Previous: From Troilus and Criseyde, Book IV, lines 519-658: Pandarus insists on the exchange of Criseyde for Antenor

© Librarius All rights reserved.

	The whiche tale anoon-right as Criseyde
	Had herd, she, which that of hir fader roughte,
	As in this cas, right nought, ne whanne he deyde,
	Ful bisily to Jupiter bisoughte
670	Yeve hem meschaunce that this tretis broughte.
	But shortly, lest thise tales sothe were,
	She dorste at no wight asken it, for fere.

	As she that hadde hir herte and al hir minde
	On Troilus yset so wonder faste,
675	That al this world ne mighte hir love unbinde,
	Ne Troilus out of hir herte caste;
	She wol ben his, whyl that hir lyf may laste.
	And thus she brenneth bothe in love and drede,
	So that she niste what was best to rede.

680	But as men seen in toune, and al aboute,
	That wommen usen frendes to visyte,
	So to Criseyde of wommen com a route
	For pitous joye, and wenden hir delyte;
	And with hir tales, dere ynough a myte,
685	These wommen, whiche that in the cite dwelle,
	They sette hem doun, and seyde as I shal telle.

	Quod first that oon, `I am glad, trewely,
	Bycause of yow, that shal your fader see.'
	Another seyde, `Ywis, so nam not I,
690	For al to litel hath she with us be.'
	Quod tho the thridde, `I hope, y-wis, that she
	Shal bringen us the pees on every syde,
	That, whan she gooth, almighty God hir gyde!'

	Tho wordes and tho wommanisshe thinges,
695	She herde hem right as though she thennes were;
	For, God it woot, hir herte on other thing is,
	Although the body sat among hem there.
	Hir advertence is alwey elles-where;
	For Troilus ful faste hir soule soughte;
700	With-outen word, alwey on him she thoughte.

	Thise wommen, that thus wenden hir to plese,
	Aboute nought gonne alle hir tales spende;
	Swich vanitee ne can don hir non ese,
	As she that, al this mene whyle brende
705	Of other passioun than that they wende,
	So that she felte almost hir herte deye
	For wo, and wery of that companye.

	For which no lenger mighte she restreyne
	Hir teeris, so they gonnen up to welle,
710	That yaven signes of the bitter peyne
	In whiche hir spirit was, and moste dwelle;
	Remembring hir, fro heven unto which helle
	She fallen was, sith she forgoth the sighte
	Of Troilus, and sorowfully she sighte.

715	And thilke foles sittinge hir aboute
	Wenden, that she wepte and syked sore
	Bycause that she sholde out of that route
	Departe, and never pleye with hem more.
	And they that hadde yknowen hir of yore
720	Seye hir so wepe, and thoughte it kindenesse,
	And ech of hem wepte eek for hir destresse;

	And bisily they gonnen hir conforten
	Of thing, God woot, on which she litel thoughte;
	And with hir tales wenden hir disporten,
725	And to be glad they often hir bisoughte.
	But swich an ese ther-with they hir wroughte
	Right as a man is esed for to fele,
	For ache of heed, to clawen him on his hele!

	But after al this nyce vanitee
730	They took hir leve, and hoom they wenten alle.
	Criseyde, ful of sorweful pitee,
	In-to hir chaumbre up wente out of the halle,
	And on hir bed she gan for deed to falle,
	In purpos never thennes for to ryse;
735	And thus she wroughte, as I shal yow devyse.

Next: From Troilus and Criseyde, Book IV, lines 736-805: Criseyde pities her situation