Chaucer's Works-The Canterbury Tales Part 19

Arcite is cold, ther Mars his soule gye; 2815 Now wol I speken forth of Emelye.

2785. E. Hn. Cp. Ialousye. 2789. Cp. Pt. Hl. and; rest _om._ 2799.

For] E. And. feet] E. Hl. Cm. herte. 2801. _All but_ Hl. _ins._ for _before_ in.

Shrighte Emelye, and howleth Palamon, And Theseus his suster took anon (1960) Swowninge, and bar hir fro the corps away.

What helpeth it to tarien forth the day, 2820 To tellen how she weep, bothe eve and morwe?

For in swich cas wommen have swich sorwe, Whan that hir housbonds been from hem ago, That for the more part they sorwen so, Or elles fallen in swich maladye, 2825 That at the laste certeinly they dye.

2819. E. Hn. baar. 2822. Hl. can haue; _rest om._ can. 2823. E.

housbond is.

Infinite been the sorwes and the teres Of olde folk, and folk of tendre yeres, (1970) In al the toun, for deeth of this Theban; For him ther wepeth bothe child and man; 2830 So greet a weping was ther noon, certayn, Whan Ector was y-broght, al fresh y-slayn, To Troye; allas! the pitee that was ther, Cracching of chekes, rending eek of heer.

'Why woldestow be deed,' thise wommen crye, 2835 'And haddest gold y-nough, and Emelye?'

No man mighte gladen Theseus, Savinge his olde fader Egeus, (1980) [81: T. 2841-2876.]

That knew this worldes trans.m.u.tacioun, As he had seyn it chaungen up and doun, 2840 Ioye after wo, and wo after gladnesse: And shewed hem ensamples and lyknesse.

2828. E. eek; _for 2nd_ folk. 2834. E. Hn. Cm. Pt. rentynge. 2840.

Hn. chaungen; Hl. torne; _rest om._

'Right as ther deyed never man,' quod he, 'That he ne livede in erthe in som degree, Right so ther livede never man,' he seyde, 2845 'In al this world, that som tyme he ne deyde.

This world nis but a thurghfare ful of wo, And we ben pilgrimes, pa.s.singe to and fro; (1990) Deeth is an ende of every worldly sore.'

And over al this yet seyde he muchel more 2850 To this effect, ful wysly to enhorte The peple, that they sholde hem reconforte.

2843. Hn. deyed; E. dyed. 2849. E. worldes.

Duk Theseus, with al his bisy cure, Caste now wher that the sepulture Of good Arcite may best y-maked be, 2855 And eek most honurable in his degree.

And at the laste he took conclusioun, That ther as first Arcite and Palamoun (2000) Hadden for love the bataille hem bitwene, That in that selve grove, swote and grene, 2860 Ther as he hadde his amorous desires, His compleynt, and for love his hote fires, He wolde make a fyr, in which thoffice Funeral he mighte al accomplice; And leet comaunde anon to hakke and hewe 2865 The okes olde, and leye hem on a rewe In colpons wel arrayed for to brenne; His officers with swifte feet they renne (2010) And ryde anon at his comaundement.

And after this, Theseus hath y-sent 2870 After a bere, and it al over-spradde With cloth of gold, the richest that he hadde.

And of the same suyte he cladde Arcite; Upon his hondes hadde he gloves whyte; [82: T. 2877-2913.]

Eek on his heed a croune of laurer grene, 2875 And in his hond a swerd ful bright and kene.

He leyde him bare the visage on the bere, Therwith he weep that pitee was to here. (2020) And for the peple sholde seen him alle, Whan it was day, he broghte him to the halle, 2880 That roreth of the crying and the soun.

2854. Hn. Caste; E. Hl. Cast. now] Hl. busyly. 2861. E. amorouse.

2863. E. the office; Hl. thoffice. 2869. E. ryden. 2875. Cp. Pt.

Hl. croune; _rest_ coroune.

Tho cam this woful Theban Palamoun, With flotery berd, and ruggy a.s.shy heres, In clothes blake, y-dropped al with teres; And, pa.s.sing othere of weping, Emelye, 2885 The rewfulleste of al the companye.

In as muche as the service sholde be The more n.o.ble and riche in his degree, (2030) Duk Theseus leet forth three stedes bringe, That trapped were in steel al gliteringe, 2890 And covered with the armes of daun Arcite.

Up-on thise stedes, that weren grete and whyte, Ther seten folk, of which oon bar his sheeld, Another his spere up in his hondes heeld; The thridde bar with him his bowe Turkeys, 2895 Of brend gold was the cas, and eek the harneys; And riden forth a pas with sorweful chere Toward the grove, as ye shul after here. (2040) The n.o.bleste of the Grekes that ther were Upon hir shuldres carieden the bere, 2900 With slakke pas, and eyen rede and wete, Thurgh-out the citee, by the maister-strete, That sprad was al with blak, and wonder hye Right of the same is al the strete y-wrye.

