© Librarius All rights reserved. |
Pars sexta.
Sixth part
Fro Boloigne is this Erl of Panyk come, | |
940 | Of which the fame up sprang to moore and lesse, |
And in the peples eres, alle and some, | |
Was kouth eek that a newe markysesse | |
He with hym broghte, in swich pompe and richesse, | |
That nevere was ther seyn with mannes eye | |
945 | So noble array in al Westlumbardye. |
The markys, which that shoop and knew al this, | |
Er that this Erl was come, sente his message | |
For thilke sely povre Grisildis; | |
And she with humble herte and glad visage, | |
950 | Nat with no swollen thoght in hire corage |
Cam at his heste, and on hir knees hire sette, | |
And reverently and wysely she hym grette. |
"Grisilde," quod he, "my wyl is outrely | |
This mayden, that shal wedded been to me, | |
955 | Received be to-morwe as roially |
As it possible is in myn hous to be; | |
And eek that every wight in his degree | |
Have his estaat in sittyng and servyse | |
And heigh plesaunce, as I kan best devyse. |
960 | I have no wommen, suffisaunt, certayn, |
The chambres for t'arraye in ordinaunce | |
After my lust, and therfore wolde I fayn | |
That thyn were al swich manere governaunce; | |
Thou knowest eek of olde al my plesaunce, | |
965 | Thogh thyn array be badde and yvel biseye, |
Do thou thy devoir at the leeste weye." |
"Nat oonly lord, that I am glad," quod she, | |
"To doon your lust, but I desire also | |
Yow for to serve and plese in my degree | |
970 | Withouten feyntyng, and shal everemo. |
Ne nevere, for no wele ne no wo, | |
Ne shal the goost withinne myn herte stente | |
To love yow best with al my trewe entente." |
And with that word she gan the hous to dighte, | |
975 | And tables for to sette, and beddes make, |
And peyned hir to doon al that she myghte, | |
Preyynge the chambereres for Goddes sake | |
To hasten hem, and faste swepe and shake, | |
And she, the mooste servysable of alle, | |
980 | Hath every chambre arrayed, and his halle. |
Abouten undren gan this Erl alighte, | |
That with hym broghte thise noble children tweye, | |
For which the peple ran to seen the sighte | |
Of hire array, so richely biseye; | |
985 | And thanne at erst amonges hem they seye, |
That Walter was no fool, thogh that hym leste | |
To chaunge his wyf, for it was for the beste. |
"For she is fairer," as they deemen alle, | |
"Than is Grisilde, and moore tendre of age, | |
990 | And fairer fruyt bitwene hem sholde falle, |
And moore plesant for hir heigh lynage." | |
Hir brother eek so faire was of visage, | |
That hem to seen the peple hath caught plesaunce, | |
Commendynge now the markys governaunce. |
995 | "O stormy peple, unsad and evere untrewe! |
Ay undiscreet and chaungynge as a vane, | |
Delitynge evere in rumbul that is newe; | |
For lyk the moone ay wexe ye and wane, | |
Ay ful of clappyng, deere ynogh a jane, | |
1000 | Youre doom is fals, youre constance yvele preeveth, |
A ful greet fool is he that on yow leeveth!" |
Thus seyden sadde folk in that citee, | |
Whan that the peple gazed up and doun, | |
For they were glad right for the noveltee | |
1005 | To han a newe lady of hir toun. |
Namoore of this make I now mencioun, | |
But to Grisilde agayn wol I me dresse, | |
And telle hir constance and hir bisynesse. |
Ful bisy was Grisilde in every thyng | |
1010 | That to the feeste was apertinent. |
Right noght was she abayst of hir clothyng, | |
Thogh it were rude and somdeel eek torent, | |
But with glad cheere to the yate is went | |
With oother folk to greete the markysesse, | |
1015 | And after that dooth forth hir bisynesse. |
With so glad chiere hise gestes she receyveth, | |
And konnyngly everich in his degree, | |
That no defaute no man aperceyveth, | |
But ay they wondren what she myghte bee | |
1020 | That in so povre array was for to see, |
And koude swich honour and reverence; | |
And worthily they preisen hire prudence. |
In al this meenewhile she ne stente | |
This mayde and eek hir brother to commende | |
1025 | With al hir herte, in ful benyngne entente, |
So wel that no man koude hir pris amende | |
But atte laste, whan that thise lordes wende | |
To sitten doun to mete, he gan to calle | |
Grisilde, as she was bisy in his halle. |
1030 | "Grisilde," quod he, as it were in his pley, |
"How liketh thee my wyf and hir beautee?" | |
