From Geoffrey Chaucer's "Troilus and Criseyde", Book V, lines 1429-1519

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From Troilus and Criseyde, Book V, lines 1310-1428:
Troilus writes Criseyde a letter and Criseyde writes Troilus a letter in return

Geoffrey Chaucer (1342 - 1400):
Troilus and Criseyde
Book V, lines 1429-1519: Troilus' sister explains his dream and tells him that Diomedes is in and he is out

	But in hir lettre made she swich festes,
1430	That wonder was, and swereth she loveth him best,
	Of which he fond but botmelees bihestes.
	But Troilus, thou mayst now, est or west,
	Pype in an ivy leef, if that thee lest;
	Thus gooth the world; God shilde us fro meschaunce,
1435	And every wight that meneth trouthe avaunce!

Encressen gan the wo fro day to night

Of Troilus, for taryinge of Criseyde;

And lessen gan his hope and eek his might,

For which al doun he in his bed him leyde;

1440 He ne eet, ne dronk, ne sleep, ne word he seyde,

Imagininge ay that she was unkinde;

For which wel neigh he wex out of his minde.

This dreem, of which I told have eek biforn,

May never come out of his remembraunce;

1445 He thoughte ay wel he hadde his lady lorn,

And that Joves, of his purveyaunce,

Him shewed hadde in sleep the signifiaunce

Of hir untrouthe and his disaventure,

And that the boor was shewed him in figure.

1450 For which he for Sibille his suster sente,

That called was Cassandre eek al aboute;

And al his dreem he tolde hir er he stente,

And hir bisoughte assoilen him the doute

Of the stronge boor, with tuskes stoute;

1455 And fynally, withinne a litel stounde,

Cassandre him gan right thus his dreem expounde.

She gan first smyle, and seyde, `O brother dere,

If thou a sooth of this desyrest knowe,

Thou most a fewe of olde stories here,

1460 To purpos, how that fortune overthrowe

Hath lordes olde; through which, withinne a throwe,

Thou wel this boor shalt knowe, and of what kinde

He comen is, as men in bokes finde.

`Diane, which that wrooth was and in ire

1465 For Grekes nolde doon hir sacrifyse,

Ne encens upon hir auter sette a-fyre,

She, for that Grekes gonne hir so dispyse,

Wrak hir in a wonder cruel wyse.

For with a boor as greet as oxe in stalle

1470 She made up frete hir corn and vynes alle.

`To slee this boor was al the contree reysed,

A-monges which ther com, this boor to see,

A mayde, oon of this world the best y-preysed;

And Meleagre, lord of that contree,

1475 He lovede so this fresshe mayden free

That with his manhod, er he wolde stente,

This boor he slow, and hir the heed he sente;

`Of which, as olde bokes tellen us,

Ther roos a contek and a greet envye;

1480 And of this lord descended Tydeus

By ligne, or elles olde bokes lye;

But how this Meleagre gan to dye

Thurgh his moder, wol I yow not telle,

For al to long it were for to dwelle.'

1485 She tolde eek how Tydeus, er she stente,

Unto the stronge citee of Thebes,

To cleyme kingdom of the citee, wente,

For his felawe, daun Polymites,

Of which the brother, daun Ethyocles,

1490 Ful wrongfully of Thebes held the strengthe;

This tolde she by proces, al by lengthe.

She tolde eek how Hemonides asterte,

Whan Tydeus slough fifty knightes stoute.

She tolde eek al the prophesyes by herte,

1495 And how that sevene kinges, with hir route,

Bisegeden the citee al aboute;

And of the holy serpent, and the welle,

And of the furies, al she gan him telle.

[Argument of the 12 Books of Statius' "Thebais"]

Associat profugum Tideo primus Polimitem;

Tidea legatum docet insidiasque secundus;

Tercius Hemoniden canit et vates latitantes;

Quartus habet reges ineuntes prelia septem;

Mox furie Lenne quinto narratur et anguis;

Archimori bustum sexto ludique leguntur;

Dat Graios Thebes et vatem septimus vmbria;

Octauo cecidit Tideus, spes, vita Pelasgia;

Ypomedon nono moritur cum Parthonopeo;

Fulmine percussus, decimo Capaneus superatur;

Vndecimo sese perimunt per vulnera fratres;

Argiuam flentem narrat duodenus et igneum.

Of Archimoris buryinge and the pleyes,

1500 And how Amphiorax fil through the grounde,

How Tydeus was slayn, lord of Argeyes,

And how Ypomedoun in litel stounde

Was dreynt, and deed Parthonope of wounde;

And also how Cappaneus the proude

1505 With thonder-dynt was slayn, that cryde loude.

She gan eek telle him how that either brother,

Ethyocles and Polimyte also,

At a scarmyche, ech of hem slough other,

And of Argyves wepinge and hir wo;

1510 And how the town was brent she tolde eek tho.

And so descendeth doun from gestes olde

To Diomede, and thus she spak and tolde.

