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

yellow, glittering as the sun.

His nose was high, his eyen bright citrine, pale yellow His lips were round, his colour was sanguine, A fewe fracknes* in his face y-sprent*, freckles **sprinkled Betwixte yellow and black somedeal y-ment mixed <59>

And as a lion he *his looking cast* cast about his eyes

Of five and twenty year his age I cast reckon His beard was well begunnen for to spring; His voice was as a trumpet thundering.

Upon his head he wore of laurel green

A garland fresh and lusty to be seen;

Upon his hand he bare, for his delight, An eagle tame, as any lily white.

An hundred lordes had he with him there, All armed, save their heads, in all their gear, Full richely in alle manner things.

For trust ye well, that earles, dukes, and kings Were gather’d in this noble company,

For love, and for increase of chivalry.

About this king there ran on every part Full many a tame lion and leopart.

And in this wise these lordes *all and some* all and sundry

Be on the Sunday to the city come

Aboute prime<60>, and in the town alight.

 

This Theseus, this Duke, this worthy knight When he had brought them into his city, And inned* them, ev’reach at his degree, lodged He feasteth them, and doth so great labour To easen them*, and do them all honour, make them comfortable

That yet men weene* that no mannes wit think Of none estate could amenden it. *improve The minstrelsy, the service at the feast, The greate giftes to the most and least, The rich array of Theseus’ palace,

Nor who sate first or last upon the dais.<61>

What ladies fairest be, or best dancing Or which of them can carol best or sing, Or who most feelingly speaketh of love; What hawkes sitten on the perch above, What houndes liggen* on the floor adown, *lie Of all this now make I no mentioun

But of th’effect; that thinketh me the best Now comes the point, and hearken if you lest. please The Sunday night, ere day began to spring, When Palamon the larke hearde sing,

Although it were not day by houres two, Yet sang the lark, and Palamon right tho* then With holy heart, and with an high courage, Arose, to wenden on his pilgrimage *go Unto the blissful Cithera benign,

I meane Venus, honourable and digne*. worthy And in her hour <62> he walketh forth a pace Unto the listes, where her temple was, And down he kneeleth, and with humble cheer *demeanour And hearte sore, he said as ye shall hear.

 

“Fairest of fair, O lady mine Venus,

Daughter to Jove, and spouse of Vulcanus, Thou gladder of the mount of Citheron!<41>

For thilke love thou haddest to Adon <63>

Have pity on my bitter teares smart,

And take mine humble prayer to thine heart.

Alas! I have no language to tell

Th’effecte, nor the torment of mine hell; Mine hearte may mine harmes not betray; I am so confused, that I cannot say.

But mercy, lady bright, that knowest well My thought, and seest what harm that I feel.

Consider all this, and *rue upon* my sore, take pity on

As wisly* as I shall for evermore *truly Enforce my might, thy true servant to be, And holde war alway with chastity:

That make I mine avow*, so ye me help. vow, promise I keepe not of armes for to yelp, boast Nor ask I not to-morrow to have victory, Nor renown in this case, nor vaine glory Of prize of armes*, blowing up and down, praise for valour

But I would have fully possessioun

Of Emily, and die in her service;

Find thou the manner how, and in what wise.

I recke not but it may better be do not know whether

To have vict’ry of them, or they of me, So that I have my lady in mine arms.

For though so be that Mars is god of arms, Your virtue is so great in heaven above, That, if you list, I shall well have my love.

Thy temple will I worship evermo’,

And on thine altar, where I ride or go, I will do sacrifice, and fires bete*. *make, kindle And if ye will not so, my lady sweet,

Then pray I you, to-morrow with a spear That Arcita me through the hearte bear Then reck I not, when I have lost my life, Though that Arcita win her to his wife.

This is th’ effect and end of my prayere, —

Give me my love, thou blissful lady dear.”

When th’ orison was done of Palamon,

His sacrifice he did, and that anon,

Full piteously, with alle circumstances, *All tell I not as now* his observances. although I tell not now

But at the last the statue of Venus shook, And made a signe, whereby that he took That his prayer accepted was that day.

For though the signe shewed a delay,

Yet wist he well that granted was his boon; And with glad heart he went him home full soon.

 

The third hour unequal <64> that Palamon Began to Venus’ temple for to gon,

Up rose the sun, and up rose Emily,

And to the temple of Dian gan hie.

Her maidens, that she thither with her lad, led Th’ incense, the clothes, and the remnant all That to the sacrifice belonge shall,

The hornes full of mead, as was the guise; There lacked nought to do her sacrifice.

Smoking* the temple full of clothes fair, *draping <65>

This Emily with hearte debonnair gentle Her body wash’d with water of a well.

