Previous Previous:
From Troilus and Criseyde, Book II, lines 148-217:
Pandarus tells about Ector and Troilus
Previous
Librarius Homepage
© Librarius
All rights reserved.


Geoffrey Chaucer (1342 - 1400):
Troilus and Criseyde
Book II, lines 218-322: Pandarus reveals Troilus' crush on Criseyde


Whan that hir tale al brought was to an ende,
Of hire estat and of hir governaunce,
220Quod Pandarus, `Now is it tyme I wende;
But yet, I seye, aryseth, lat us daunce,
And cast your widwes habit to mischaunce:
What list yow thus your-self to disfigure,
Sith yow is tid thus fair an aventure?'

225`A! Wel bithought! For love of God,' quod she,
`Shal I not witen what ye mene of this?'
`No, this thing axeth layser,' tho quod he,
`And eek me wolde muche greve, ywis,
If I it tolde, and ye it toke amis.
230Yet were it bet my tonge for to stille
Than seye a sooth that were ayeins your wille.

`For, nece, by the goddesse Minerve,
And Juppiter, that maketh the thonder ringe,
And by the blisful Venus that I serve,
235Ye been the womman in this world livyng,
Withoute paramours, to my wityng,
That I best love, and lothest am to greve,
And that ye witen wel yourself, I leve.'

`Ywis, myn uncle,' quod she, `grant mercy;
240Your freendship have I founden ever yit;
I am to no man holden trewely,
So muche as yow, and have so litel quit;
And, with the grace of God, emforth my wit,
As in my gilt I shal you never offende;
245And if I have er this, I wol amende.

`But, for the love of God, I yow beseche,
As ye ben he that I love most and triste,
Lat be to me your fremde manere speche,
And sey to me, your nece, what yow liste:'
250And with that word hir uncle anoon hir kiste,
And seyde, `Gladly, leve nece dere,
Tak it for good that I shal seye yow here.'

With that she gan hir eiyen doun to caste,
And Pandarus to coghe gan a lyte,
255And seyde, `Nece, alwey, lo! To the laste,
How-so it be that som men hem delite
With subtil art hir tales for to endite,
Yet for al that, in hir entencioun
Hir tale is al for som conclusioun.

260`And sithe th'ende is every tales strengthe,
And this matere is so bihovely,
What sholde I peynte or drawen it on lengthe
To yow, that been my freend so feithfully?'
And with that word he gan right inwardly
265Biholden hir, and loken on hir face,
And seyde, `On suche a mirour goode grace!'

Than thoughte he thus: `If I my tale endyte
Ought hard, or make a proces any whyle,
She shal no savour han therin but lyte,
270And trowe I wolde hir in my wil bigyle.
For tendre wittes wenen al be wyle
Ther-as they can nat pleynly understonde;
For-thy hir wit to serven wol I fonde --'

And loked on hir in a besy wyse,
275And she was war that he byheld hir so,
And seyde, `Lord! So faste ye me avyse!
Sey ye me never er now? What sey ye, no?'
`Yes, yes,' quod he, `and bet wole er I go;
But, by my trouthe, I thoughte now if ye
280Be fortunat, for now men shal it see.

`For to every wight som goodly aventure
Som tyme is shape, if he it can receyven;
And if that he wol take of it no cure,
Whan that it commeth, but wilfully it weyven,
285Lo, neither cas nor fortune him deceyven,
But right his verray slouthe and wrecchednesse;
And swich a wight is for to blame, I gesse.

`Good aventure, O bele nece, have ye
Ful lightly founden, and ye conne it take;
290And, for the love of God, and eek of me,
Cacche it anoon, lest aventure slake.
What sholde I lenger proces of it make?
Yif me your hond, for in this world is noon,
If that yow list, a wight so wel begoon.

295`And sith I speke of good entencioun,
As I to yow have told wel here-biforn,
And love as wel your honour and renoun
As creature in al this world y-born;
By alle the othes that I have yow sworn,
300And ye be wrooth therfore, or wene I lye,
Ne shal I never seen yow eft with ye.

`Beth nought agast, ne quaketh nat; wher-to?
Ne chaungeth nat for fere so your hewe;
For hardely the werste of this is do;
305And though my tale as now be to yow newe,
Yet trist alwey, ye shal me finde trewe;
And were it thing that me thoughte unsittinge,
To yow nolde I no swiche tales bringe.'

`Now, my good em, for Goddes love, I preye,'
310Quod she, `com of, and tel me what it is;
For bothe I am agast what ye wol seye,
And eek me longeth it to wite, y-wis.
For whether it be wel or be amis,
Say on, lat me not in this fere dwelle:'
315`So wol I doon; now herkneth, I shal telle:

`Now, nece myn, the kinges dere sone,
The goode, wyse, worthy, fresshe, and free,
Which alwey for to do wel is his wone,
The noble Troilus, so loveth thee,
320That, bot ye helpe, it wol his bane be.
Lo, here is al, what sholde I more seye?
Doth what yow list, to make him live or deye.



Next Next:
From Troilus and Criseyde, Book II, lines 323-385:
Pandarus says that he and Troilus will kill themself if Criseyde does not answer Troilus' love
Next