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

in filth and in errour, Lady! *on that country thou me adjourn, take me to that place*

That called is thy bench of freshe flow’r, There as that mercy ever shall sojourn.

 

X.

 

Xpe <7> thy Son, that in this world alight, Upon a cross to suffer his passioun,

And suffer’d eke that Longeus his heart pight,* <8> *pierced And made his hearte-blood to run adown; And all this was for my salvatioun:

And I to him am false and eke unkind,

And yet he wills not my damnation;

*This thank I you,* succour of all mankind! for this I am indebted to you

Y.

 

Ysaac was figure of His death certain, That so farforth his father would obey, That him ne raughte nothing to be slain; he cared not

Right so thy Son list as a lamb to dey: die Now, Lady full of mercy! I you pray,

Since he his mercy ‘sured me so large, Be ye not scant, for all we sing and say, That ye be from vengeance alway our targe. shield, defence Z.

 

Zachary you calleth the open well <9>

That washed sinful soul out of his guilt; Therefore this lesson out I will to tell, That, n’ere* thy tender hearte, we were spilt.* were it not for Now, Lady brighte! since thou canst and wilt, *destroyed, undone*

Be to the seed of Adam merciable; merciful Bring us unto that palace that is built To penitents that be *to mercy able! fit to receive mercy*

 

Explicit. The end Notes to Chaucer’s A. B. C.

 

1. Chaucer’s A. B. C. — a prayer to the Virgin, in twenty three verses, beginning with the letters of the alphabet in their order — is said to have been written “at the request of Blanche, Duchess of Lancaster, as a prayer for her private use, being a woman in her religion very devout.” It was first printed in Speght’s edition of 1597.

 

2. La Priere De Nostre Dame: French, “The Prayer of Our Lady.”

 

3. Thieves seven: i.e. the seven deadly sins 4. Mary’s name recalls the waters of “Marah” or bitterness (Exod. xv. 23), or the prayer of Naomi in her grief that she might be called not Naomi, but “Mara” (Ruth i. 20). Mary, however, is understood to mean “exalted.”

 

5. A typical representation. See The Prioress’s Tale, third stanza.

 

6. The reference evidently is to Luke i. 38 — “Ecce ancilla Domini,” (“Behold the handmaid of the Lord”) the Virgin’s humble answer to Gabriel at the Annunciation.

 

7. “Xpe” represents the Greek letters chi rho epsilon, and is a contraction for “Christe.”

 

8. According to tradition, the soldier who struck the Saviour to the heart with his spear was named Longeus, and was blind; but, touching his eyes by chance with the mingled blood and water that flowed down the shaft upon his hands, he was instantly restored to sight.

 

9. “In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness” (Zech. xiii. 1).

 

A GOODLY BALLAD OF CHAUCER.<1>

 

MOTHER of nurture, best belov’d of all, And freshe flow’r, to whom good thrift God send Your child, if it lust* you me so to call, please All be I* unable myself so to pretend, *although I be To your discretion I recommend

My heart and all, with ev’ry circumstance, All wholly to be under your governance.

 

Most desire I, and have and ever shall, Thinge which might your hearte’s ease amend Have me excus’d, my power is but small; Nathless, of right, ye oughte to commend My goode will, which fame would entend attend, strive To do you service; for my suffisance contentment Is wholly to be under your governance.

 

Mieux un in heart which never shall apall, <2>

Ay fresh and new, and right glad to dispend My time in your service, what so befall, Beseeching your excellence to defend

My simpleness, if ignorance offend

In any wise; since that mine affiance

Is wholly to be under your governance.

 

Daisy of light, very ground of comfort, The sunne’s daughter ye light, as I read; For when he west’reth, farewell your disport!

By your nature alone, right for pure dread Of the rude night, that with his *boistous weed rude garment*

Of darkness shadoweth our hemisphere,

Then close ye, my life’s lady dear!

 

Dawneth the day unto his kind resort,

And Phoebus your father, with his streames red, Adorns the morrow, consuming the sort crowd Of misty cloudes, that would overlade

True humble heartes with their mistihead. dimness, mistiness New comfort adaws,* when your eyen clear *dawns, awakens Disclose and spread, my life’s lady dear.

 

Je voudrais* — but the greate God disposeth, *I would wish And maketh casual, by his Providence,

Such thing as manne’s fraile wit purposeth, All for the best, if that your conscience Not grudge it, but in humble patience

It receive; for God saith, withoute fable, A faithful heart ever is acceptable.

 

Cauteles* whoso useth gladly, gloseth;* cautious speeches To eschew such it is right high prudence; **deceiveth What ye said ones mine heart opposeth, That my writing japes* in your absence *jests, coarse stories Pleased you much better than my presence: Yet can I more; ye be not excusable;

A faithful heart is ever acceptable.

 

Quaketh my pen; my spirit supposeth

That in my writing ye will find offence; Mine hearte welketh* thus; anon it riseth; *withers, faints Now hot, now cold, and after in fervence; That is amiss, is caus’d of negligence, And not of malice; therefore be merciable; A faithful heart is ever acceptable.

 

L’Envoy.

