For which1 Creseidè must out of the town,
And Troilus shall dwell henceforth in pine,2
Till Lachesis his thread no longer twine.
The golden-tressèd Phoebus high on loft
Thrice haddè allè with his beamès clear
The snowès molt,3 and Zephyrus as oft
Y-brought again the tender leavès green,
Since that the son of Hecuba the queen
Began to love her first, for whom his sorrow
Was all that she departè should a-morrow.
Full ready was at primè Diomede
Creseid unto the Greekès' host to lead;
For sorrow of which she felt her heartè bleed,
As she that wist ne what was best to rede.1
And truèly, as men in bookès read,
Men wistè never woman had the care,5
Ne was so loth out of a town to fare.6
This Troilus withouten rede or lore,7
As man that hath his joyes eke forlore,8
Was waiting on his lady evermore,
As she that was soothfast, and crop1o and more
Of all his lust or joyès heretofore.
But, Troilus, now farewell all thy joy;
For thou shalt never see her eft11 in Troy ! . .
Creseidè, when she ready was to ride,
Full sorrowfully she sighed, and said "Alas!”
But forth she mote for aught that may betide;
And forth she rode full sorrowfully apace.
There is no other remedy in this case.
What wonder is though that her sorè smart
When one forgoeth her own sweetè heart!
This Troilus, in guise of courtesy,
With hawk on hand, and with an hugè rout
Of knightès, rode and did her company ;12
Passing all the valley far without;
And farther would have ridden, out of doubt,
Full fain;13 and wo was him to gone so soon;
But turn he must, and it was eke to done.14
1 In accordance with which destiny.
4 Advise.
8 Lost utterly. 12 Accompany.
5 So much care.
9 Truthful.
13 Willingly.
7 Quite beside himself. 11 After this day.
And therewithal he must his leavè take;
And cast his eye upon her pitously,
And near he rode, his causè1 for to make,
To take her by the hand all soberly;
And, Lord, so gan she weepen2 tenderly !
And he full soft and slyly gan her sey3
"Now, hold your day, and do me not to die." .
With that his courser turnèd he about,
With face all pale; and unto Diomede
No word he spake, ne none of all his rout:
Of which the son of Tydeus" took heed,—
As he that couthès more than the creed
In such a craft,—and by the rein her hent ;8
And Troilus to Troyè homewards went.
On morrow, as soon as day began to clear,
This Troilus gan of his sleep abraid,
And to Pandarus, his own brother dear,
"For love of God," full pitously he said,
"As9 go we seen the palace of Creseid;
For, since we yet may have no morè feast,
So let us seen her palace at the least!"
And therewithal, his meinie for to blend,10
A cause he found in townè for to go,
And to Creseidè's housè they gan wend;
But, Lord, this sely11 Troilus was wo!
Him thought his sorrowful heartè brast atwo ;12
For, when he saw her doorès sparrèd13 all,
Well nigh for sorrow adown he gan to fall.
Therewith, when he was ware, and gan behold
How shut was every window of the place,
As frost him thought his heartè gan to cold;
For which, with changed deadly palè face,
Withouten word he forth-by gan to pace,
And, as God would, he gan so faste ride
That no wight of his countenance espied.
1 Formerly.
5 Guide.
9 Kindly.
Then said he thus: "O palace desolate,
O house of houses, whilom1 best y-hight,2
O palace, empty and disconsolate,
O thou lantern of which queint3 is the light,
O palace, whilom day that now art night,
Well oughtest thou to fall, and I to die,
Since she is went that wont was us to gie !5
"O palace, whilom crown of houses all,
Enluminèd with sun of allè bliss!
O ring of which the ruby is out-fall!
O cause of wo that cause hast been of bliss!
Yet, since I may no bet,6 fain would I kiss
Thy coldè doorès,-durst I for this rout ;7
And farewell shrine of which the saint is out!"
Therewith he cast on Pandarus his eye,
With changed face and pitous to behold;
And, when he might his time aright aspie,
Aye as he rode to Pandarus he told
His newè sorrow, and eke his joyès old,
So pitously and with so dead an hue
That every wight might on his sorrow rue.
