| | Whilom, as olde stories tellen us, | |
| | Ther was a duc that highte Theseus; | was called |
| | Of Atthenes he was lord and governour, | |
| | And in his tyme swich a conquerour | |
| 5 | That gretter was ther noon under the sonne. | |
| | Ful many a riche contree hadde he wonne; | |
| | What with his wysdom and his chivalrie, | |
| | He conquered al the regne of Femenye, | |
| | That whilom was ycleped Scithia, | |
| 10 | And weddede the queene Ypolita, | |
| | And broghte hire hoom with hym in his contree | |
| | With muchel glorie and greet solempnytee, | |
| | And eek hir yonge suster Emelye. | |
| | And thus with victorie and with melodye | |
| 15 | Lete I this noble duc to Atthenes ryde, | |
| | And al his hoost in armes hym bisyde. | |
| | And certes, if it nere to long to heere, | certainly |
| | I wolde have toold yow fully the manere | |
| | How wonnen was the regne of Femenye | |
| 20 | By Theseus and by his chivalrye; | |
| | And of the grete bataille for the nones | |
| | Bitwixen Atthenes and Amazones; | |
| | And how asseged was Ypolita, | |
| | The faire, hardy queene of Scithia; | |
| 25 | And of the feste that was at hir weddynge, | their |
| | And of the tempest at hir hoom-comynge; | |
| | But al that thyng I moot as now forbere. | must |
| | I have, God woot, a large feeld to ere, | knows plough |
| | And wayke been the oxen in my plough. | |
| 30 | The remenant of the tale is long ynough. | |
| | I wol nat letten eek noon of this route; | |
| | Lat every felawe telle his tale aboute, | |
| | And lat se now who shal the soper wynne; | |
| | And ther I lefte, I wol ayeyn bigynne. | |
| 35 | This duc, of whom I make mencioun, | |
| | Whan he was come almoost unto the toun, | |
| | In al his wele and in his mooste pride, | |
| | He was war, as he caste his eye aside, | |
| | Where that ther kneled in the heighe weye | |
| 40 | A compaignye of ladyes, tweye and tweye, | |
| | Ech after oother clad in clothes blake; | |
| | But swich a cry and swich a wo they make | |
| | That in this world nys creature lyvynge | |
| | That herde swich another waymentynge; | |
| 45 | And of this cry they nolde nevere stenten | |
| | Til they the reynes of his brydel henten. | |
| | "What folk been ye, that at myn hom-comynge | |
| | Perturben so my feste with criynge?" | |
| | Quod Theseus. "Have ye so greet envye | |
| 50 | Of myn honour, that thus compleyne and crye? | |
| | Or who hath yow mysboden or offended? | |
| | And telleth me if it may been amended, | |
| | And why that ye been clothed thus in blak." | |
| | The eldeste lady of them alle spak, | |
| 55 | Whan she hadde swowned with a deedly cheere, | |
| | That it was routhe for to seen and heere; | |
| | She seyde, "Lord, to whom Fortune hath yiven | |
| | Victorie, and as a conqueror to lyven, | |
| | Nat greveth us youre glorie and youre honour, | |
| 60 | But we biseken mercy and socour. | |
| | Have mercy on oure wo and oure distresse! | |
| | Som drope of pitee, thurgh thy gentillesse, | |
| | Upon us wrecched wommen lat thou falle, | |
| | For, certes, lord, ther is noon of us alle | certainly |
| 65 | That she ne hath been a duchesse or a queene. | |
| | Now be we caytyves, as it is wel seene, | wretches |
| | Thanked be Fortune and hire false wheel, | |
| | That noon estaat assureth to be weel. | |
| | And certes, lord, to abyden youre presence, | certainly |
| 70 | Heere in this temple of the goddesse Clemence | |
| | We han ben waitynge al this fourtenyght. | |
| | Now help us, lord, sith it is in thy myght. | |
| | "I, wrecche, which that wepe and wayle thus, | |
| | Was whilom wyf to kyng Cappaneus, | |
| 75 | That starf at Thebes -- cursed be that day! -- | |
| | And alle we that been in this array | |
| | And maken al this lamentacioun, | |
| | We losten alle oure housbondes at that toun, | |
| | Whil that the seege theraboute lay. | |
| 80 | And yet now the olde Creon -- weylaway! -- | |
| | That lord is now of Thebes the citee, | |
| | Fulfild of ire and of iniquitee, | |
| | He, for despit and for his tirannye, | |