But how she did her rite I dare not tell; But* it be any thing in general; unless And yet it were a game to hearen all pleasure To him that meaneth well it were no charge: But it is good a man to be at large*. do as he will

Her bright hair combed was, untressed all.

A coronet of green oak cerriall <66>

Upon her head was set full fair and meet.

Two fires on the altar gan she bete,

And did her thinges, as men may behold In Stace of Thebes <67>, and these bookes old.

When kindled was the fire, with piteous cheer Unto Dian she spake as ye may hear.

 

“O chaste goddess of the woodes green, To whom both heav’n and earth and sea is seen, Queen of the realm of Pluto dark and low, Goddess of maidens, that mine heart hast know Full many a year, and wost* what I desire, knowest To keep me from the vengeance of thine ire, That Actaeon aboughte cruelly: *earned; suffered from Chaste goddess, well wottest thou that I Desire to be a maiden all my life,

Nor never will I be no love nor wife.

I am, thou wost*, yet of thy company, *knowest A maid, and love hunting and venery, field sports And for to walken in the woodes wild,

And not to be a wife, and be with child.

Nought will I know the company of man.

Now help me, lady, since ye may and can, For those three formes <68> that thou hast in thee.

And Palamon, that hath such love to me, And eke Arcite, that loveth me so sore, This grace I pray thee withoute more,

As sende love and peace betwixt them two: And from me turn away their heartes so, That all their hote love, and their desire, And all their busy torment, and their fire, Be queint*, or turn’d into another place. *quenched And if so be thou wilt do me no grace, Or if my destiny be shapen so

That I shall needes have one of them two, So send me him that most desireth me.

Behold, goddess of cleane chastity,

The bitter tears that on my cheekes fall.

Since thou art maid, and keeper of us all, My maidenhead thou keep and well conserve, And, while I live, a maid I will thee serve.

 

The fires burn upon the altar clear,

While Emily was thus in her prayere:

But suddenly she saw a sighte quaint*. strange For right anon one of the fire’s queint And quick’d* again, and after that anon went out and revived

That other fire was queint, and all agone: And as it queint, it made a whisteling, As doth a brande wet in its burning.

And at the brandes end outran anon

As it were bloody droppes many one:

For which so sore aghast was Emily,

That she was wellnigh mad, and gan to cry, For she ne wiste what it signified;

But onely for feare thus she cried,

And wept, that it was pity for to hear.

And therewithal Diana gan appear

With bow in hand, right as an hunteress, And saide; “Daughter, stint* thine heaviness. *cease Among the goddes high it is affirm’d,

And by eternal word writ and confirm’d, Thou shalt be wedded unto one of tho those That have for thee so muche care and woe: But unto which of them I may not tell.

Farewell, for here I may no longer dwell.

The fires which that on mine altar brenn, burn Shall thee declaren, ere that thou go henne, hence Thine aventure of love, as in this case.”

And with that word, the arrows in the case quiver Of the goddess did clatter fast and ring, And forth she went, and made a vanishing, For which this Emily astonied was,

And saide; “What amounteth this, alas!

I put me under thy protection,

Diane, and in thy disposition.”

And home she went anon the nexte* way. *nearest This is th’ effect, there is no more to say.

 

The nexte hour of Mars following this

Arcite to the temple walked is

Of fierce Mars, to do his sacrifice

With all the rites of his pagan guise.

With piteous* heart and high devotion *pious Right thus to Mars he said his orison

“O stronge god, that in the regnes* old realms Of Thrace honoured art, and lord y-hold held And hast in every regne, and every land Of armes all the bridle in thine hand, And them fortunest as thee list devise, send them fortune Accept of me my piteous sacrifice. as you please*

If so be that my youthe may deserve,

And that my might be worthy for to serve Thy godhead, that I may be one of thine, Then pray I thee to *rue upon my pine, pity my anguish*

For thilke* pain, and thilke hote fire, that In which thou whilom burned’st for desire Whenne that thou usedest the beauty *enjoyed Of faire young Venus, fresh and free,

And haddest her in armes at thy will:

And though thee ones on a time misfill, were unlucky When Vulcanus had caught thee in his las, net <69>

And found thee ligging* by his wife, alas! lying For thilke sorrow that was in thine heart, Have ruth as well upon my paine’s smart. pity I am young and unconning, as thou know’st, ignorant, simple And, as I trow, with love offended most *believe That e’er was any living creature:

For she, that doth* me all this woe endure, causes Ne recketh ne’er whether I sink or fleet *swim And well I wot, ere she me mercy hete, promise, vouchsafe I must with strengthe win her in the place: And well I wot, withoute help or grace Of thee, ne may my strengthe not avail: Then help me, lord, to-morr’w in my bataille, For thilke fire that whilom burned thee, As well as this fire that now burneth me; And do* that