Up-on the right hond wente old Egeus, 2905 And on that other syde duk Theseus, With vessels in hir hand of gold ful fyn, Al ful of hony, milk, and blood, and wyn; (2050) Eek Palamon, with ful greet companye; And after that cam woful Emelye, 2910 With fyr in honde, as was that tyme the gyse, [83: T. 2914-2949.]

To do thoffice of funeral servyse.

2883. E. rugged. 2892. Hl. that weren; _rest om._ 2893. E. Ln.

sitten. 2894. E. _om._ up. 2901. Ln. slake (_for_ slakke); _rest_ slak. 2904. Hl. al; _rest om._ 2912. _So_ Hl. Cp.; _rest_ the office.

Heigh labour, and ful greet apparaillinge Was at the service and the fyr-makinge, That with his grene top the heven raughte, 2915 And twenty fadme of brede the armes straughte; This is to seyn, the bowes were so brode.

Of stree first ther was leyd ful many a lode. (2060) But how the fyr was maked up on highte, And eek the names how the trees highte, 2920 As ook, firre, birch, asp, alder, holm, popler, Wilow, elm, plane, ash, box, chasteyn, lind, laurer, Mapul, thorn, beech, hasel, ew, whippeltree, How they weren feld, shal nat be told for me; Ne how the G.o.ddes ronnen up and doun, 2925 Disherited of hir habitacioun, In which they woneden in reste and pees, Nymphes, Faunes, and Amadrides; (2070) Ne how the bestes and the briddes alle Fledden for fere, whan the wode was falle; 2930 Ne how the ground agast was of the light, That was nat wont to seen the sonne bright; Ne how the fyr was couched first with stree, And than with drye stokkes cloven a three, And than with grene wode and spycerye, 2935 And than with cloth of gold and with perrye, And gerlandes hanging with ful many a flour, The mirre, thencens, with al so greet odour; (2080) Ne how Arcite lay among al this, Ne what richesse aboute his body is; 2940 Ne how that Emelye, as was the gyse, Putte in the fyr of funeral servyse; Ne how she swowned whan men made the fyr, Ne what she spak, ne what was hir desyr; Ne what Ieweles men in the fyr tho caste, 2945 Whan that the fyr was greet and brente faste; Ne how som caste hir sheeld, and som hir spere, [84: T. 2950-2986.]

And of hir vestiments, whiche that they were, (2090) And cuppes ful of wyn, and milk, and blood, Into the fyr, that brente as it were wood; 2950 Ne how the Grekes with an huge route Thryes riden al the fyr aboute Up-on the left hand, with a loud shoutinge, And thryes with hir speres clateringe; And thryes how the ladies gonne crye; 2955 Ne how that lad was hom-ward Emelye; Ne how Arcite is brent to a.s.shen colde; Ne how that liche-wake was y-holde (2100) Al thilke night, ne how the Grekes pleye The wake-pleyes, ne kepe I nat to seye; 2960 Who wrastleth best naked, with oille enoynt, Ne who that bar him best, in no disioynt.

I wol nat tellen eek how that they goon Hoom til Athenes, whan the pley is doon; But shortly to the poynt than wol I wende, 2965 And maken of my longe tale an ende.

2916. Hl. tharme. 2920. how] E. that. 2921. Hn. Hl. popler; _rest_ popelere. 2924. E. fild. 2926. Hl. Disheryt. 2928. E. Cm.

Nymphus. 2934, 5, 6. Pt. Ln. than; _rest_ thanne. 2934. E. Cp.

stokkes; _rest_ stikkes. 2943. E. _om._ the. 2945. Hl. tho; _rest om._ 2952. _So all but_ Hl., _which has_ Thre tymes; _see_ l. 2954.

E. place (_for_ fyr). 2956. E. Hn. And (_for_ Ne). 2958. E. Hn.

lych; _rest_ liche.

By processe and by lengthe of certeyn yeres Al stinted is the moorning and the teres (2110) Of Grekes, by oon general a.s.sent.

Than semed me ther was a parlement 2970 At Athenes, up-on certeyn poynts and cas; Among the whiche poynts y-spoken was To have with certeyn contrees alliaunce, And have fully of Thebans obeisaunce.

For which this n.o.ble Theseus anon 2975 Leet senden after gentil Palamon, Unwist of him what was the cause and why; But in his blake clothes sorwefully (2120) He cam at his comaundement in hye.

