RPO -- Geoffrey Chaucer : Troilus and Criseyde: Book I

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Geoffrey Chaucer (ca. 1343-1400)

Troilus and Criseyde: Book I

(excerpt)

From Book I

155And so bifel, whan comen was the tyme

156Of Aperil, whan clothéd is the mede

157With newe grene, of lusty Veer the pryme,

158And swote smellen floures white and rede,

159In sondry wises shewed, as I rede,

160The folk of Troie hir observaunces olde,

161Palladiones feste for to holde.

162And to the temple, in al hir beste wyse,

163In general ther wente many a wight,

164To herknen of Palladion the servyse;

165And namely, so many a lusty knyght,

166So many a lady fressh and mayden bright,

167Ful wel arayed, both meste, mene, and leste,

168Ye, bothe for the seson and the feste.

169Among thise othere folk was Criseyda,

170In widewes habit blak; but natheles,

171Right as our firste lettre is now an A,

172In beautee first so stood she, makeles;

173Hire goodly lokyng gladed al the prees.

174Nas nevere yet seyn thing to ben preysed derre,

175Nor under cloude blak so bright a sterre

176As was Criseyde, as folk seyde everichone

177That hir bihelden in hir blake wede;

178And yet she stood ful lowe and stille allone,

179Byhynden other folk, in litel brede,

180And neigh the dore, ay under shames drede,

181Simple of atir and debonaire of chere,

182With ful assured lokyng and manere.

183This Troilus, as he was wont to gide

184His yonge knyghtes, lad hem up and doun

185In thilke large temple on every side,

186Byholding ay the ladies of the town,

187Now here, now there; for no devoc{.i}oun

188Hadde he to non, to reven hym his reste,

189But gan to preise and lakken whom hym leste.

190And in his walk ful faste he gan to wayten

191If knyght or squyer of his compaignie

192Gan for to syke, or lete his eighen baiten

193On any womman that he koude espye;

194He wolde smyle, and holden it folye,

195And seye him thus, "God woot, she slepeth softe

196For love of the, whan thou turnest ful ofte!

197"I have herd told, pardieux, of your lyvynge,

198Ye loveres, and youre lewed observaunces,

199And which a labour folk han in wynnynge

200Of love, and in the kepyng which doutaunces;

201And whan your preye is lost, woo and penaunces.

202O veray fooles! nyce and blynde be ye!

203Ther nys nat oon kan war by other be."

204And with that word he gan cast up the browe,

205Ascaunces, "Loo! is this naught wisely spoken?"

206At which the god of love gan loken rowe

207Right for despit, and shop for to ben wroken.

208He kidde anoon his bowe nas naught broken;

209For sodeynly he hitte him atte fulle;

210And yet as proud a pekok kan he pulle!

211O blynde world, O blynde entenc{.i}oun!

212How often falleth al the effect contraire

213Of surquidrie and foul presumpc{.i}oun;

214For kaught is proud, and kaught is debonaire.

215This Troilus is clomben on the staire,

216And litel weneth that he moot descenden;

217But al-day faileth thing that fooles wenden.

218As proude Bayard gynneth for to skippe

219Out of the wey, so pryketh hym his corn,

220Til he a lasshe have of the longe whippe;

221Than thynketh he, "Though I praunce al byforn

222First in the trays, ful fat and newe shorn,

223Yet am I but an hors, and horses lawe

224I moot endure, and with my feres drawe."

Notes

155] A narrative poem in five books and over 8,000 lines extant in whole or in part in twenty 15th-century mss. First printed by Caxton about 1483. The poem was probably completed in 1385 or 1386. It is an adaptation and expansion of Boccaccio's poem Filostrato (ca. 1388) and is also indebted to Guido delle Colonne's prose Historia Trojana (1287) and Benoit de Sainte Maure's poem Le Roman de Troie (ca. 1160). Chaucer has developed the historical background, added a number of episodes, and altered Boccaccio's conception of the characters.
At the beginning of the poem, Calchas, priest of Apollo, foreseeing the destruction of Troy, has deserted to the Greeks, leaving in the city his daughter Criseyde, a widow.She is freed from suspicion of treason and is allowed to remain in all honour.

157] Veer: Latin Ver, spring.

158] swote: sweet.

161] Palladiones: the reference is to an image of Pallas. See Vergil, Aeneid, II.165.

167] both meste, mene, and leste: both the greatest, those of middle rank, and the lowest classes.

171] This is substituted for Boccaccio's statement that she surpassed other women as the rose does the violet. The change seems pointless unless there is a personal allusion, and it is probable that Chaucer, a courtly poet, is referring to Anne of Bohemia, who was married to Richard II, January 14, 1382. This would account for the use of now, which is otherwise hard to explain.

172] makeles: without a mate, peer.

174] nas: nothing was ever seen more worthy of being praised.

177] blake wede: black garment.

179] brede: breadth, space.

181] debonaire of chere: gracious in bearing.

183] Troilus: a son of King Priam.

185] thilke: for that ilke, the same.

188] reven him: take away from him.

189] lakken: blame. whom hym leste: whomever it pleased him.

190] wayten: watch, observe.

192] began to sigh or let his eyes feast.

197] pardieux: by the gods.

198] lewed: ignorant, foolish (OE lœwed, lay, unlearned).

199] which a: what a.

200] which doutaunces: what perplexities.

202] nyce: foolish (Latin nescius through Old French nice, silly).

203] There is no one (of you) who can be made wary or cautious by (the misfortunes) of others.

205] Ascaunces: as if to say.

206] rowe: angrily.

207] shop: planned. wroken: avenged.

208] kidde: made known (OE cyðan, past tense cyðde, cydde).

209] atte: at the.

213] surquidrie: arrogance.

214] debonaire: modest.

217] wenden: expected.

218] Bayard: a bay horse.

224] feres: companions.

Online text copyright © 2009, Ian Lancashire (the Department of English) and the University of Toronto.
Published by the Web Development Group, Information Technology Services, University of Toronto Libraries.

Original text: Possibly adapted from Robert Kilburn Root, ed., The Book of Troilus and Criseyde (Princeton University Press, 1926). PR 1895 .R6 Robarts Library. Possibly also W. W. Skeat, ed., The Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, 2nd edn. (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1899-1900): II.
First publication date: 1483
Publication date note: Caxton's edition.
RPO poem editor: N. J. Endicott
RP edition: 2RP.1.9; RPO 1996-2000.
Recent editing: 1:2002/6/8

Composition date: 1382 - 1386
Form: rhyme royal

Other poems by Geoffrey Chaucer