by Homer
The great Emetrius the king of Ind,
Upon a 1steede bay1 trapped in steel, 1bay horse1
Cover’d with cloth of gold diapred1 well, 1decorated
Came riding like the god of armes, Mars.
His coat-armour was of 1a cloth of Tars1, 1a kind of silk1
Couched1 with pearls white and round and great 1trimmed
His saddle was of burnish’d gold new beat;
A mantelet on his shoulders hanging,
Bretful1 of rubies red, as fire sparkling. 1brimful
His crispe hair like ringes was y-run,
And that was yellow, glittering as the sun.
His nose was high, his eyen bright citrine1, 1pale yellow
His lips were round, his colour was sanguine,
A fewe fracknes1 in his face y-sprent2, 1freckles 2sprinkled
Betwixte yellow and black somedeal y-ment1 1mixed
And as a lion he 1his looking cast1 1cast about his eyes1
Of five and twenty year his age I cast1 1reckon
His beard was well begunnen for to spring;
His voice was as a trumpet thundering.
Upon his head he wore of laurel green
A garland fresh and lusty to be seen;
Upon his hand he bare, for his delight,
An eagle tame, as any lily white.
An hundred lordes had he with him there,
All armed, save their heads, in all their gear,
Full richely in alle manner things.
For trust ye well, that earles, dukes, and kings
Were gather’d in this noble company,
For love, and for increase of chivalry.
About this king there ran on every part
Full many a tame lion and leopart.
And in this wise these lordes 1all and some1 1all and sundry1
Be on the Sunday to the city come
Aboute prime, and in the town alight.
This Theseus, this Duke, this worthy knight
When he had brought them into his city,
And inned1 them, ev’reach at his degree, 1lodged
He feasteth them, and doth so great labour
To 1easen them1, and do them all honour, 1make them comfortable1
That yet men weene1 that no mannes wit 1think
Of none estate could amenden1 it. 1improve
The minstrelsy, the service at the feast,
The greate giftes to the most and least,
The rich array of Theseus’ palace,
Nor who sate first or last upon the dais.
What ladies fairest be, or best dancing
Or which of them can carol best or sing,
Or who most feelingly speaketh of love;
What hawkes sitten on the perch above,
What houndes liggen1 on the floor adown, 1lie
Of all this now make I no mentioun
But of th’effect; that thinketh me the best
Now comes the point, and hearken if you lest.1 1please
The Sunday night, ere day began to spring,
When Palamon the larke hearde sing,
Although it were not day by houres two,
Yet sang the lark, and Palamon right tho1 1then
With holy heart, and with an high courage,
Arose, to wenden1 on his pilgrimage 1go
Unto the blissful Cithera benign,
I meane Venus, honourable and digne1. 1worthy
And in her hour he walketh forth a pace
Unto the listes, where her temple was,
And down he kneeleth, and with humble cheer1 1demeanour
And hearte sore, he said as ye shall hear.
“Fairest of fair, O lady mine Venus,
Daughter to Jove, and spouse of Vulcanus,
Thou gladder of the mount of Citheron!
For thilke love thou haddest to Adon
Have pity on my bitter teares smart,
And take mine humble prayer to thine heart.
Alas! I have no language to tell
Th’effecte, nor the torment of mine hell;
Mine hearte may mine harmes not betray;
I am so confused, that I cannot say.
But mercy, lady bright, that knowest well
My thought, and seest what harm that I feel.
Consider all this, and 1rue upon1 my sore, 1take pity on1
As wisly1 as I shall for evermore 1truly
Enforce my might, thy true servant to be,
And holde war alway with chastity:
That make I mine avow1, so ye me help. 1vow, promise
I keepe not of armes for to yelp,1 1boast
Nor ask I not to-morrow to have victory,
Nor renown in this case, nor vaine glory
Of 1prize of armes1, blowing up and down, 1praise for valour1
But I would have fully possessioun
Of Emily, and die in her service;
Find thou the manner how, and in what wise.
I 1recke not but1 it may better be 1do not know whether1
To have vict’ry of them, or they of me,
So that I have my lady in mine arms.
For though so be that Mars is god of arms,
Your virtue is so great in heaven above,
That, if you list, I shall well have my love.
Thy temple will I worship evermo’,
And on thine altar, where I ride or go,
I will do sacrifice, and fires bete1. 1make, kindle
And if ye will not so, my lady sweet,
Then pray I you, to-morrow with a spear
That Arcita me through the hearte bear
Then reck I not, when I have lost my life,
Though that Arcita win her to his wife.
This is th’ effect and end of my prayere, —
Give me my love, thou blissful lady dear.”
When th’ orison was done of Palamon,
His sacrifice he did, and that anon,
Full piteously, with alle circumstances,
1All tell I not as now1 his observances. 1although I tell not now1
But at the last the statue of Venus shook,
And made a signe, whereby that he took
That his prayer accepted was that day.