| | To do the dede bodyes vileynye | |
| 85 | Of alle oure lordes whiche that been yslawe, | |
| | Hath alle the bodyes on an heep ydrawe, | |
| | And wol nat suffren hem, by noon assent, | them |
| | Neither to been yburyed nor ybrent, | |
| | But maketh houndes ete them in despit." | |
| 90 | And with that word, withouten moore respit, | |
| | They fillen gruf and criden pitously, | |
| | "Have on us wrecched wommen som mercy, | |
| | And lat oure sorwe synken in thyn herte." | |
| | This gentil duc doun from his courser sterte | leapt |
| 95 | With herte pitous, whan he herde them speke. | |
| | Hym thoughte that his herte wolde breke, | |
| | Whan he saugh hem so pitous and so maat, | disheartened |
| | That whilom weren of so greet estaat; | |
| | And in his armes he hem alle up hente, | |
| 100 | And hem conforteth in ful good entente, | |
| | And swoor his ooth, as he was trewe knyght, | |
| | He wolde doon so ferforthly his myght | |
| | Upon the tiraunt Creon hem to wreke | avenge |
| | That al the peple of Grece sholde speke | |
| 105 | How Creon was of Theseus yserved | |
| | As he that hadde his deeth ful wel deserved. | |
| | And right anoon, withouten moore abood, | |
| | His baner he desplayeth, and forth rood | |
| | To Thebes-ward, and al his hoost biside. | |
| 110 | No neer Atthenes wolde he go ne ride, | |
| | Ne take his ese fully half a day, | |
| | But onward on his wey that nyght he lay, | |
| | And sente anon Ypolita the queene, | |
| | And Emelye, hir yonge suster sheene, | |
| 115 | Unto the toun of Atthenes to dwelle, | |
| | And forth he rit; ther is namoore to telle. | |
| | The rede statue of Mars, with spere and targe, | |
| | So shyneth in his white baner large | |
| | That alle the feeldes glyteren up and doun; | |
| 120 | And by his baner born is his penoun | |
| | Of gold ful riche, in which ther was ybete | |
| | The Mynotaur, which that he wan in Crete. | |
| | Thus rit this duc, thus rit this conquerour, | |
| | And in his hoost of chivalrie the flour, | |
| 125 | Til that he cam to Thebes and alighte | |
| | Faire in a feeld, ther as he thoughte to fighte. | road |
| | But shortly for to speken of this thyng, | |
| | With Creon, which that was of Thebes kyng, | |
| | He faught, and slough hym manly as a knyght | |
| 130 | In pleyn bataille, and putte the folk to flyght; | |
| | And by assaut he wan the citee after, | |
| | And rente adoun bothe wall and sparre and rafter; | |
| | And to the ladyes he restored agayn | |
| | The bones of hir freendes that were slayn, | |
| 135 | To doon obsequies, as was tho the gyse. | then custom |
| | But it were al to longe for to devyse | tell |
| | The grete clamour and the waymentynge | |
| | That the ladyes made at the brennynge | |
| | Of the bodies, and the grete honour | |
| 140 | That Theseus, the noble conquerour, | |
| | Dooth to the ladyes, whan they from hym wente; | |
| | But shortly for to telle is myn entente. | |
| | Whan that this worthy duc, this Theseus, | |
| | Hath Creon slayn and wonne Thebes thus, | Scornfull |
| 145 | Stille in that feeld he took al nyght his reste, | |
| | And dide with al the contree as hym leste. | |
| | To ransake in the taas of bodyes dede, | |
| | Hem for to strepe of harneys and of wede, | clothing |
| | The pilours diden bisynesse and cure | |
| 150 | After the bataille and disconfiture. | |
| | And so bifel that in the taas they founde, | |
| | Thurgh-girt with many a grevous blody wounde, | |
| | Two yonge knyghtes liggynge by and by, | |
| | Bothe in oon armes, wroght ful richely, | |
| 155 | Of whiche two Arcita highte that oon, | |
| | And that oother knyght highte Palamon. | |
| | Nat fully quyke, ne fully dede they were, | |
| | But by hir cote-armures and by hir gere | |
| | The heraudes knewe hem best in special | |
| 160 | As they that weren of the blood roial | |
| | Of Thebes, and of sustren two yborn. | |
| | Out of the taas the pilours han hem torn, | |
| | And han hem caried softe unto the tente | |
| | Of Theseus; and he ful soone hem sente | |
