Geoffrey Chaucer

“ By manasinge of Mars, right by figure; 2035
So was it shewed in that portreiture
As is depeynted in the sterres above,
Who shal be slayn or elles deed for love. (1180)
Suffyceth oon ensample in stories olde,
I may not rekne hem alle, thogh I wolde. 2040
The statue of Mars up-on a carte stood,
Armed, and loked grim as he were wood;
And over his he'ed ther shynen two figures
Of sterres, that been cleped in scriptures,
That oon Puella, that other Rubeus. 2045
This god of armes was arrayed thus:—
A wolf ther stood biforn him at his feet
With eyen rede, and of a man he eet ”

“ Which was disgysed povrely, as he was,
To Athenes is he goon the nexte way.
And to the court he wente up-on a day,
And at the gate he profreth his servyse, 1415
To drugge and drawe, what so men wol devyse. ”

“ To have victorie of hem, or they of me,
So that I have my lady in myne armes.
For though so be that Mars is god of armes, (1390)
Your vertu is so greet in hevene above,
That, if yow list, I shal wel have my love, 2250
Thy temple wol I worshipe evermo,
And on thyn auter, wher I ryde or go,
I wol don sacrifice, and fyres bete.
And if ye wol nat so, my lady swete,
Than preye I thee, to-morwe with a spere 2255
That Arcita me thurgh the herte bere.
Thanne rekke I noght, whan I have lost my lyf,
Though that Arcita winne hir to his wyf. ”

“ For May wol have no slogardye a-night.
The sesoun priketh every gentil herte,
And maketh him out of his sleep to sterte,
And seith, 'Arys, and do thyn observaunce.' 1045
This maked Emelye have remembraunce
To doon honour to May, and for to ryse. ”

“ Duk Theseus him leet out of prisoun,
Freely to goon, wher that him liste over-al,
In swich a gyse, as I you tellen shal. (350)
This was the forward, pleynly for tendyte,
Bitwixen Theseus and him Arcite: 1210
That if so were, that Arcite were y-founde
Ever in his lyf, by day or night or stounde
In any contree of this Theseus,
And he were caught, it was acorded thus,
That with a swerd he sholde lese his heed; 1215
Ther nas non other remedye ne reed,
But taketh his leve, and homward he him spedde;
Let him be war, his nekke lyth to wedde! (360)
How greet a sorwe suffreth now Arcite! ”

“ Farwel my lyf, my lust, and my gladnesse! 1250
Allas, why pleynen folk so in commune
Of purveyaunce of God, or of fortune,
That yeveth hem ful ofte in many a gyse
Wel bettre than they can hem-self devyse?
Som man desyreth for to han richesse, 1255
That cause is of his mordre or greet siknesse.
And som man wolde out of his prison fayn,
That in his hous is of his meynee slayn. (400)
Infinite harmes been in this matere;
We witen nat what thing we preyen here. 1260
We faren as he that dronke is as a mous ”

“ This world nis but a thurghfare ful of wo,
And we ben pilgrimes, passinge to and fro; (1990)
Deeth is an ende of every worldly sore.'
And over al this yet seyde he muchel more 2850
To this effect, ful wysly to enhorte
The peple, that they sholde hem reconforte. ”

“ And eek it is nat lykly, al thy lyf,
To stonden in hir grace; namore shal I;
For wel thou woost thy-selven, verraily,
That thou and I be dampned to prisoun 1175
Perpetuelly; us gayneth no raunsoun.
We stryve as dide the houndes for the boon,
They foughte al day, and yet hir part was noon; (320)
Ther cam a kyte, whyl that they were wrothe,
And bar awey the boon bitwixe hem bothe. 1180
And therfore, at the kinges court, my brother,
Ech man for him-self, ther is non other.
Love if thee list; for I love and ay shal;
And soothly, leve brother, this is al. ”

“ His spirit chaunged hous, and wente ther,
As I cam never, I can nat tellen wher. ”

“ Bihinde hir bak, a yerde long, I gesse. 1050
And in the gardin, at the sonne up-riste,
She walketh up and doun, and as hir liste
She gadereth floures, party whyte and rede,
To make a sotil gerland for hir hede,
And as an aungel hevenly she song. 1055
The grete tour, that was so thikke and strong,
Which of the castel was the chief dongeoun,
(Ther-as the knightes weren in prisoun, (200)
Of whiche I tolde yow, and tellen shal)
Was evene Ioynant to the gardin-wal, 1060
Ther as this Emelye hadde hir pleyinge. ”