For though the signe shewed a delay,
Yet wist he well that granted was his boon;
And with glad heart he went him home full soon.
The third hour unequal that Palamon
Began to Venus’ temple for to gon,
Up rose the sun, and up rose Emily,
And to the temple of Dian gan hie.
Her maidens, that she thither with her lad1, 1led
Th’ incense, the clothes, and the remnant all
That to the sacrifice belonge shall,
The hornes full of mead, as was the guise;
There lacked nought to do her sacrifice.
Smoking1 the temple full of clothes fair, 1draping
This Emily with hearte debonnair1 1gentle
Her body wash’d with water of a well.
But how she did her rite I dare not tell;
But1 it be any thing in general; 1unless
And yet it were a game1 to hearen all 1pleasure
To him that meaneth well it were no charge:
But it is good a man to 1be at large1. 1do as he will1
Her bright hair combed was, untressed all.
A coronet of green oak cerriall
Upon her head was set full fair and meet.
Two fires on the altar gan she bete,
And did her thinges, as men may behold
In Stace of Thebes , and these bookes old.
When kindled was the fire, with piteous cheer
Unto Dian she spake as ye may hear.
“O chaste goddess of the woodes green,
To whom both heav’n and earth and sea is seen,
Queen of the realm of Pluto dark and low,
Goddess of maidens, that mine heart hast know
Full many a year, an
d wost1 what I desire, 1knowest
To keep me from the vengeance of thine ire,
That Actaeon aboughte1 cruelly: 1earned; suffered from
Chaste goddess, well wottest thou that I
Desire to be a maiden all my life,
Nor never will I be no love nor wife.
I am, thou wost1, yet of thy company, 1knowest
A maid, and love hunting and venery1, 1field sports
And for to walken in the woodes wild,
And not to be a wife, and be with child.
Nought will I know the company of man.
Now help me, lady, since ye may and can,
For those three formes that thou hast in thee.
And Palamon, that hath such love to me,
And eke Arcite, that loveth me so sore,
This grace I pray thee withoute more,
As sende love and peace betwixt them two:
And from me turn away their heartes so,
That all their hote love, and their desire,
And all their busy torment, and their fire,
Be queint1, or turn’d into another place. 1quenched
And if so be thou wilt do me no grace,
Or if my destiny be shapen so
That I shall needes have one of them two,
So send me him that most desireth me.
Behold, goddess of cleane chastity,
The bitter tears that on my cheekes fall.
Since thou art maid, and keeper of us all,
My maidenhead thou keep and well conserve,
And, while I live, a maid I will thee serve.
The fires burn upon the altar clear,
While Emily was thus in her prayere:
But suddenly she saw a sighte quaint1. 1strange
For right anon one of the fire’s 1queint
And quick’d1 again, and after that anon 1went out and revived1
That other fire was queint, and all agone:
And as it queint, it made a whisteling,
As doth a brande wet in its burning.
And at the brandes end outran anon
As it were bloody droppes many one:
For which so sore aghast was Emily,
That she was well-nigh mad, and gan to cry,
For she ne wiste what it signified;
But onely for feare thus she cried,
And wept, that it was pity for to hear.
And therewithal Diana gan appear
With bow in hand, right as an hunteress,
And saide; “Daughter, stint1 thine heaviness. 1cease
Among the goddes high it is affirm’d,
And by eternal word writ and confirm’d,
Thou shalt be wedded unto one of tho1 1those
That have for thee so muche care and woe:
But unto which of them I may not tell.
Farewell, for here I may no longer dwell.
The fires which that on mine altar brenn1, 1burn
Shall thee declaren, ere that thou go henne1, 1hence
Thine aventure of love, as in this case.”
And with that word, the arrows in the case1 1quiver
Of the goddess did clatter fast and ring,
And forth she went, and made a vanishing,
For which this Emily astonied was,
And saide; “What amounteth this, alas!
I put me under thy protection,
Diane, and in thy disposition.”
And home she went anon the nexte1 way. 1nearest
This is th’ effect, there is no more to say.
The nexte hour of Mars following this
Arcite to the temple walked is
Of fierce Mars, to do his sacrifice
With all the rites of his pagan guise.