| 165 | To Atthenes, to dwellen in prisoun | |
| | Perpetuelly -- he nolde no raunsoun. | |
| | And whan this worthy duc hath thus ydon, | scorfully |
| | He took his hoost, and hoom he rit anon | |
| | With laurer crowned as a conquerour; | |
| 170 | And ther he lyveth in joye and in honour | |
| | Terme of his lyf; what nedeth wordes mo? | |
| | And in a tour, in angwissh and in wo, | |
| | This Palamon and his felawe Arcite | |
| | For everemoore; ther may no gold hem quite. | |
| 175 | This passeth yeer by yeer and day by day, | |
| | Till it fil ones, in a morwe of May, | |
| | That Emelye, that fairer was to sene | |
| | Than is the lylie upon his stalke grene, | |
| | And fressher than the May with floures newe -- | |
| 180 | For with the rose colour stroof hire hewe, | |
| | I noot which was the fyner of hem two -- | them |
| | Er it were day, as was hir wone to do, | |
| | She was arisen and al redy dight, | |
| | For May wole have no slogardie anyght. | |
| 185 | The sesoun priketh every gentil herte, | |
| | And maketh it out of his slep to sterte, | |
| | And seith "Arys, and do thyn observaunce." | |
| | This maked Emelye have remembraunce | |
| | To doon honour to May, and for to ryse. | |
| 190 | Yclothed was she fressh, for to devyse: | |
| | Hir yelow heer was broyded in a tresse | |
| | Bihynde hir bak, a yerde long, I gesse. | |
| | And in the gardyn, at the sonne upriste, | |
| | She walketh up and doun, and as hire liste | |
| 195 | She gadereth floures, party white and rede, | |
| | To make a subtil gerland for hire hede; | |
| | And as an aungel hevenysshly she soong. | |
| | The grete tour, that was so thikke and stroong, | |
| | Which of the castel was the chief dongeoun | |
| 200 | (Ther as the knyghtes weren in prisoun | |
| | Of which I tolde yow and tellen shal), | |
| | Was evene joynant to the gardyn wal | |
| | Ther as this Emelye hadde hir pleyynge. | |
| | Bright was the sonne and cleer that morwenynge, | |
| 205 | And Palamoun, this woful prisoner, | |
| | As was his wone, by leve of his gayler, | |
| | Was risen and romed in a chambre an heigh, | |
| | In which he al the noble citee seigh, | |
| | And eek the gardyn, ful of braunches grene, | also |
| 210 | Ther as this fresshe Emelye the shene | |
| | Was in hire walk, and romed up and doun. | |
| | This sorweful prisoner, this Palamoun, | |
| | Goth in the chambre romynge to and fro | |
| | And to hymself compleynynge of his wo. | |
| 215 | That he was born, ful ofte he seyde, "allas!" | |
| | And so bifel, by aventure or cas, | |
| | That thurgh a wyndow, thikke of many a barre | |
| | Of iren greet and square as any sparre, | |
| | He cast his eye upon Emelya, | |
| 220 | And therwithal he bleynte and cride, "A!" | |
| | As though he stongen were unto the herte. | |
| | And with that cry Arcite anon up sterte | |
| | And seyde, "Cosyn myn, what eyleth thee, | you |
| | That art so pale and deedly on to see? | |
| 225 | Why cridestow? Who hath thee doon offence? | did you cry out you |
| | For Goddes love, taak al in pacience | |
| | Oure prisoun, for it may noon oother be. | |
| | Fortune hath yeven us this adversitee. | |
| | Som wikke aspect or disposicioun | |
| 230 | Of Saturne, by som constellacioun, | |
| | Hath yeven us this, although we hadde it sworn; | |
| | So stood the hevene whan that we were born. | |
| | We moste endure it; this is the short and playn." | |
| | This Palamon answerde and seyde agayn, | |
| 235 | "Cosyn, for sothe, of this opinioun | |
| | Thow hast a veyn ymaginacioun. | |
| | This prison caused me nat for to crye, | |
| | But I was hurt right now thurghout myn ye | |
| | Into myn herte, that wol my bane be. | |
| 240 | The fairnesse of that lady that I see | |
| | Yond in the gardyn romen to and fro | |
| | Is cause of al my criyng and my wo. | |
| | I noot wher she be womman or goddesse, | |
| | But Venus is it soothly, as I gesse." | |
| 245 | And therwithal on knees doun he fil, | |
| | And seyde, "Venus, if it be thy wil | |
| | Yow in this gardyn thus to transfigure | |
| | Bifore me, sorweful, wrecched creature, | |