“ And whan a beest is deed, he hath no peyne;
But man after his deeth moot wepe and pleyne, 1320
Though in this world he have care and wo:
With-outen doute it may stonden so.
The answere of this I lete to divynis,
But wel I woot, that in this world gret pyne is.
Allas! I see a serpent or a theef, 1325
That many a trewe man hath doon mescheef,
Goon at his large, and wher him list may turne.
But I mot been in prison thurgh Saturne, (470)
And eek thurgh Iuno, Ialous and eek wood,
That hath destroyed wel ny al the blood 1330
Of Thebes, with his waste walles wyde. ”

“ Than is the sheep, that rouketh in the folde? (450)
For slayn is man right as another beste,
And dwelleth eek in prison and areste, 1310
And hath siknesse, and greet adversitee,
And ofte tymes giltelees, pardee! ”

“ The grete Emetreus, the king of Inde,
Up-on a stede bay, trapped in steel,
Covered in cloth of gold diapred weel, (1300)
Cam ryding lyk the god of armes, Mars.
His cote-armure was of cloth of Tars, 2160
Couched with perles whyte and rounde and grete.
His sadel was of brend gold newe y-bete;
A mantelet upon his shuldre hanginge
Bret-ful of rubies rede, as fyr sparklinge. ”

“ In goon the speres ful sadly in arest;
In goth the sharpe spore in-to the syde.
Ther seen men who can Iuste, and who can ryde;
Ther shiveren shaftes up-on sheeldes thikke; 2605
He feleth thurgh the herte-spoon the prikke.
Up springen speres twenty foot on highte;
Out goon the swerdes as the silver brighte. (1750)
The helmes they to-hewen and to-shrede;
Out brest the blood, with sterne stremes rede. 2610
With mighty maces the bones they to-breste. ”

“ Now highte I Philostrate, noght worth a myte. 700
Allas! thou felle Mars, allas! Iuno,
Thus hath your ire our kinrede al fordo, 1560
Save only me, and wrecched Palamoun,
That Theseus martyreth in prisoun.
And over al this, to sleen me utterly,
Love hath his fyry dart so brenningly
Y-stiked thurgh my trewe careful herte, 1565
That shapen was my deeth erst than my sherte. ”

“ In Stace of Thebes, and thise bokes olde.
Whan kindled was the fyr, with pitous chere 2295
Un-to Diane she spak, as ye may here.
'O chaste goddesse of the wodes grene,
To whom bothe hevene and erthe and see is sene, (1440)
Quene of the regne of Pluto derk and lowe,
Goddesse of maydens, that myn herte hast knowe 2300
Ful many a yeer, and woost what I desire,
As keep me fro thy vengeaunce and thyn ire,
That Attheon aboughte cruelly.
Chaste goddesse, wel wostow that I
Desire to been a mayden al my lyf, 2305
Ne never wol I be no love ne wyf. ”

“ For bothe han we deserved to be slayn.'
This worthy duk answerde anon agayn,
And seyde, 'This is a short conclusioun:
Youre owne mouth, by your confessioun,
Hath dampned you, and I wol it recorde, 1745
It nedeth noght to pyne yow with the corde.
Ye shul be deed, by mighty Mars the rede!'
The quene anon, for verray wommanhede, (890)
Gan for to wepe, and so dide Emelye,
And alle the ladies in the companye. 1750
Gret pitee was it, as it thoughte hem alle,
That ever swich a chaunce sholde falle ”

“ So uncouth and so riche, and wroght so weel
Of goldsmithrie, of browding, and of steel; (1640)
The sheeldes brighte, testers, and trappures;
Gold-hewen helmes, hauberks, cote-armures; 2500
Lordes in paraments on hir courseres,
Knightes of retenue, and eek squyeres
Nailinge the speres, and helmes bokelinge,
Gigginge of sheeldes, with layneres lacinge ”

“ Hath more power than wot any man. 2455
Myn is the drenching in the see so wan;
Myn is the prison in the derke cote;
Myn is the strangling and hanging by the throte; (1600)
The murmure, and the cherles rebelling,
The groyning, and the pryvee empoysoning: 2460
I do vengeance and pleyn correccioun
Whyl I dwelle in the signe of the leoun. ”

