Canterbury Tales and Other Poems, Geoffrey Chaucer [good fiction books to read txt] 📗

is so fast, And his in me, that it shall ever last All dread I first to love him begin, although I feared

Now wot I well there is no pain therein.”

 

Cressida sighs, and asks Antigone whether there is such bliss among these lovers, as they can fair endite; Antigone replies confidently in the affirmative; and Cressida answers nothing, “but every worde which she heard she gan to printen in her hearte fast.” Night draws on:

 

The daye’s honour, and the heaven’s eye, The nighte’s foe, — all this call I the Sun, —

Gan westren* fast, and downward for to wry,* go west <31> **turn As he that had his daye’s course y-run; And white thinges gan to waxe dun

For lack of light, and starres to appear; Then she and all her folk went home in fere. in company So, when it liked her to go to rest,

And voided* were those that voiden ought, *gone out (of the house) She saide, that to sleepe well her lest. pleased Her women soon unto her bed her brought; When all was shut, then lay she still and thought Of all these things the manner and the wise; Rehearse it needeth not, for ye be wise.

 

A nightingale upon a cedar green,

Under the chamber wall where as she lay, Full loude sang against the moone sheen, Parauntre,* in his birde’s wise, a lay perchance Of love, that made her hearte fresh and gay; Hereat hark’d she so long in good intent, *listened Till at the last the deade sleep her hent. seized And as she slept, anon right then *her mette she dreamed*

How that an eagle, feather’d white as bone, Under her breast his longe clawes set, And out her heart he rent, and that anon, And did* his heart into her breast to go’n, caused Of which no thing she was abash’d nor smert; amazed nor hurt*

And forth he flew, with hearte left for heart.

 

Leaving Cressida to sleep, the poet returns to Troilus and his zealous friend — with whose stratagems to bring the two lovers together the remainder of the Second Book is occupied.

Pandarus counsels Troilus to write a letter to his mistress, telling her how he “fares amiss,” and “beseeching her of ruth;”

he will bear the letter to his niece; and, if Troilus will ride past Cressida’s house, he will find his mistress and his friend sitting at a window. Saluting Pandarus, and not tarrying, his passage will give occasion for some talk of him, which may make his ears glow. With respect to the letter, Pandarus gives some shrewd hints:

 

“Touching thy letter, thou art wise enough, I wot thou *n’ilt it dignely endite wilt not write it haughtily*

Or make it with these argumentes tough, Nor scrivener-like, nor craftily it write; Beblot it with thy tears also a lite; little And if thou write a goodly word all soft, Though it be good, rehearse it not too oft.

 

“For though the beste harper *pon live alive Would on the best y-sounded jolly harp That ever was, with all his fingers five Touch ay one string, or *ay one warble harp, always play one tune*

Were his nailes pointed ne’er so sharp, He shoulde maken ev’ry wight to dull to grow bored To hear his glee, and of his strokes full.

 

“Nor jompre* eke no discordant thing y-fere,* jumble **together As thus, to use termes of physic;

In love’s termes hold of thy mattere

The form alway, and *do that it be like; make it consistent*

For if a painter woulde paint a pike

With ass’s feet, and head it as an ape,<32>

It ‘cordeth not, so were it but a jape.” is not harmonious

 

Troilus writes the letter, and next morning Pandarus bears it to Cressida. She refuses to receive “scrip or bill that toucheth such mattere;” but he thrusts it into her bosom, challenging her to throw it away. She retains it, takes the first opportunity of escaping to her chamber to read it, finds it wholly good, and, under her uncle’s dictation, endites a reply telling her lover that she will not make herself bound in love; “but as his sister, him to please, she would aye fain [be glad] to do his heart an ease.”

Pandarus, under pretext of inquiring who is the owner of the house opposite, has gone to the window; Cressida takes her letter to him there, and tells him that she never did a thing with more pain than write the words to which he had constrained her. As they sit side by side, on a stone of jasper, on a cushion of beaten gold, Troilus rides by, in all his goodliness. Cressida waxes “as red as rose,” as she sees him salute humbly, “with dreadful cheer, and oft his hues mue [change];” she likes “all y-fere, his person, his array, his look, his cheer, his goodly manner, and his gentleness;” so that, however she may have been before, “to goode hope now hath she caught a thorn, she shall not pull it out this nexte week.” Pandarus, striking the iron when it is hot, asks his niece to grant Troilus an interview; but she strenuously declines, for fear of scandal, and because it is all too soon to allow him so great a liberty — her purpose being to love him unknown of all, “and guerdon [reward] him with nothing but with sight.” Pandarus has other intentions; and, while Troilus writes daily letters with increasing love, he contrives the means of an interview. Seeking out Deiphobus, the brother of Troilus, he tells him that Cressida is in danger of violence from Polyphete, and asks protection for her.

Deiphobus gladly complies, promises the protection of Hector and Helen, and goes to invite Cressida to dinner on the morrow.

