Delphi Poetry Anthology: The World's Greatest Poems (Delphi Poets Series Book 50) (30 page)

A year or two he was in this service,
Page of the chamber of Emily the bright;
And Philostrate he saide that he hight.
But half so well belov’d a man as he
Ne was there never in court of his degree.
He was so gentle of conditioun,
That throughout all the court was his renown.
They saide that it were a charity
That Theseus would
¹
enhance his degree
¹
,
¹
elevate him in rank
¹
And put him in some worshipful service,
There as he might his virtue exercise.
And thus within a while his name sprung
Both of his deedes, and of his good tongue,
That Theseus hath taken him so near,
That of his chamber he hath made him squire,
And gave him gold to maintain his degree;
And eke men brought him out of his country
From year to year full privily his rent.
But honestly and slyly
¹
he it spent,
¹
discreetly, prudently
That no man wonder’d how that he it had.
And three year in this wise his life be lad
¹
,
¹
led
And bare him so in peace and eke in werre
¹
,
¹
war
There was no man that Theseus had so derre
¹
.
¹
dear
And in this blisse leave I now Arcite,
And speak I will of Palamon a lite
¹
.
¹
little

In darkness horrible, and strong prison,
This seven year hath sitten Palamon,
Forpined
¹
, what for love, and for distress.
¹
pined, wasted away
Who feeleth double sorrow and heaviness
But Palamon? that love distraineth
¹
so,
¹
afflicts
That wood
¹
out of his wits he went for woe,
¹
mad
And eke thereto he is a prisonere
Perpetual, not only for a year.
Who coulde rhyme in English properly
His martyrdom? forsooth
¹
, it is not I;
¹
truly
Therefore I pass as lightly as I may.
It fell that in the seventh year, in May
The thirde night (as olde bookes sayn,
That all this story tellen more plain),
Were it by a venture or destiny
(As when a thing is shapen
¹
it shall be),
¹
settled, decreed
That soon after the midnight, Palamon
By helping of a friend brake his prison,
And fled the city fast as he might go,
For he had given drink his gaoler so
Of a clary , made of a certain wine,
With
¹
narcotise and opie
¹
of Thebes fine,
¹
narcotics and opium
¹
That all the night, though that men would him shake,
The gaoler slept, he mighte not awake:
And thus he fled as fast as ever he may.
The night was short, and
¹
faste by the day
¹
close at hand was
That needes cast he must himself to hide
¹
. the day during which
And to a grove faste there beside he must cast about, or contrive,
With dreadful foot then stalked Palamon. to conceal himself.
¹
For shortly this was his opinion,
That in the grove he would him hide all day,
And in the night then would he take his way
To Thebes-ward, his friendes for to pray
On Theseus to help him to warray
¹
.
¹
make war
And shortly either he would lose his life,
Or winnen Emily unto his wife.
This is th’ effect, and his intention plain.

Now will I turn to Arcita again,
That little wist how nighe was his care,
Till that Fortune had brought him in the snare.
The busy lark, the messenger of day,
Saluteth in her song the morning gray;
And fiery Phoebus riseth up so bright,
That all the orient laugheth at the sight,
And with his streames
¹
drieth in the greves
^2
1
rays
²
groves
The silver droppes, hanging on the leaves;
And Arcite, that is in the court royal
With Theseus, his squier principal,
Is ris’n, and looketh on the merry day.
And for to do his observance to May,
Remembering the point
¹
of his desire,
¹
object
He on his courser, starting as the fire,
Is ridden to the fieldes him to play,
Out of the court, were it a mile or tway.
And to the grove, of which I have you told,
By a venture his way began to hold,
To make him a garland of the greves
¹
,
¹
groves
Were it of woodbine, or of hawthorn leaves,
And loud he sang against the sun so sheen
¹
.
¹
shining bright
“O May, with all thy flowers and thy green,
Right welcome be thou, faire freshe May,
I hope that I some green here getten may.”
And from his courser
¹
, with a lusty heart,
¹
horse
Into the grove full hastily he start,
And in a path he roamed up and down,
There as by aventure this Palamon
Was in a bush, that no man might him see,
For sore afeard of his death was he.
Nothing ne knew he that it was Arcite;
God wot he would have
¹
trowed it full lite
¹
.
¹
full little believed it
¹
But sooth is said, gone since full many years,
The field hath eyen
¹
, and the wood hath ears,
¹
eyes
It is full fair a man
¹
to bear him even
¹
,
¹
to be on his guard
¹
For all day meeten men at
¹
unset steven
¹
.
¹
unexpected time
Full little wot Arcite of his fellaw,
That was so nigh to hearken of his saw
¹
,
¹
saying, speech
For in the bush he sitteth now full still.
When that Arcite had roamed all his fill,
And
¹
sungen all the roundel
¹
lustily,
¹
sang the roundelay
¹
Into a study he fell suddenly,
As do those lovers in their
¹
quainte gears
¹
,
¹
odd fashions
¹
Now in the crop
¹
, and now down in the breres
²
,
 