Tho sente Theseus for Emelye. 2980 Whan they were set, and hust was al the place, And Theseus abiden hadde a s.p.a.ce Er any word cam from his wyse brest, His eyen sette he ther as was his lest, [85: T. 2987-3020.]

And with a sad visage he syked stille, 2985 And after that right thus he seyde his wille.

'The firste moevere of the cause above, Whan he first made the faire cheyne of love, (2130) Greet was theffect, and heigh was his entente; Wel wiste he why, and what ther-of he mente; 2990 For with that faire cheyne of love he bond The fyr, the eyr, the water, and the lond In certeyn boundes, that they may nat flee; That same prince and that moevere,' quod he, 'Hath stablissed, in this wrecched world adoun, 2995 Certeyne dayes and duracioun To al that is engendred in this place, Over the whiche day they may nat pace, (2140) Al mowe they yet tho dayes wel abregge; Ther needeth non auctoritee allegge, 3000 For it is preved by experience, But that me list declaren my sentence.

Than may men by this ordre wel discerne, That thilke moevere stable is and eterne.

Wel may men knowe, but it be a fool, 3005 That every part deryveth from his hool.

For nature hath nat take his beginning Of no partye ne cantel of a thing, (2150) But of a thing that parfit is and stable, Descending so, til it be corrumpable. 3010 And therfore, of his wyse purveyaunce, He hath so wel biset his ordinaunce, That speces of thinges and progressiouns Shullen enduren by successiouns, And nat eterne be, with-oute lye: 3015 This maistow understonde and seen at eye.

2994. Hn. Ln. that; _rest_ (_except_ Hl.) that same. Hl. and moeuere eek. 2995. Hl. Ln. stabled. 2997. Hl. alle that er; Cp. alle that beth. 3000. E. Cp. _ins._ noght _bef._ noon. Hl. tallegge; Hn. to allegge; Cm. Cp. Pt. to legge. 3006. E. dirryueth. 3007. Hl. Ln.

take; _rest_ taken; E. Cm. _om._ nat. 3008. Hl. ne; E. Hn. Pt. or of; Cm. or of a. 3015. _So_ Hl.; _rest_ eterne with-outen any lye.

3016. at] E. it.

'Lo the ook, that hath so long a noriss.h.i.+nge From tyme that it first biginneth springe, (2160) [86: T. 3021-3058.]

And hath so long a lyf, as we may see, Yet at the laste wasted is the tree. 3020

'Considereth eek, how that the harde stoon Under our feet, on which we trede and goon, Yit wasteth it, as it lyth by the weye.

The brode river somtyme wexeth dreye.

The grete tounes see we wane and wende. 3025 Than may ye see that al this thing hath ende.

3025. E. toures.

'Of man and womman seen we wel also, That nedeth, in oon of thise termes two, (2170) This is to seyn, in youthe or elles age, He moot ben deed, the king as shal a page; 3030 Som in his bed, som in the depe see, Som in the large feeld, as men may se; Ther helpeth noght, al goth that ilke weye.

Thanne may I seyn that al this thing moot deye.

What maketh this but Iupiter the king? 3035 The which is prince and cause of alle thing, Converting al un-to his propre welle, From which it is deryved, sooth to telle. (2180) And here-agayns no creature on lyve Of no degree availleth for to stryve. 3040

3034. E. Cm. _om._ that. 3036. _So_ Hl.; _rest_ That is.

'Thanne is it wisdom, as it thinketh me, To maken vertu of necessitee, And take it wel, that we may nat eschue, And namely that to us alle is due.

And who-so gruccheth ought, he dooth folye, 3045 And rebel is to him that al may gye.

And certeinly a man hath most honour To dyen in his excellence and flour, (2190) Whan he is siker of his G.o.de name; Than hath he doon his freend, ne him, no shame. 3050 And gladder oghte his freend ben of his deeth, Whan with honour up-yolden is his breeth, Than whan his name apalled is for age; For al forgeten is his va.s.selage.

Than is it best, as for a worthy fame, 3055 To dyen whan that he is best of name.

[87: T. 3059-3095.]

The contrarie of al this is wilfulnesse.

Why grucchen we? why have we hevinesse, (2200) That good Arcite, of chivalrye flour Departed is, with duetee and honour, 3060 Out of this foule prison of this lyf?

Why grucchen heer his cosin and his wyf Of his wel-fare that loved hem so weel?

Can he hem thank? nay, G.o.d wot, never a deel, That bothe his soule and eek hem-self offende, 3065 And yet they mowe hir l.u.s.tes nat amende.

3056. Hl. whan a man. 3059. Hl. Cp. Pt. Ln. _ins._ the _bef._ flour.

'What may I conclude of this longe serie, But, after wo, I rede us to be merie, (2210) And thanken Iupiter of al his grace?