Fro thennesforth he rideth up and down,
And everything came him to remembrance
As he rode forth by places of the town
In which he whilom had all his pleasance.
"Lo, yonder saw I mine own lady dance;
And in that temple with her eyen clear
Me caughtè first mine own right lady dear.
"And yonder have I heard full lustily
My dearè heartè laugh; and yonder play
Saw I her onès eke full blissfully;
And yonder onès to me gan she say:
'Now, good sweet, loveth me well, I pray !'
And yond so goodly9 gan she me behold
That to the death mine heart is to her hold.10
And at the corner, in the yonder house,
Heard I mine alderlevest11 lady dear,
So womanly, with voice melodious,
3 Extinguished.
7 Rabble.
11 Dearest of all.
Singen so well, so goodly, and so clear,
That in my soul yet me thinketh I hear
The blissful soun;1 and in that yonder place
My lady first me took unto her grace.”
FROM THE ASSEMBLY OF FOWLS.
When I was come again into the place
That I of spake, that was so sweet and green,
Forth walked I then myselven to solace.
Then was I ware where that there sate a queen
That, as of light the summer sonnè sheen2
Passeth the star, right so over measure
She fairer was than any creature.
And in a land,3 upon an hill of flowers,
Was set this noble goddess of Nature';
Of branches were her hallès and her bowers
Y-wrought, after her craft and her measure.
Never was fowl that cometh of engendure1
That they ne were all prest" in her presence,
To take their doom and give her audience.
For this was on Saint Valentinès day,
When every bird cometh to choose his make,
Of every kindè that men thinkè may,
And that so huge a noisè gan they make
That earth, and tree, and sea, and every lake,
So full was that unnethè? there was space
For me to stand: so full was all the place.
And right as Aleyn, in the Plaint of Kind,
Deviseth Nature in array and face,
In such array men mightè her there find.
This noble emperessè full of grace
Bade every fowl to take his owen place,
As they were wont alway from year to year,
Saint Valentinès day, to standè there.
That is to say, the fowlès of ravine9
Were highest set; and then the fowlès small,
That eaten as that nature wold encline
8 Aleyn, a twelfth-century writer, author of a Latin poem, the title of which is here given in English.
Of worm or thing of which I tell no tale ;
And water fowl sat lowest in the dale;
But fowls that live by seed sat on the green,
And that so fele' that wonder was to seen.
There mightè men the royal Eagle find,
That with his sharpè look pierceth the sun,
And other eagles of a lower kind
Of which that clerkès2 well devisen con:
There was the Tyrant, with his feathers dun
And grey,-I mean the Gos-hawk, that doth pine
To birdès for his outrageous ravine.
The gentle Falcon, that with his feet distraineth3
The kingès hand; the hardy Spar-hawk eke,
The quailès foe; the Merlion, that paineth
Himself full oft the larkè for to seek:
There was the Dovè with her eyen meek;
The jealous Swan, against his death that singeth ;
The Owl eke, that of death the bode-word bringeth;
The Crane giant, with his trompe's soun;5
The thiefè Chough, and eke the jangling Pie;
The scorning Jay; the eelès foe, Heroun ;6
The falsè Lapwing, full of treacherie ;
The Starling, that the counsel can bewrie ;7
The tame Ruddock, and the coward Kite;
The Cock, that orloge is of thorpès lite ;9
The Sparrow, Venus' son; the Nightingale,
That clepeth10 forth the greenè leavès new;
The Swallow, murderer of the fliès small
That maken honey of flowers fresh of hue;
The wedded Turtle, with her heartè true;
The Peacock, with his angel feathers bright;
The Pheasant, scorner of the Cock by night;
The waker Goose; the Cuckoo most unkind;
The Popinjay, full of delicacy;
The Drake, destroyer of his owen kind;
The Stork, the wreaker of adultery;
The hot Cormeraunt, full of gluttony;
The Raven wise; the Crow, with voice of care;
The Throstle old; the frosty Feldefare.
4 A species of hawk. 8 Red-breast.
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