¹
tree-top
Now up, now down, as bucket in a well.
²
briars
Right as the Friday, soothly for to tell,
Now shineth it, and now it raineth fast,
Right so can geary
¹
Venus overcast
¹
changeful
The heartes of her folk, right as her day
Is gearful
¹
, right so changeth she array.
¹
changeful
Seldom is Friday all the weeke like.
When Arcite had y-sung, he gan to sike
¹
,
¹
sigh
And sat him down withouten any more:
“Alas!” quoth he, “the day that I was bore!
How longe, Juno, through thy cruelty
Wilt thou warrayen
¹
Thebes the city?
¹
torment
Alas! y-brought is to confusion
The blood royal of Cadm’ and Amphion:
Of Cadmus, which that was the firste man,
That Thebes built, or first the town began,
And of the city first was crowned king.
Of his lineage am I, and his offspring
By very line, as of the stock royal;
And now I am
¹
so caitiff and so thrall
¹
,
¹
wretched and enslaved
¹
That he that is my mortal enemy,
I serve him as his squier poorely.
And yet doth Juno me well more shame,
For I dare not beknow
¹
mine owen name,
¹
acknowledge
But there as I was wont to hight Arcite,
Now hight I Philostrate, not worth a mite.
Alas! thou fell Mars, and alas! Juno,
Thus hath your ire our lineage all fordo
^1
1
undone, ruined
Save only me, and wretched Palamon,
That Theseus martyreth in prison.
And over all this, to slay me utterly,
Love hath his fiery dart so brenningly
^1
1
burningly
Y-sticked through my true careful heart,
That shapen was my death erst than my shert.
Ye slay me with your eyen, Emily;
Ye be the cause wherefore that I die.
Of all the remnant of mine other care
Ne set I not the
¹
mountance of a tare
¹
,
¹
value of a straw
¹
So that I could do aught to your pleasance.”

And with that word he fell down in a trance
A longe time; and afterward upstart
This Palamon, that thought thorough his heart
He felt a cold sword suddenly to glide:
For ire he quoke
¹
, no longer would he hide.
¹
quaked
And when that he had heard Arcite’s tale,
As he were wood
¹
, with face dead and pale,
¹
mad
He start him up out of the bushes thick,
And said: “False Arcita, false traitor wick’
¹
,
¹
wicked
Now art thou hent
¹
, that lov’st my lady so,
¹
caught
For whom that I have all this pain and woe,
And art my blood, and to my counsel sworn,
As I full oft have told thee herebeforn,
And hast bejaped
¹
here Duke Theseus,
¹
deceived, imposed upon
And falsely changed hast thy name thus;
I will be dead, or elles thou shalt die.
Thou shalt not love my lady Emily,
But I will love her only and no mo’;
For I am Palamon thy mortal foe.
And though I have no weapon in this place,
But out of prison am astart
¹
by grace,
¹
escaped
I dreade
¹
not that either thou shalt die,
¹
doubt
Or else thou shalt not loven Emily.
Choose which thou wilt, for thou shalt not astart.”

This Arcite then, with full dispiteous
¹
heart,
¹
wrathful
When he him knew, and had his tale heard,
As fierce as lion pulled out a swerd,
And saide thus; “By God that sitt’th above,
¹
N’ere it
¹
that thou art sick, and wood for love,
¹
were it not
¹
And eke that thou no weap’n hast in this place,
Thou should’st never out of this grove pace,
That thou ne shouldest dien of mine hand.
For I defy the surety and the band,
Which that thou sayest I have made to thee.
What? very fool, think well that love is free;
And I will love her maugre
¹
all thy might.
¹
despite
But, for thou art a worthy gentle knight,
And
¹
wilnest to darraine her by bataille
¹
,
¹
will reclaim her
Have here my troth, to-morrow I will not fail, by combat
¹
Without weeting
¹
of any other wight,
¹
knowledge
That here I will be founden as a knight,
And bringe harness
¹
right enough for thee;
¹
armour and arms
And choose the best, and leave the worst for me.
And meat and drinke this night will I bring
Enough for thee, and clothes for thy bedding.
And if so be that thou my lady win,
And slay me in this wood that I am in,
Thou may’st well have thy lady as for me.”
This Palamon answer’d, “I grant it thee.”
And thus they be departed till the morrow,
When each of them hath
¹
laid his faith to borrow
¹
.
¹
pledged his faith
¹

