Geoffrey Chaucer (ca. 1343-1400)
Troilus and Criseyde: Book II
(excerpt)
From Book II
596With this he took his leve, and hom he wente;
597And lord, so he was glad and wel bygon!
598Criseyde aroos, no lenger she ne stente,
599But streght in-to hire closet wente anon,
600And set hire doun as stylle as any ston,
601And every word gan up and doun to wynde,
602That he hadde seyd, as it com hire to mynde;
603And wex somdel astoned in hire thought,
604Right for the newe cas; but whan that she
605Was ful avysed, tho fond she right nought
606Of peril, why she ought afered be,
607For man may love, of possibilite,
608A womman so, his herte may to-breste,
609And she naught love ayein, but-if hire leste.
610But as she sat allone and thoughte thus,
611Ascry aroos at scarmuch al with-oute,
612And men cryde in the strete, "Se, Troilus
613Hath right now put to flighte the Grekes route!"
614With that gan al hire meyné for to shoute,
615"A! go we see; caste up the latis wyde;
616For thorugh this strete he moot to paleys ryde;
617"For other wey is fro the yate noon
618Of Dardanus, ther opyn is the cheyne."
619With that com he and al his folk anoon
620An esy pas rydynge, in routes tweyne,
621Right as his happy day was, sooth to seyne,
622For which, men seyn, may nought distourbed be
623That shal bityden of necessitee.
624This Troilus sat on his baye steede,
625Al armed, save his hed, ful richely,
626And wownded was his hors, and gan to blede,
627On whiche he rood a pas, ful softely,
628But swych a knyghtly sighte, trewely,
629As was on hym was nought, withouten faille,
630To loke on Mars, that god is of bataille.
631So lik a man of armes and a knyght
632He was to seen, fulfilled of heigh prowesse;
633For bothe he hadde a body and a myght
634To doon that thing, as wel as hardynesse;
635And eek to seen hym in his gere hym dresse,
636So fressh, so yong, so weldy semed he,
637It was an heven up-on hym for to see.
638His helm to-hewen was in twenty places,
639That by a tyssew heng, his bak byhynde;
640His sheld to-dasshed was with swerdes and maces,
641In which men myghte many an arwe fynde
642That thirled hadde horn and nerf and rynde;
643And ay the peple cryde, "Here cometh oure joye,
644And, next his brother, holder up of Troye!"
645For which he wex a litel reed for shame,
646Whan he the peple up-on hym herde cryen,
647That to byholde it was a noble game,
648How sobreliche he caste doun his ÿen.
649Cryseÿda gan al his chere aspien,
650And leet it so softe yn hir herte synke,
651That to hireself she seyde, "Who yaf me drynke?"
652For of hire owen thought she wex al reed,
653Remembryng hire right thus, "Lo, this is he
654Which that myn uncle swerith he moot be deed,
655But I on hym have mercy and pitee."
656And with that thought, for pure ashamed, she
657Gan in hir hed to pulle, and that as faste,
658Whil he and all the peple forby paste.
659And gan to caste and rollen up and doun
660With-inne hir thought his excellent prowesse,
661And his estat, and also his renown,
662His wit, his shap, and eek his gentillesse;
663But moost hir favour was, for his distresse
664Was al for hire, and thoughte it was a routhe
665To sleen swich oon, if that he mente trouthe.
666Now myghte som envious jangle thus:
667"This was a sodeyn love; how myght it be
668That she so lightly loved Troilus
669Right for the firste syghte; ye, pardé?"
670Now who-so seith so, mote he never ythé!
671For everything, a gynnyng hath it nede
672Er al be wrought, with-outen any drede.
673For I sey nought that she so sodeynly
674Yaf hym hire love, but that she gan enclyne
675To like him first, and I have told yow whi;
676And after that, his manhod and his pyne
677Made love with-inne hire herte for to myne,
678For which, by proces and by good servyse,
679He gat hire love, and in no sodeyn wyse.
Notes
596] Troilus, overcome by love, has confided in his friend Pandarus, Criseyde's uncle. The latter has visited Criseyde at her house and urged her to accept Troilus as a lover.
597] wel bygon. Happy. Cf. woe-begone.
598] stente. Stinted, stopped, delayed.
603] somdel. Somewhat.
605] Was ful avysed. Had fully considered.
tho. Then.
608] to-breste. Burst in pieces.
609] but-if hir leste. Unless it please her.
611] Ascry. Alarm.
scarmuch. Skirmish.
614] meyni. Household.
615] latis. Lattice. Root and Robinson read yatis (gates), Oxford and Globe eds. latis. Though found in only one MS. the latter seems more appropriate here.
618] ther. Where.
621] As was his good fortune.
627] a pas. (At) a foot-pace.
636] weldy. Active.
638] to-hewen. Cut through.
639] lyssew. Woven cord.
642] thiried. Pierced.
nerf. Sinew.
rynde. Outer surface.
645] Wex reed. Turned red.
649] chereAppearance.
651] Who yaf me drunken Who has given me a love-potion?
654] moot be, deed. Must die.
655] But. Unless.
656] for pure ashamed. For very shame.
657] as faste. As fast as possible.
659] caste. Consider,
661] estat. Rank.
663] for. Because.
664] routhe. Pity.
665] to sleen twich oon. To slay such a one.
666] envious. Malicious (person).
670] mote he never ythé! May he never thrive!
671] nede. Of necessity.
672] drede. Doubt.
674] yaf. Gave.
678] by proces. By the course of time and events.
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
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