"Right wel," quod she, "my lord, for in good fey | |
A fairer saugh I nevere noon than she. | |
I prey to God yeve hir prosperitee, | |
1035 | And so hope I that he wol to yow sende |
Plesance ynogh unto youre lyves ende. |
O thyng biseke I yow, and warne also | |
That ye ne prikke with no tormentynge | |
This tendre mayden, as ye han doon mo; | |
1040 | For she is fostred in hir norissynge |
Moore tendrely, and to my supposynge | |
She koude nat adversitee endure, | |
As koude a povre fostred creature." |
And whan this Walter saugh hir pacience, | |
1045 | Hir glade chiere, and no malice at al, |
And he so ofte had doon to hir offence | |
And she ay sad and constant as a wal, | |
Continuynge evere hir innocence overal, | |
This sturdy markys gan his herte dresse | |
1050 | To rewen upon hir wyfly stedfastnesse. |
"This is ynogh Grisilde myn," quod he, | |
"Be now namoore agast, ne yvele apayed. | |
I have thy feith and thy benyngnytee | |
As wel as evere womman was, assayed | |
1055 | In greet estaat, and povreliche arrayed; |
Now knowe I, goode wyf, thy stedfastnesse!" | |
And hire in armes took, and gan hir kesse. |
And she for wonder took of it no keep. | |
She herde nat, what thyng he to hir seyde. | |
1060 | She ferde as she had stert out of a sleep, |
Til she out of hire mazednesse abreyde. | |
"Grisilde," quod he, "by God that for us deyde, | |
Thou art my wyf, ne noon oother I have, | |
Ne nevere hadde, as God my soule save. |
1065 | This is thy doghter which thou hast supposed |
To be my wyf; that oother feithfully | |
Shal be myn heir, as I have ay purposed; | |
Thou bare hym in thy body trewely. | |
At Boloigne have I kept hem prively. | |
1070 | Taak hem agayn, for now maystow nat seye |
That thou hast lorn noon of thy children tweye. |
And folk that ootherweys han seyd of me, | |
I warne hem wel that I have doon this deede | |
For no malice, ne for no crueltee, | |
1075 | But for t'assaye in thee thy wommanheede, |
And not to sleen my children - God forbeede! - | |
But for to kepe hem pryvely and stille, | |
Til I thy purpos knewe and al thy wille." |
Whan she this herde, aswowne doun she falleth | |
1080 | For pitous joye, and after hir swownynge |
She bothe hir yonge children unto hir calleth, | |
And in hir armes pitously wepynge | |
Embraceth hem, and tendrely kissynge | |
Ful lyk a mooder, with hir salte teeres | |
1085 | She bathed bothe hir visage and hir heeres. |
O, which a pitous thyng it was to se | |
Hir swownyng, and hir humble voys to heere! | |
"Grauntmercy, lord, that thanke I yow," quod she, | |
"That ye han saved me my children deere! | |
1090 | Now rekke I nevere to been deed right heere. |
Sith I stonde in your love and in your grace, | |
No fors of deeth, ne whan my spirit pace! |
O tendre, O deere, O yonge children myne! | |
Your woful mooder wende stedfastly | |
1095 | That crueel houndes, or som foul vermyne |
Hadde eten yow; but God of his mercy | |
And youre benyngne fader tendrely | |
Hath doon yow kept," - and in that same stounde | |
Al sodeynly she swapte adoun to grounde. |
1100 | And in hir swough so sadly holdeth she |
Hire children two, whan she gan hem t'embrace, | |
That with greet sleighte and greet difficultee | |
The children from hire arm they gonne arace. | |
O many a teere on many a pitous face | |
1105 | Doun ran, of hem that stooden hir bisyde; |
Unnethe abouten hir myghte they abyde. |
Walter hir gladeth, and hir sorwe slaketh, | |
She riseth up abaysed from hir traunce, | |
And every wight hir joye and feeste maketh, | |
1110 | Til she hath caught agayn hir contenaunce. |
Walter hire dooth so feithfully plesaunce, | |
That it was deyntee for to seen the cheere. | |
Bitwixe hem two, now they been met yfeere. |
Thise ladyes, whan that they hir tyme say, | |
1115 | Han taken hir and into chambre gon, |
And strepen hire out of hir rude array | |
And in a clooth of gold that brighte shoon, | |
With a coroune of many a riche stoon | |
Upon hir heed, they into halle hir broghte, | |
1120 | And ther she was honured as hire oghte. |
Thus hath this pitous day a blisful ende, | |
For every man and womman dooth his myght | |
This day in murthe and revel to dispende, | |
Til on the welkne shoon the sterres lyght. | |
1125 | For moore solempne in every mannes syght |
This feste was, and gretter of costage, | |
