|
Yis, certes, lo, thise stories beren witnesse, |
| 660 | Whan thritty tirauntz, ful of cursednesse, |
| Hadde slayn Phidoun in Atthenes, at feste, |
| They comanded hise doghtres for tareste, |
| And bryngen hem biforn hem in despit, |
| Al naked, to fulfille hir foul delit, |
| 665 | And in hir fadres blood they made hem daunce |
| Upon the pavement, God yeve hem meschaunce! |
| For which thise woful maydens ful of drede, |
| Rather than they wolde lese hir maydenhede, |
| They prively been stirt into a welle |
| 670 | And dreynte hemselven, as the bookes telle. |
|
| Yes, truly, lo, these stories bear witness; |
| 660 | When thirty tyrants, full of wickedness, |
| Had Phido slain in Athens, at a feast, |
| They gave command his daughters to arrest, |
| And had them brought before them, for despite, |
| All naked, to fulfill their foul delight, |
| 665 | And in their father's blood they made them dance |
| Upon the pavement - God give them mischance! |
| For which these woeful maidens, full of dread, |
| Rather than they should lose their maidenhead, |
| Unseen they all leaped down into a well |
| 670 | And drowned themselves therein, as old books tell. |
|