With piteous1 heart and high devotion 1pious
Right thus to Mars he said his orison
“O stronge god, that in the regnes1 old 1realms
Of Thrace honoured art, and lord y-hold1 1held
And hast in every regne, and every land
Of armes all the bridle in thine hand,
And 1them fortunest as thee list devise1, 1send them fortune
Accept of me my piteous sacrifice. as you please1
If so be that my youthe may deserve,
And that my might be worthy for to serve
Thy godhead, that I may be one of thine,
Then pray I thee to 1rue upon my pine1, 1pity my anguish1
For thilke1 pain, and thilke hote fire, 1that
In which thou whilom burned’st for desire
Whenne that thou usedest1 the beauty 1enjoyed
Of faire young Venus, fresh and free,
And haddest her in armes at thy will:
And though thee ones on a time misfill1, 1were unlucky
When Vulcanus had caught thee in his las1, 1net
And found thee ligging1 by his wife, alas! 1lying
For thilke sorrow that was in thine heart,
Have ruth1 as well upon my paine’s smart. 1pity
I am young and unconning1, as thou know’st, 1ignorant, simple
And, as I trow1, with love offended most 1believe
That e’er was any living creature:
For she, that doth1 me all this woe endure, 1causes
Ne recketh ne’er whether I sink or fleet1 1swim
And well I wot, ere she me mercy hete1, 1promise, vouchsafe
I must with strengthe win her in the place:
And well I wot, withoute help or grace
Of thee, ne may my strengthe not avail:
Then help me, lord, to-morr’w in my bataille,
For thilke fire that whilom burned thee,
As well as this fire that now burneth me;
And do1 that I to-morr’w may have victory. 1cause
Mine be the travail, all thine be the glory.
Thy sovereign temple will I most honour
Of any place, and alway most labour
In thy pleasance and in thy craftes strong.
And in thy temple I will my banner hong1, 1hang
And all the armes of my company,
And evermore, until that day I die,
Eternal fire I will before thee find
And eke to this my vow I will me bind:
My beard, my hair that hangeth long adown,
That never yet hath felt offension1 1indignity
Of razor nor of shears, I will thee give,
And be thy true servant while I live.
Now, lord, have ruth upon my sorrows sore,
Give me the victory, I ask no more.”
The prayer stint1 of Arcita the strong, 1ended
The ringes on the temple door that hong,
And eke the doores, clattered full fast,
Of which Arcita somewhat was aghast.
The fires burn’d upon the altar bright,
That it gan all the temple for to light;
A sweete smell anon the ground up gaf1, 1gave
And Arcita anon his hand up haf1, 1lifted
And more incense into the fire he cast,
With other rites more and at the last
The statue of Mars began his hauberk ring;
And with that sound he heard a murmuring
Full low and dim, that saide thus, “Victory.”
For which he gave to Mars honour and glory.
And thus with joy, and hope well to fare,
Arcite anon unto his inn doth fare.
As fain1 as fowl is of the brighte sun. 1glad
And right anon such strife there is begun
For thilke1 granting, in the heav’n above, 1that
Betwixte Venus the goddess of love,
And Mars the sterne god armipotent,
That Jupiter was busy it to stent1: 1stop
Till that the pale Saturnus the cold,
That knew so many of adventures old,
Found in his old experience such an art,
That he full soon hath pleased every part.
As so
oth is said, eld1 hath great advantage, 1age
In eld is bothe wisdom and usage1: 1experience
Men may the old out-run, but not out-rede1. 1outwit
Saturn anon, to stint the strife and drede,
Albeit that it is against his kind,1 1nature
Of all this strife gan a remedy find.
“My deare daughter Venus,” quoth Saturn,
“My course1, that hath so wide for to turn, 1orbit
Hath more power than wot any man.
Mine is the drowning in the sea so wan;
Mine is the prison in the darke cote1, 1cell
Mine the strangling and hanging by the throat,
The murmur, and the churlish rebelling,
The groyning1, and the privy poisoning. 1discontent
I do vengeance and plein1 correction, 1full
I dwell in the sign of the lion.
Mine is the ruin of the highe halls,
The falling of the towers and the walls
Upon the miner or the carpenter:
I slew Samson in shaking the pillar:
Mine also be the maladies cold,
The darke treasons, and the castes1 old: 1plots
My looking is the father of pestilence.
Now weep no more, I shall do diligence
That Palamon, that is thine owen knight,
Shall have his lady, as thou hast him hight1. 1promised
Though Mars shall help his knight, yet natheless
Betwixte you there must sometime be peace:
All be ye not of one complexion,
That each day causeth such division,
I am thine ayel1, ready at thy will; 1grandfather
Weep now no more, I shall thy lust1 fulfil.” 1pleasure
Now will I stenten1 of the gods above, 1cease speaking
Of Mars, and of Venus, goddess of love,
And telle you as plainly as I can
The great effect, for which that I began.
Great was the feast in Athens thilke1 day; 1that
And eke the lusty season of that May
Made every wight to be in such pleasance,
That all that Monday jousten they and dance,
And spenden it in Venus’ high service.
But by the cause that they shoulde rise
Early a-morrow for to see that fight,
Unto their reste wente they at night.
And on the morrow, when the day gan spring,
Of horse and harness1 noise and clattering 1armour
There was in the hostelries all about:
And to the palace rode there many a rout1 1train, retinue
Of lordes, upon steedes and palfreys.
There mayst thou see devising1 of harness 1decoration
So uncouth1 and so rich, and wrought so weel 1unkown, rare
Of goldsmithry, of brouding1, and of steel; 1embroidery