| | Out of this prisoun help that we may scapen. | |
| 250 | And if so be my destynee be shapen | |
| | By eterne word to dyen in prisoun, | |
| | Of oure lynage have som compassioun, | |
| | That is so lowe ybroght by tirannye." | |
| | And with that word Arcite gan espye | |
| 255 | Wher as this lady romed to and fro, | |
| | And with that sighte hir beautee hurte hym so, | |
| | That, if that Palamon was wounded sore, | |
| | Arcite is hurt as muche as he, or moore. | |
| | And with a sigh he seyde pitously, | |
| 260 | "The fresshe beautee sleeth me sodeynly | |
| | Of hire that rometh in the yonder place; | |
| | And but I have hir mercy and hir grace, | |
| | That I may seen hire atte leeste weye, | |
| | I nam but deed; ther nis namoore to seye." | |
| 265 | This Palamon, whan he tho wordes herde, | |
| | Dispitously he looked and answerde, | |
| | "Wheither seistow this in ernest or in pley?" | |
| | "Nay," quod Arcite, "in ernest, by my fey! | affected |
| | God helpe me so, me list ful yvele pleye." | |
| 270 | This Palamon gan knytte his browes tweye. | |
| | "It nere," quod he, "to thee no greet honour | |
| | For to be fals, ne for to be traitour | |
| | To me, that am thy cosyn and thy brother | |
| | Ysworn ful depe, and ech of us til oother, | |
| 275 | That nevere, for to dyen in the peyne, | |
| | Til that the deeth departe shal us tweyne, | |
| | Neither of us in love to hyndre oother, | |
| | Ne in noon oother cas, my leeve brother, | situation, circumstances |
| | But that thou sholdest trewely forthren me | |
| 280 | In every cas, as I shal forthren thee -- | situation, circumstances You |
| | This was thyn ooth, and myn also, certeyn; | |
| | I woot right wel, thou darst it nat withseyn. | |
| | Thus artow of my conseil, out of doute, | |
| | And now thow woldest falsly been aboute | |
| 285 | To love my lady, whom I love and serve, | |
| | And evere shal til that myn herte sterve. | |
| | Nay, certes, false Arcite, thow shalt nat so. | |
| | I loved hire first, and tolde thee my wo | |
| | As to my conseil and my brother sworn | |
| 290 | To forthre me, as I have toold biforn. | advance, aid |
| | For which thou art ybounden as a knyght | |
| | To helpen me, if it lay in thy myght, | |
| | Or elles artow fals, I dar wel seyn." | |
| | This Arcite ful proudly spak ageyn: | |
| 295 | "Thow shalt," quod he, "be rather fals than I; | |
| | And thou art fals, I telle thee outrely, | |
| | For paramour I loved hire first er thow. | |
| | What wiltow seyen? Thou woost nat yet now | |
| | Wheither she be a womman or goddesse! | |
| 300 | Thyn is affeccioun of hoolynesse, | |
| | And myn is love as to a creature; | |
| | For which I tolde thee myn aventure | |
| | As to my cosyn and my brother sworn. | |
| | I pose that thow lovedest hire biforn; | to question |
| 305 | Wostow nat wel the olde clerkes sawe, | |
| | That "who shal yeve a lovere any lawe?" | |
| | Love is a gretter lawe, by my pan, | |
| | Than may be yeve to any erthely man; | |
| | And therfore positif lawe and swich decree | |
| 310 | Is broken al day for love in ech degree. | |
| | A man moot nedes love, maugree his heed; | |
| | He may nat fleen it, thogh he sholde be deed, | |
| | Al be she mayde, or wydwe, or elles wyf. | |
| | And eek it is nat likly al thy lyf | |
| 315 | To stonden in hir grace; namoore shal I; | |
| | For wel thou woost thyselven, verraily, | |
| | That thou and I be dampned to prisoun | |
| | Perpetuelly; us gayneth no raunsoun. | |
| | We stryve as dide the houndes for the boon; | |
| 320 | They foughte al day, and yet hir part was noon. | |
| | Ther cam a kyte, whil that they were so wrothe, | angry |
| | And baar awey the boon bitwixe hem bothe. | |
| | And therfore, at the kynges court, my brother, | |
| | Ech man for hymself, ther is noon oother. | |
| 325 | Love, if thee list, for I love and ay shal; | |
| | And soothly, leeve brother, this is al. | |
| | Heere in this prisoun moote we endure, | hair |
| | And everich of us take his aventure." | |