Meantime Pandarus instructs Troilus to go to the house of Deiphobus, plead an access of his fever for remaining all night, and keep his chamber next day. “Lo,” says the crafty promoter of love, borrowing a phrase from the hunting-field; “Lo, hold thee at thy tristre [tryst <33>] close, and I shall well the deer unto thy bowe drive.” Unsuspicious of stratagem, Cressida comes to dinner; and at table, Helen, Pandarus, and others, praise the absent Troilus, until “her heart laughs” for very pride that she has the love of such a knight. After dinner they speak of Cressida’s business; all confirm Deiphobus’ assurances of protection and aid; and Pandarus suggests that, since Troilus is there, Cressida shall herself tell him her case. Helen and Deiphobus alone accompany Pandarus to Troilus’ chamber; there Troilus produces some documents relating to the public weal, which Hector has sent for his opinion; Helen and Deiphobus, engrossed in perusal and discussion, roam out of the chamber, by a stair, into the garden; while Pandarus goes down to the hall, and, pretending that his brother and Helen are still with Troilus, brings Cressida to her lover. The Second Book leaves Pandarus whispering in his niece’s ear counsel to be merciful and kind to her lover, that hath for her such pain; while Troilus lies “in a kankerdort,” <34> hearing the whispering without, and wondering what he shall say for this “was the first time that he should her pray of love; O! mighty God! what shall he say?”

 

THE THIRD BOOK.

 

To the Third Book is prefixed a beautiful invocation of Venus, under the character of light:

 

O Blissful light, of which the beames clear Adornen all the thirde heaven fair!

O Sunne’s love, O Jove’s daughter dear!

Pleasance of love, O goodly debonair, lovely and gracious*

In gentle heart ay* ready to repair!** always *enter and abide O very* cause of heal** and of gladness, true *welfare Y-heried* be thy might and thy goodness! *praised In heav’n and hell, in earth and salte sea.

Is felt thy might, if that I well discern; As man, bird, beast, fish, herb, and greene tree, They feel in times, with vapour etern, <35>

God loveth, and to love he will not wern forbid And in this world no living creature

Withoute love is worth, or may endure. <36>

 

Ye Jove first to those effectes glad,

Through which that thinges alle live and be, Commended; and him amorous y-made

Of mortal thing; and as ye list,* ay ye pleased Gave him, in love, ease or adversity, pleasure And in a thousand formes down him sent For love in earth; and whom ye list he hent. he seized whom you wished*

Ye fierce Mars appeasen of his ire,

And as you list ye make heartes dign* <37> worthy Algates them that ye will set afire, at all events They dreade shame, and vices they resign Ye do him courteous to be, and benign; make, cause And high or low, after a wight intendeth, *according as The joyes that he hath your might him sendeth.

 

Ye holde realm and house in unity;

Ye soothfast* cause of friendship be also; true Ye know all thilke cover’d quality secret power*

Of thinges which that folk on wonder so, When they may not construe how it may go She loveth him, or why he loveth her,

As why this fish, not that, comes to the weir.*<38> *fish-trap Knowing that Venus has set a law in the universe, that whoso strives with her shall have the worse, the poet prays to be taught to describe some of the joy that is felt in her service; and the Third Book opens with an account of the scene between Troilus and Cressida:

 

Lay all this meane while Troilus

Recording* his lesson in this mannere; memorizing “My fay!” thought he, “thus will I say, and thus; by my faith!*

Thus will I plain* unto my lady dear; *make my plaint That word is good; and this shall be my cheer This will I not forgetten in no wise;”

God let him worken as he can devise.

 

And, Lord! so as his heart began to quap, quake, pant Hearing her coming, and *short for to sike; make short sighs*

And Pandarus, that led her by the lap, skirt Came near, and gan in at the curtain pick, peep And saide: “God do boot* alle sick! *afford a remedy to See who is here you coming to visite;

Lo! here is she that is *your death to wite!” to blame for your death*

 

Therewith it seemed as he wept almost.

“Ah! ah! God help!” quoth Troilus ruefully; “Whe’er* me be woe, O mighty God, thou know’st! *whether Who is there? for I see not truely.”

“Sir,” quoth Cresside, “it is Pandare and I; “Yea, sweete heart? alas, I may not rise To kneel and do you honour in some wise.”

 

And dressed him upward, and she right tho then Gan both her handes soft upon him lay.

“O! for the love of God, do ye not so

To me,” quoth she; “ey! what is this to say?

For come I am to you for causes tway; two First you to thank, and of your lordship eke Continuance* I woulde you beseek.”* protection **beseech This Troilus, that heard his lady pray Him of lordship, wax’d neither quick nor dead; Nor might one word for shame to it say, <39>

Although men shoulde smiten off his head.

But, Lord! how he wax’d suddenly all red!

And, Sir, his lesson, that he *ween’d have con, thought he knew To praye her, was through his wit y-run. by heart*

 

Cresside all this espied well enow, —

For she was wise, — and lov’d him ne’er the less, All