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Now torne we ayein to Troilus, | |
That resteles ful longe abedde lay, | |
1585 | And pryvely sente after Pandarus, |
To him to come in al the haste he may. | |
He com anoon, nought ones seyde he `nay,' | |
And Troilus ful sobrely he grette, | |
And doun upon his beddes syde him sette. |
1590 | This Troilus, with al the affeccioun |
Of frendes love that herte may devyse, | |
To Pandarus on knowes fil adoun, | |
And er that he wolde of the place aryse, | |
He gan him thonken in his beste wyse; | |
1595 | An hondred sythe he gan the tyme blesse, |
That he was born, to bringe him fro distresse. |
He seyde, `O frend of frendes the alderbeste | |
That ever was, the sothe for to telle, | |
Thou hast in hevene ybrought my soule at reste | |
1600 | Fro Flegitoun, the fery flood of helle; |
That, though I mighte a thousand tymes selle, | |
Upon a day, my lyf in thy servyse, | |
It mighte nought a mote in that suffyse. |
`The sonne, which that al the world may see, | |
1605 | Saw never yet, my lyf, that dar I leye, |
So inly fayr and goodly as is she, | |
Whos I am al, and shal, til that I deye; | |
And, that I thus am hires, dar I seye, | |
That thanked be the heighe worthinesse | |
1610 | Of love, and eek thy kinde bisinesse. |
`Thus hastow me no litel thing yyive, | |
Fo which to thee obliged be for ay | |
My lyf, and why? For thorugh thyn help I live; | |
For elles deed hadde I be many a day.' | |
1615 | And with that word doun in his bed he lay, |
And Pandarus ful sobrely him herde | |
Til al was seyd, and than he thus answerde: |
`My dere frend, if I have doon for thee | |
In any cas, God woot, it is me leef; | |
1620 | And am as glad as man may of it be, |
God help me so; but tak now nat a-greef | |
That I shal seyn, be war of this mescheef, | |
That, there-as thou now brought art in-to blisse, | |
That thou thyself ne cause it nought to misse. |
1625 | `For of fortunes sharpe adversitee |
The worst kinde of infortune is this, | |
A man to have ben in prosperitee, | |
And it remembren, whan it passed is. | |
Thou art wys ynough, forthy do nought amis; | |
1630 | Be not to rakel, though thou sitte warme, |
For if thou be, certeyn, it wol thee harme. |
`Thou art at ese, and holde the wel therinne. | |
For also seur as reed is every fyr, | |
As greet a craft is kepe wel as winne; | |
1635 | Brydle alwey wel thy speche and thy desyr, |
For worldly Joye halt not but by a wyr; | |
That preveth wel, it brest alday so ofte; | |
For-thy nede is to werke with it softe.' |
Quod Troilus, `I hope, and God to-forn, | |
1640 | My dere frend, that I shal so me bere, |
That in my gilt ther shal no thing be lorn, | |
Ne I nil not rakle as for to greven here; | |
It nedeth not this matere ofte tere; | |
For wistestow myn herte wel, Pandare, | |
1645 | God woot, of this thou woldest litel care.' |
Tho gan he telle him of his glade night, | |
And wherof first his herte drede, and how, | |
And seyde, `Freend, as I am trewe knight, | |
And by that feyth I shal to God and yow, | |
1650 | I hadde it never half so hote as now; |
And ay the more that desyr me byteth | |
To love hir best, the more it me delyteth. |
`I noot myself not wisly what it is; | |
But now I fele a newe qualitee, | |
1655 | Ye, al another than I dide er this.' |
Pandare answerde, and seyde thus, that he | |
That ones may in hevene blisse be, | |
He feleth other weyes, dar I leye, | |
Than thilke tyme he first herde of it seye. |
Next: From Troilus and Criseyde, Book III, lines 1660-1694: Troilus, Criseyde and happiness |