| | Greet was the strif and long bitwix hem tweye, | |
| 330 | If that I hadde leyser for to seye; | |
| | But to th"effect. It happed on a day, | |
| | To telle it yow as shortly as I may, | |
| | A worthy duc that highte Perotheus, | |
| | That felawe was unto duc Theseus | |
| 335 | Syn thilke day that they were children lite, | |
| | Was come to Atthenes his felawe to visite, | |
| | And for to pleye as he was wont to do; | |
| | For in this world he loved no man so, | |
| | And he loved hym als tendrely agayn. | |
| 340 | So wel they lovede, as olde bookes sayn, | |
| | That whan that oon was deed, soothly to telle, | |
| | His felawe wente and soughte hym doun in helle -- | |
| | But of that storie list me nat to write. | |
| | Duc Perotheus loved wel Arcite, | |
| 345 | And hadde hym knowe at Thebes yeer by yere, | |
| | And finally at requeste and preyere | |
| | Of Perotheus, withouten any raunsoun, | |
| | Duc Theseus hym leet out of prisoun | |
| | Frely to goon wher that hym liste over al, | |
| 350 | In swich a gyse as I you tellen shal. | |
| | This was the forward, pleynly for t"endite, | |
| | Bitwixen Theseus and hym Arcite: | |
| | That if so were that Arcite were yfounde | |
| | Evere in his lif, by day or nyght, oo stounde | |
| 355 | In any contree of this Theseus, | |
| | And he were caught, it was acorded thus, | |
| | That with a swerd he sholde lese his heed. | |
| | Ther nas noon oother remedie ne reed; | advice |
| | But taketh his leve, and homward he him spedde. | |
| 360 | Lat hym be war! His nekke lith to wedde. | |
| | How greet a sorwe suffreth now Arcite! | |
| | The deeth he feeleth thurgh his herte smyte; | |
| | He wepeth, wayleth, crieth pitously; | |
| | To sleen hymself he waiteth prively. | |
| 365 | He seyde, "Allas that day that I was born! | |
| | Now is my prisoun worse than biforn; | |
| | Now is me shape eternally to dwelle | |
| | Noght in purgatorie, but in helle. | |
| | Allas, that evere knew I Perotheus! | |
| 370 | For elles hadde I dwelled with Theseus, | |
| | Yfetered in his prisoun everemo. | |
| | Thanne hadde I been in blisse and nat in wo. | |
| | Oonly the sighte of hire whom that I serve, | |
| | Though that I nevere hir grace may deserve, | |
| 375 | Wolde han suffised right ynough for me. | |
| | O deere cosyn Palamon," quod he, | said |
| | "Thyn is the victorie of this aventure. | |
| | Ful blisfully in prison maistow dure -- | |
| | In prison? Certes nay, but in paradys! | |
| 380 | Wel hath Fortune yturned thee the dys, | you |
| | That hast the sighte of hire, and I th"absence. | |
| | For possible is, syn thou hast hire presence, | |
| | And art a knyght, a worthy and an able, | |
| | That by som cas, syn Fortune is chaungeable, | |
| 385 | Thow maist to thy desir somtyme atteyne. | |
| | But I, that am exiled and bareyne | |
| | Of alle grace, and in so greet dispeir | |
| | That ther nys erthe, water, fir, ne eir, | |
| | Ne creature that of hem maked is, | |
| 390 | That may me helpe or doon confort in this, | |
| | Wel oughte I sterve in wanhope and distresse. | die |
| | Farwel my lif, my lust, and my gladnesse! | |
| | "Allas, why pleynen folk so in commune | |
| | On purveiaunce of God, or of Fortune, | |
| 395 | That yeveth hem ful ofte in many a gyse | |
| | Wel bettre than they kan hemself devyse? | |
| | Som man desireth for to han richesse, | |
| | That cause is of his mordre or greet siknesse; | |
| | And som man wolde out of his prisoun fayn, | |
| 400 | That in his hous is of his meynee slayn. | |
| | Infinite harmes been in this mateere. | |
| | We witen nat what thing we preyen heere; | |
| | We faren as he that dronke is as a mous. | |
| | A dronke man woot wel he hath an hous, | |
| 405 | 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; | |
| | We seken faste after felicitee, | |
| | But we goon wrong ful often, trewely. | |
| 410 | Thus may we seyen alle, and namely I, | |
| | That wende and hadde a greet opinioun | |
| | That if I myghte escapen from prisoun, | |
| | Thanne hadde I been in joye and parfit heele, | |