 

Forthe, complaint! forth, lacking eloquence; Forth little letter, of enditing lame!

I have besought my lady’s sapience

On thy behalfe, to accept in game

Thine inability; do thou the same.

Abide! have more yet! *Je serve Joyesse! I serve Joy*

Now forth, I close thee in holy Venus’ name!

Thee shall unclose my hearte’s governess.

 

Notes To a Goodly Ballad Of Chaucer

 

1. This elegant little poem is believed to have been addressed to Margaret, Countess of Pembroke, in whose name Chaucer found one of those opportunities of praising the daisy he never lost. (Transcriber’s note: Modern scholars believe that Chaucer was not the author of this poem)

 

2. Mieux un in heart which never shall apall: better one who in heart shall never pall — whose love will never weary.

 

A BALLAD SENT TO KING RICHARD.

 

SOMETIME this world was so steadfast and stable, That man’s word was held obligation;

And now it is so false and deceivable, deceitful That word and work, as in conclusion,

Be nothing one; for turned up so down

Is all this world, through meed* and wilfulness, *bribery That all is lost for lack of steadfastness.

 

What makes this world to be so variable, But lust* that folk have in dissension? *pleasure For now-a-days a man is held unable fit for nothing But if he can, by some collusion,** unless *fraud, trick Do his neighbour wrong or oppression.

What causeth this but wilful wretchedness, That all is lost for lack of steadfastness?

 

Truth is put down, reason is holden fable; Virtue hath now no domination;

Pity exil’d, no wight is merciable;

Through covetise is blent* discretion; *blinded The worlde hath made permutation

From right to wrong, from truth to fickleness, That all is lost for lack of steadfastness.

 

L’Envoy.

 

O Prince! desire to be honourable;

Cherish thy folk, and hate extortion;

Suffer nothing that may be reprovable a subject of reproach To thine estate, done in thy region; kingdom Show forth the sword of castigation;

Dread God, do law, love thorough worthiness, And wed thy folk again to steadfastness!

 

L’ENVOY OF CHAUCER TO BUKTON. <1>

 

My Master Bukton, when of Christ our King Was asked, What is truth or soothfastness?

He not a word answer’d to that asking, As who saith, no man is all true, I guess; And therefore, though I highte* to express *promised The sorrow and woe that is in marriage, I dare not write of it no wickedness,

Lest I myself fall eft* in such dotage.* again **folly I will not say how that it is the chain Of Satanas, on which he gnaweth ever;

But I dare say, were he out of his pain, As by his will he would be bounden never.

But thilke* doated fool that eft had lever *that Y-chained be, than out of prison creep, God let him never from his woe dissever, Nor no man him bewaile though he weep!

 

But yet, lest thou do worse, take a wife; Bet is to wed than burn in worse wise; <2>

But thou shalt have sorrow on thy flesh *thy life, all thy life*

And be thy wife’s thrall, as say these wise.

And if that Holy Writ may not suffice, Experience shall thee teache, so may hap, That thee were lever to be taken in Frise, <3>

Than eft* to fall of wedding in the trap. again This little writ, proverbes, or figure, I sende you; take keep of it, I read! heed “Unwise is he that can no weal endure; If thou be sicker, put thee not in dread.”* in security **danger The Wife of Bath I pray you that you read, Of this mattere which that we have on hand.

God grante you your life freely to lead In freedom, for full hard is to be bond.

 

Notes to L’Envoy of Chaucer to Bukton.

 

1. Tyrwhitt, founding on the reference to the Wife of Bath, places this among Chaucer’s latest compositions; and states that one Peter de Bukton held the office of king’s escheator for Yorkshire in 1397. In some of the old editions, the verses were made the Envoy to the Book of the Duchess Blanche — in very bad taste, when we consider that the object of that poem was to console John of Gaunt under the loss of his wife.

 

2. “But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.” 1 Cor. vii. 9

 

3. Lever to be taken in Frise: better to be taken prisoner in Friesland — where probably some conflict was raging at the time.

 

A BALLAD OF GENTLENESS.

 

THE firste stock-father of gentleness, <1>

What man desireth gentle for to be,

Must follow his trace, and all his wittes dress, apply Virtue to love, and vices for to flee; For unto virtue longeth dignity,

And not the reverse, safely dare I deem, *All wear he* mitre, crown, or diademe. whether he wear

 

This firste stock was full of righteousness, True of his word, sober, pious, and free, Clean of his ghost, and loved business, pure of spirit

Against the vice of sloth, in honesty; And, but his heir love virtue as did he, He is not gentle, though he riche seem, All wear he mitre, crown, or diademe.

 

Vice may well be heir to old richess,

But there may no man, as men may well see, Bequeath his heir his virtuous nobless; That is appropried* to no degree, *specially reserved But to the first Father in majesty,

Which makes his heire him that doth him queme, please All wear he mitre, crown, or diademe.

 

Notes to A Ballad of Gentleness

 

1. The firste stock-father of gentleness: Christ THE COMPLAINT OF CHAUCER TO HIS PURSE.

 

To you, my purse, and to none other wight, Complain I, for ye be my lady dear!

I am sorry