Previous Previous:
From Troilus and Criseyde, Book III, lines 1555-1582:
Pandarus congratulates Criseyde and plays with her
Previous
Librarius Homepage
© Librarius
All rights reserved.


Geoffrey Chaucer (1342 - 1400):
Troilus and Criseyde
Book III, lines 1583-1659: Troilus thanks Pandarus for his concern


Now torne we ayein to Troilus,
That resteles ful longe abedde lay,
1585And 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.

1590This 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;
1595An 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
1600Fro 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,
1605Saw 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
1610Of 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.'
1615And 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;
1620And 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;
1630Be 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;
1635Brydle 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,
1640My 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,
1645God 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,
1650I 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,
1655Ye, 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 Next:
From Troilus and Criseyde, Book III, lines 1660-1694:
Troilus, Criseyde and happiness
Next