8 Peneie and ek Spercheidos. Peneie and eke Spercheidos. To hem sche wente and ther sche nom1 Bothe of the water and the fom, The sond and ek the smale stones, In daies and in nyhtes nyne, Hir char sche let awai to gon, And tok out ferst that was therinne; 5 Of art magique and the maistresse, As sche which dede hir hole entente.7 A wether which was blak sche slouh,10 9 And dede 12 into the pettes 9 tuo; Warm melk sche putte also therto With hony meynd; 13 and in such wise Sche gan to make hir sacrifice. And cride and preide forth withal To Pluto, the god infernal, And to the queene Proserpine. And so sche soghte out al the line Of hem that longen to that craft, Behinde was no name laft,11 14 3 . 4011 4020 4030 4040 4050 4020 Nine days and nights had passed before, As she that was with air enclosed With which anon, without delay, To Pluto, god of all below, And to the queen's self, Proserpine. And so she sought out all the line Of those that to that craft belong Forgot she none of all the throng 4050 AE JOHN GOWER So that with spellinge of hir charmes Sche took Eson in both hire armes, And made him forto slepe faste, And him upon hire herbes caste. The blake wether tho sche tok, And hiewh the fleissh, as doth a cok; On either alter part sche leide, And with the charmes that sche seide A fyr doun fro the sky alyhte And made it forto brenne lyhte. Bot whan Medea sawh it brenne, Anon sche gan to sterte and renne 5 The fyri aulters al aboute. 6 Ther was no beste which goth oute More wylde than sche semeth ther: Aboute hir schuldres hyng hir her, As thogh sche were oute of hir mynde And torned in an other kynde.7 Tho 2 lay ther certein wode cleft, Of which the pieces nou and eft 3 Sche made hem in the pettes wete, And put hem in the fyri hete, And tok the brond with al the blase, And thries sche began to rase Aboute Eson, ther-as he slepte; And eft with water, which sche kepte, Sche made a cercle aboute him thries, And eft with fyr of sulphre twyes. Ful many an other thing sche dede, Which is noght writen in this stede.10 Bot tho 2 sche ran so up and doun, Sche made many a wonder soun, Somtime lich 11 unto the cock, Somtime unto the laverock,12 Somtime kacleth as a hen, Somtime spekth as don the men; 4060 4070 4080 4090 4100 And prayed them all, as she well could, To grant Eson his young manhood. This old Eson was brought forth, lo! Away she bade all others go, On peril of what might befall; And with that word then went in all, And left out there alone those two. Gasping and pacing, with much ado, She made her signs full many a one, And said her magic words thereon; So that with spelling of her charms She took Eson in both her arms, And caused him to sleep full fast, And on the herbs him sleeping cast. The wether black then next she took, And hewed the flesh as doth a cook; On either altar part she laid, And with the charms that she hath said A fire down from the sky did light And made the flesh to burn full bright. But when Medea saw it burn, Anon she leaped and ran in turn The fiery altars all about. There was no beast which goeth out More wild than she herself seemed there; About her shoulders hung her hair, As though she were out of her mind And turned into another kind. There certain wood lay cleft in twain, Of which the sticks, now and again, She made them in the pits full wet, And in the fiery heat them set; And took the brand with all the blaze, And thrice with it, as in a race, Ran about Eson as he slept, And then with water which she kept She made a circle round him thrice, And then with fire of sulphur twice. And other things she did, I wot, Which in this place are written not. But, running up and down the ground, She made full many a wondrous sound; Sometimes like unto the cock, Sometimes like the laverock, Sometimes cackleth as a hen, Sometimes speaketh as do men. And as she made her jargon strange, Her form in sundry wise did change, She seemed no woman but a fay; For with the crafts she did assay She was, as one might say, goddess. Б 7 nature now and again run hung 9 where 10 place 11 like 12 lark 13 becomes strange 8 14 fairy 4060 4070 4080 4090 4100 And what hir liste, more or lesse, Sche dede, in bokes as we finde, That passeth over manneskinde.1 Bot who that wole of wondres hiere, The which men hiere on nyhtes houle; Sche tok the hed with al the bile; 7 15 4110 4120 4130 4140 4150 1 that surpasses human nature 2 began 3 equipment 4 boil 5 bark 6 remedy 7 bill intestine And whatso pleased her, more or less, Of crafts like hers heard no man tell. Just as the moon had changed to new, When it was time her task to do, She laid a cauldron on the fire, In which was placed the mass entire At once there sprang up flower and grass, 55 4110 4120 4130 4140 4150 1 GEOFFREY CHAUCER The blod withinne, which was old And sek and trouble and fieble and cold. And tho sche tok unto his us Of herbes al the beste jus, And poured it into his wounde; That made his veynes fulle and sounde. And tho sche made his wounde clos, And tok his hand, and up he ros. And tho sche yaf 2 him drinke a drauhte, Of which his youthe ayein he cauhte, His hed, his herte and his visage 3 Lich unto twenty wynter age; Hise hore heres were away, And lich unto the freisshe Maii, Whan passed ben the colde schoures, Riht so recovereth he his floures. 4159 4170 4161 The blood within him, which was old And sick and troubled and feeble and cold. And then she took unto his use Of all the herbs the potent juice, And poured it all into his wound, That made his veins all full and sound; And then she made his wound to close; And took his hand, and he rose. up A draught to drink she gave him then, From which his youth he caught again, His head, his heart, and his visage, Like unto twenty winters' age; His hoary hairs vanished away; And like unto the lusty May, When passed are all the chilling showers, 4170 181 And neigh the dore, ay under shames drede, Simple of atyr, and debonaire of chere, With ful assured loking and manere. 185 This Troilus, as he was wont to gyde His yonge knightes, ladde hem up and doun In thilke1 large temple on every syde, Biholding ay the ladyes of the toun, Now here, now there, for no devocioun Hadde he to noon, to reven 2 him his reste, But gan to preyse and lakken 3 whom him leste.4 5 191 7 And in his walk full fast he gan to wayten 8 194 "I have herd told, pardieux, of your livinge, Ye lovers, and your lewede observaunces, And which a labour folk han 10 in winninge Of love, and in the keping which doutaunces; 11 5 meadow not 16 12 greatest more dearly 17 13 yea peerless 14 every one 18 especrowd 15 garment 19 space was 5 And whan your preye is lost, wo and pen aunces; nyce verrey foles! 12 and blinde be ye; 202 Ther nis 13 not oon can war 14 by other be." 1 that same observe sigh 7 feast 8 silly 11 perplexities 12 foolish 13 is not 14 cautious 606 And wex somdel 18 astonied in hir thought, 1as if to say 2 cruel 3 planned 4 avenged 5 made known 6 pluck 7 purpose 8 result overweening 10 constantly 11 I did not expect 12 food 13 fellows 14i.e. Pandarus 15 happy 16 delayed 17 her 18 somewhat 19 had considered thoroughly 20 then 21 burst 22 unless it please her 15 6 And ay the peple cryde, "Here cometh our joye, And, next his brother, holdere up of Troye!" For which he wex a litel reed for shame, 645 9 5 hide 1 the shout 2 crowd 3 household 4 lattice 5 must 7 where chain companies 10 gear, equipgate ment 11 active 12 cut through 14 sinew 13 pierced 15 |