`This ilke boor bitokneth Diomede,

Tydeus sone, that doun descended is

1515 Fro Meleagre, that made the boor to blede.

And thy lady, wherso she be, ywis,

This Diomede hir herte hath, and she his.

Weep if thou wolt, or leef; for, out of doute,

This Diomede is inne, and thou art oute.'

Next:
From Troilus and Criseyde, Book V, lines 1520-1631:
Troilus does not believe his sister and he exchanges letters with Criseyde

	Encressen gan the wo fro day to night
	Of Troilus, for taryinge of Criseyde;
	And lessen gan his hope and eek his might,
	For which al doun he in his bed him leyde;
1440	He ne eet, ne dronk, ne sleep, ne word he seyde,
	Imagininge ay that she was unkinde;
	For which wel neigh he wex out of his minde.

	This dreem, of which I told have eek biforn,
	May never come out of his remembraunce;
1445	He thoughte ay wel he hadde his lady lorn,
	And that Joves, of his purveyaunce,
	Him shewed hadde in sleep the signifiaunce
	Of hir untrouthe and his disaventure,
	And that the boor was shewed him in figure.

1450	For which he for Sibille his suster sente,
	That called was Cassandre eek al aboute;
	And al his dreem he tolde hir er he stente,
	And hir bisoughte assoilen him the doute
	Of the stronge boor, with tuskes stoute;
1455	And fynally, withinne a litel stounde,
	Cassandre him gan right thus his dreem expounde.

	She gan first smyle, and seyde, `O brother dere,
	If thou a sooth of this desyrest knowe,
	Thou most a fewe of olde stories here,
1460	To purpos, how that fortune overthrowe
	Hath lordes olde; through which, withinne a throwe,
	Thou wel this boor shalt knowe, and of what kinde
	He comen is, as men in bokes finde.

	`Diane, which that wrooth was and in ire
1465	For Grekes nolde doon hir sacrifyse,
	Ne encens upon hir auter sette a-fyre,
	She, for that Grekes gonne hir so dispyse,
	Wrak hir in a wonder cruel wyse.
	For with a boor as greet as oxe in stalle
1470	She made up frete hir corn and vynes alle.

	`To slee this boor was al the contree reysed,
	A-monges which ther com, this boor to see,
	A mayde, oon of this world the best y-preysed;
	And Meleagre, lord of that contree,
1475	He lovede so this fresshe mayden free
	That with his manhod, er he wolde stente,
	This boor he slow, and hir the heed he sente;

	`Of which, as olde bokes tellen us,
	Ther roos a contek and a greet envye;
1480	And of this lord descended Tydeus
	By ligne, or elles olde bokes lye;
	But how this Meleagre gan to dye
	Thurgh his moder, wol I yow not telle,
	For al to long it were for to dwelle.'

1485	She tolde eek how Tydeus, er she stente,
	Unto the stronge citee of Thebes,
	To cleyme kingdom of the citee, wente,
	For his felawe, daun Polymites,
	Of which the brother, daun Ethyocles,
1490	Ful wrongfully of Thebes held the strengthe;
	This tolde she by proces, al by lengthe.

	She tolde eek how Hemonides asterte,
	Whan Tydeus slough fifty knightes stoute.
	She tolde eek al the prophesyes by herte,
1495	And how that sevene kinges, with hir route,
	Bisegeden the citee al aboute;
	And of the holy serpent, and the welle,
	And of the furies, al she gan him telle.

	Associat profugum Tideo primus Polimitem;
	Tidea legatum docet insidiasque secundus;
	Tercius Hemoniden canit et vates latitantes;
	Quartus habet reges ineuntes prelia septem;
	Mox furie Lenne quinto narratur et anguis;
	Archimori bustum sexto ludique leguntur;
	Dat Graios Thebes et vatem septimus vmbria;
	Octauo cecidit Tideus, spes, vita Pelasgia;
	Ypomedon nono moritur cum Parthonopeo;
	Fulmine percussus, decimo Capaneus superatur;
	Vndecimo sese perimunt per vulnera fratres;
	Argiuam flentem narrat duodenus et igneum.

	Of Archimoris buryinge and the pleyes,
1500	And how Amphiorax fil through the grounde,
	How Tydeus was slayn, lord of Argeyes,
	And how Ypomedoun in litel stounde
	Was dreynt, and deed Parthonope of wounde;
	And also how Cappaneus the proude
1505	With thonder-dynt was slayn, that cryde loude.

	She gan eek telle him how that either brother,
	Ethyocles and Polimyte also,
	At a scarmyche, ech of hem slough other,
	And of Argyves wepinge and hir wo;
1510	And how the town was brent she tolde eek tho.
	And so descendeth doun from gestes olde
	To Diomede, and thus she spak and tolde.

	`This ilke boor bitokneth Diomede,
	Tydeus sone, that doun descended is
1515	Fro Meleagre, that made the boor to blede.
	And thy lady, wherso she be, ywis,
	This Diomede hir herte hath, and she his.
	Weep if thou wolt, or leef; for, out of doute,
	This Diomede is inne, and thou art oute.'