“ In as muche as the service sholde be
The more noble and riche in his degree, (2030)
Duk Theseus leet forth three stedes bringe,
That trapped were in steel al gliteringe, 2890
And covered with the armes of daun Arcite.
Up-on thise stedes, that weren grete and whyte,
Ther seten folk, of which oon bar his sheeld,
Another his spere up in his hondes heeld ”

“ Sin that my lyf may no lenger dure. 2770
Allas, the wo! allas, the peynes stronge,
That I for yow have suffred, and so longe!
Allas, the deeth! allas, myn Emelye!
Allas, departing of our companye!
Allas, myn hertes quene! allas, my wyf! 2775
Myn hertes lady, endere of my lyf!
What is this world? what asketh men to have? ”

“ Ne yet the grete strengthe of Hercules—
Thenchauntements of Medea and Circes—
Ne of Turnus, with the hardy fiers corage, 1945
The riche Cresus, caytif in servage.
Thus may ye seen that wisdom ne richesse,
Beautee ne sleighte, strengthe, ne hardinesse, (1090)
Ne may with Venus holde champartye;
For as hir list the world than may she gye. 1950
Lo, alle thise folk so caught were in hir las,
Til they for wo ful ofte seyde 'allas!'
Suffyceth heer ensamples oon or two,
And though I coude rekne a thousand mo. ”

“ With-inne the temple of mighty Mars the rede?
Al peynted was the wal, in lengthe and brede, 1970
Lyk to the estres of the grisly place,
That highte the grete temple of Mars in Trace,
In thilke colde frosty regioun,
Ther-as Mars hath his sovereyn mansioun.
First on the wal was peynted a foreste, 1975
In which ther dwelleth neither man ne beste,
With knotty knarry bareyn treës olde
Of stubbes sharpe and hidous to biholde ”

“ And Mars, the sterne god armipotente,
That Iupiter was bisy it to stente;
Til that the pale Saturnus the colde,
That knew so manye of aventures olde,
Fond in his olde experience an art, 2445
That he ful sone hath plesed every part.
As sooth is sayd, elde hath greet avantage;
In elde is bothe wisdom and usage; (1590)
Men may the olde at-renne, and noght at-rede.
Saturne anon, to stinten stryf and drede, 2450
Al be it that it is agayn his kynde,
Of al this stryf he gan remedie fynde. ”

“ Under our feet, on which we trede and goon,
Yit wasteth it, as it lyth by the weye.
The brode river somtyme wexeth dreye.
The grete tounes see we wane and wende. 3025
Than may ye see that al this thing hath ende.
'Of man and womman seen we wel also,
That nedeth, in oon of thise termes two, (2170)
This is to seyn, in youthe or elles age,
He moot ben deed, the king as shal a page; 3030
Som in his bed, som in the depe see,
Som in the large feeld, as men may se;
Ther helpeth noght, al goth that ilke weye.
Thanne may I seyn that al this thing moot deye. ”

“ For whom that I mot nedes lese my lyf. 1290
For, as by wey of possibilitee,
Sith thou art at thy large, of prison free,
And art a lord, greet is thyn avauntage,
More than is myn, that sterve here in a cage.
For I mot wepe and wayle, whyl I live, 1295
With al the wo that prison may me yive,
And eek with peyne that love me yiveth also,
That doubleth al my torment and my wo.' (440)
Ther-with the fyr of Ielousye up-sterte
With-inne his brest, and hente him by the herte 1300
So woodly, that he lyk was to biholde
The box-tree, or the asshen dede and colde. ”

“ It is ful fair a man to bere him evene,
For al-day meteth men at unset stevene. ”

“ For nature hath nat take his beginning
Of no partye ne cantel of a thing, (2150)
But of a thing that parfit is and stable,
Descending so, til it be corrumpable. 3010
And therfore, of his wyse purveyaunce,
He hath so wel biset his ordinaunce,
That speces of thinges and progressiouns
Shullen enduren by successiouns,
And nat eterne be, with-oute lye: 3015
This maistow understonde and seen at yë.
'Lo the ook, that hath so long a norisshinge
From tyme that it first biginneth springe, (2160)
And hath so long a lyf, as we may see,
Yet at the laste wasted is the tree. ”

“ The smyler with the knyf under the cloke; ”

“ To maken vertu of necessitee,
And take it wel, that we may nat eschue,
And namely that to us alle is due. ”