can hem-self devyse?

Som man desyreth for to han richesse, 1255 That cause is of his mordre or greet siknesse.

And som man wolde out of his prison fayn, That in his hous is of his meynee slayn. (400) Infinite harmes been in this matere; We witen nat what thing we preyen here. 1260 We faren as he that dronke is as a mous; A dronke man wot wel he hath an hous, But he noot which the righte wey is thider; And to a dronke man the wey is slider.

And certes, in this world so faren we; 1265 We seken faste after felicitee, But we goon wrong ful often, trewely.

Thus may we seyen alle, and namely I, (410) That wende and hadde a greet opinioun, That, if I mighte escapen from prisoun, 1270 Than hadde I been in Ioye and perfit hele, Ther now I am exyled fro my wele.

Sin that I may nat seen yow, Emelye, I nam but deed; ther nis no remedye.'

1256. Cp. Ln. mordre; E. Hn. moerdre; Cm. Pt: mordere; Hl. morthre.

1260. E. (_alone_) _om._ thing. 1262. E. Cm. wel that he. 1268. Hl.

seyen; E. Hn. Cm. Cp. seyn. 1272. Ther] E. That.

Up-on that other syde Palamon, 1275 Whan that he wiste Arcite was agon, Swich sorwe he maketh, that the grete tour Resouneth of his youling and clamour. (420) The pure fettres on his s.h.i.+nes grete Weren of his bittre salte teres wete. 1280 'Allas!' quod he, 'Arcita, cosin myn, [38: T. 1284-1317.]

Of al our stryf, G.o.d woot, the fruyt is thyn.

Thow walkest now in Thebes at thy large, And of my wo thou yevest litel charge.

Thou mayst, sin thou hast wisdom and manhede, 1285 a.s.semblen alle the folk of our kinrede, And make a werre so sharp on this citee, That by som aventure, or som tretee, (430) Thou mayst have hir to lady and to wyf, For whom that I mot nedes lese my lyf. 1290 For, as by wey of possibilitee, Sith thou art at thy large, of prison free, And art a lord, greet is thyn avauntage, More than is myn, that sterve here in a cage.

For I mot wepe and wayle, whyl I live, 1295 With al the wo that prison may me yive, And eek with peyne that love me yiveth also, That doubleth al my torment and my wo.' (440) Ther-with the fyr of Ielousye up-sterte With-inne his brest, and hente him by the herte 1300 So woodly, that he lyk was to biholde The box-tree, or the a.s.shen dede and colde.

Tho seyde he; 'O cruel G.o.ddes, that governe This world with binding of your word eterne, And wryten in the table of athamaunt 1305 Your parlement, and your eterne graunt, What is mankinde more un-to yow holde Than is the sheep, that rouketh in the folde? (450) For slayn is man right as another beste, And dwelleth eek in prison and areste, 1310 And hath siknesse, and greet adversitee, And ofte tymes giltelees, pardee!

1278. E. Resouned; _rest_ Resouneth. Cp. Hl. yollyng; Pt. Ln.