| | Ther now I am exiled fro my wele. | |
| 415 | Syn that I may nat seen you, Emelye, | |
| | I nam but deed; ther nys no remedye." | |
| | Upon that oother syde Palamon, | |
| | Whan that he wiste Arcite was agon, | |
| | Swich sorwe he maketh that the grete tour | |
| 420 | Resouneth of his youlyng and clamour. | |
| | The pure fettres on his shynes grete | |
| | Weren of his bittre, salte teeres wete. | |
| | "Allas," quod he, "Arcita, cosyn myn, | said |
| | Of al oure strif, God woot, the fruyt is thyn. | |
| 425 | Thow walkest now in Thebes at thy large, | |
| | And of my wo thow yevest litel charge. | |
| | Thou mayst, syn thou hast wisdom and manhede, | |
| | Assemblen alle the folk of oure kynrede, | |
| | And make a werre so sharp on this citee | |
| 430 | That by som aventure or some tretee | |
| | Thow mayst have hire to lady and to wyf | |
| | For whom that I moste nedes lese my lyf. | |
| | For, as by wey of possibilitee, | |
| | Sith thou art at thy large, of prisoun free, | Since you at |
| 435 | And art a lord, greet is thyn avauntage | |
| | Moore than is myn, that sterve here in a cage. | dies |
| | For I moot wepe and wayle, whil I lyve, | |
| | With al the wo that prison may me yive, | |
| | And eek with peyne that love me yeveth also, | |
| 440 | That doubleth al my torment and my wo." | |
| | Therwith the fyr of jalousie up sterte | |
| | Withinne his brest, and hente him by the herte | |
| | So woodly that he lyk was to biholde | |
| | The boxtree or the asshen dede and colde. | |
| 445 | Thanne seyde he, "O crueel goddes that governe | |
| | This world with byndyng of youre word eterne, | |
| | And writen in the table of atthamaunt | |
| | Youre parlement and youre eterne graunt, | |
| | What is mankynde moore unto you holde | |
| 450 | Than is the sheep that rouketh in the folde? | huddle |
| | For slayn is man right as another beest, | |
| | And dwelleth eek in prison and arreest, | |
| | And hath siknesse and greet adversitee, | |
| | And ofte tymes giltelees, pardee. | |
| 455 | "What governance is in this prescience, | |
| | That giltelees tormenteth innocence? | |
| | And yet encresseth this al my penaunce, | |
| | That man is bounden to his observaunce, | |
| | For Goddes sake, to letten of his wille, | |
| 460 | Ther as a beest may al his lust fulfille. | |
| | And whan a beest is deed he hath no peyne; | |
| | But man after his deeth moot wepe and pleyne, | |
| | Though in this world he have care and wo. | |
| | Withouten doute it may stonden so. | |
| 465 | The answere of this lete I to dyvynys, | |
| | But wel I woot that in this world greet pyne ys. | know this |
| | Allas, I se a serpent or a theef, | |
| | That many a trewe man hath doon mescheef, | |
| | Goon at his large, and where hym list may turne. | |
| 470 | But I moot been in prisoun thurgh Saturne, | |
| | And eek thurgh Juno, jalous and eek wood, | |
| | That hath destroyed wel ny al the blood | |
| | Of Thebes with his waste walles wyde; | |
| | And Venus sleeth me on that oother syde | slays |
| 475 | For jalousie and fere of hym Arcite." | |
| | Now wol I stynte of Palamon a lite, | |
| | And lete hym in his prisoun stille dwelle, | |
| | And of Arcita forth I wol yow telle. | |
| | The somer passeth, and the nyghtes longe | |
| 480 | Encressen double wise the peynes stronge | |
| | Bothe of the lovere and the prisoner. | |
| | I noot which hath the wofuller mester. | |
| | For, shortly for to seyn, this Palamoun | |
| | Perpetuelly is dampned to prisoun, | |
| 485 | In cheynes and in fettres to been deed; | |
| | And Arcite is exiled upon his heed | |
| | For everemo, as out of that contree, | |
| | Ne nevere mo ne shal his lady see. | |
| | Yow loveres axe I now this questioun: | |
| 490 | Who hath the worse, Arcite or Palamoun? | |
| | That oon may seen his lady day by day, | |
| | But in prison he moot dwelle alway; | |
| | That oother wher hym list may ride or go, | |
| | But seen his lady shal he nevere mo. | |
| 495 | Now demeth as yow liste, ye that kan, | answer |
| | For I wol telle forth as I bigan. | |