Than was the revel of hire mariage. |
Ful many a yeer in heigh prosperitee | |
Lyven thise two in concord and in reste. | |
1130 | And richely his doghter maryed he |
Unto a lord, oon of the worthieste | |
Of al Ytaille, and thanne in pees and reste | |
His wyves fader in his court he kepeth, | |
Til that the soule out of his body crepeth. |
1135 | His sone succedeth in his heritage |
In reste and pees, after his fader day, | |
And fortunat was eek in mariage- | |
Al putte he nat his wyf in greet assay; | |
This world is nat so strong, it is no nay, | |
1140 | As it hath been of olde tymes yoore. |
And herkneth what this auctour seith therfore. |
This storie is seyd, nat for that wyves sholde | |
Folwen Grisilde as in humylitee, | |
For it were inportable, though they wolde, | |
1145 | But for that every wight in his degree |
Sholde be constant in adversitee | |
As was Grisilde. Therfore Petrark writeth | |
This storie, which with heigh stile he enditeth. |
For sith a womman was so pacient | |
1150 | Unto a mortal man, wel moore us oghte |
Receyven al in gree that God us sent. | |
For greet skile is, he preeve that he wroghte. | |
But he ne tempteth no man that he boghte, | |
As seith Seint Jame, if ye his pistel rede; | |
1155 | He preeveth folk al day, it is no drede, |
And suffreth us, as for oure excercise, | |
With sharpe scourges of adversitee | |
Ful ofte to be bete in sondry wise, | |
Nat for to knowe oure wyl, for certes he | |
1160 | Er we were born knew al oure freletee, |
And for oure beste is al his governaunce. | |
Lat us thanne lyve in vertuous suffraunce. |
But o word, lordynges, herkneth er I go, | |
It were ful hard to fynde nowadayes | |
1165 | In al a toun Grisildis thre or two; |
For it that they were put to swiche assayes, | |
The gold of hem hath now so badde alayes | |
With bras, that thogh the coyne be fair at eye, | |
It wolde rather breste atwo than plye. |
1170 | For which, heere for the Wyves love of Bathe, |
Whos lyf and al hir seete God mayntene | |
In heigh maistrie, and elles were it scathe, | |
I wol with lusty herte fressh and grene | |
Seyn yow a song, to glade yow, I wene, | |
1175 | And lat us stynte of ernestful matere. |
Herkneth my song, that seith in this manere. |
Lenvoy de Chaucer |
Grisilde is deed, and eek hire pacience, | |
And bothe atones buryed in Ytaille, | |
For which I crie in open audience | |
1180 | No wedded man so hardy be t'assaille |
His wyves pacience, in hope to fynde | |
Grisildis, for in certein he shal faille. |
O noble wyves, ful of heigh prudence, | |
Lat noon humylitee youre tonge naille, | |
1185 | Ne lat no clerk have cause or diligence |
To write of yow a storie of swich mervaille | |
As of Grisildis, pacient and kynde, | |
Lest Chichivache yow swelwe in hire entraille! |
Folweth Ekko, that holdeth no silence, | |
1190 | But evere answereth at the countretaille; |
Beth nat bidaffed for youre innocence, | |
But sharply taak on yow the governaille. | |
Emprenteth wel this lessoun in youre mynde | |
For commune profit, sith it may availle. |
1195 | Ye archiwyves, stondeth at defense, |
Syn ye be strong as is a greet camaille. | |
Ne suffreth nat that men yow doon offense, | |
And sklendre wyves, fieble as in bataille, | |
Beth egre as is a tygre yond in Ynde, | |
1200 | Ay clappeth as a mille, I yow consaille. |
Ne dreed hem nat, doth hem no reverence, | |
For though thyn housbonde armed be in maille, | |
The arwes of thy crabbed eloquence | |
Shal perce his brest and eek his aventaille. | |
1205 | In jalousie I rede eek thou hym bynde, |
And thou shalt make hym couche as doth a quaille. |
If thou be fair, ther folk been in presence | |
Shewe thou thy visage and thyn apparaille; | |
If thou be foul, be fre of thy dispence, | |
1210 | To gete thee freendes ay do thy travaille, |
Be ay of chiere as light as leef on lynde, | |
And lat hym care, and wepe, and wryng, and waille. |
Bihoold the murye Wordes of the Hoost. |
This worthy clerk, whan ended was his tale, | |
Oure hoost seyde, and swoor by goddes bones, | |
1215 | Me were levere than a barel ale |
Me wyf at hoom had herd this legende ones; | |
This is a gentil tale for the nones, | |
As to my purpos, wiste ye my wille,- | |
But thyng that wol nat be, lat it be stille." |
Heere endeth the Tale of the Clerk of Oxenford. | © Librarius All rights reserved. |