O Cupid, out of alle charity!
O Regne
¹
that wilt no fellow have with thee!
¹
queen
Full sooth is said, that love nor lordeship
Will not,
¹
his thanks
¹
, have any fellowship.
¹
thanks to him
¹
Well finden that Arcite and Palamon.
Arcite is ridd anon unto the town,
And on the morrow, ere it were daylight,
Full privily two harness hath he dight
¹
,
¹
prepared
Both suffisant and meete to darraine
^1
1
contest
The battle in the field betwixt them twain.
And on his horse, alone as he was born,
He carrieth all this harness him beforn;
And in the grove, at time and place y-set,
This Arcite and this Palamon be met.
Then change gan the colour of their face;
Right as the hunter in the regne
¹
of Thrace
¹
kingdom
That standeth at a gappe with a spear
When hunted is the lion or the bear,
And heareth him come rushing in the greves
¹
,
¹
groves
And breaking both the boughes and the leaves,
Thinketh, “Here comes my mortal enemy,
Withoute fail, he must be dead or I;
For either I must slay him at the gap;
Or he must slay me, if that me mishap:”
So fared they, in changing of their hue
¹
As far as either of them other knew
¹
.
¹
When they recognised each
There was no good day, and no saluting, other afar off
¹
But straight, withoute wordes rehearsing,
Evereach of them holp to arm the other,
As friendly, as he were his owen brother.
And after that, with sharpe speares strong
They foined
¹
each at other wonder long.
¹
thrust
Thou mightest weene
¹
, that this Palamon
¹
think
In fighting were as a wood
¹
lion,
¹
mad
And as a cruel tiger was Arcite:
As wilde boars gan they together smite,
That froth as white as foam,
¹
for ire wood
¹
.
¹
mad with anger
¹
Up to the ancle fought they in their blood.
And in this wise I let them fighting dwell,
And forth I will of Theseus you tell.

The Destiny, minister general,
That executeth in the world o’er all
The purveyance
¹
, that God hath seen beforn;
¹
foreordination
So strong it is, that though the world had sworn
The contrary of a thing by yea or nay,
Yet some time it shall fallen on a day
That falleth not eft
¹
in a thousand year.
¹
again
For certainly our appetites here,
Be it of war, or peace, or hate, or love,
All is this ruled by the sight
¹
above.
¹
eye, intelligence, power
This mean I now by mighty Theseus,
That for to hunten is so desirous —
And namely
¹
the greate hart in May —
¹
especially
That in his bed there dawneth him no day
That he n’is clad, and ready for to ride
With hunt and horn, and houndes him beside.
For in his hunting hath he such delight,
That it is all his joy and appetite
To be himself the greate harte’s bane
^1
1
destruction
For after Mars he serveth now Diane.
Clear was the day, as I have told ere this,
And Theseus, with alle joy and bliss,
With his Hippolyta, the faire queen,
And Emily, y-clothed all in green,
On hunting be they ridden royally.
And to the grove, that stood there faste by,
In which there was an hart, as men him told,
Duke Theseus the straighte way doth hold,
And to the laund
¹
he rideth him full right,
¹
plain
There was the hart y-wont to have his flight,
And over a brook, and so forth on his way.
This Duke will have a course at him or tway
With houndes, such as him lust
¹
to command.
¹
pleased
And when this Duke was come to the laund,
Under the sun he looked, and anon
He was ware of Arcite and Palamon,
That foughte breme
¹
, as it were bulles two.
¹
fiercely
The brighte swordes wente to and fro
So hideously, that with the leaste stroke
It seemed that it woulde fell an oak,
But what they were, nothing yet he wote
¹
.
¹
knew
This Duke his courser with his spurres smote,
¹
And at a start
¹
he was betwixt them two,
¹
suddenly
¹
And pulled out a sword and cried, “Ho!
No more, on pain of losing of your head.
By mighty Mars, he shall anon be dead
That smiteth any stroke, that I may see!
But tell to me what mister
¹
men ye be,
¹
manner, kind
That be so hardy for to fighte here
Withoute judge or other officer,
As though it were in listes royally.
This Palamon answered hastily,
And saide: “Sir, what needeth wordes mo’?
We have the death deserved bothe two,
Two woful wretches be we, and caitives,
That be accumbered
¹
of our own lives,
¹
burdened
And as thou art a rightful lord and judge,
So give us neither mercy nor refuge.
And slay me first, for sainte charity,
But slay my fellow eke as well as me.
Or slay him first; for, though thou know it lite
¹
,
¹
little
This is thy mortal foe, this is Arcite
That from thy land is banisht on his head,
For which he hath deserved to be dead.
For this is he that came unto thy gate
And saide, that he highte Philostrate.
Thus hath he japed
¹
thee full many year,
¹
deceived
And thou hast made of him thy chief esquier;
And this is he, that loveth Emily.
For since the day is come that I shall die
I make pleinly
¹
my confession,
¹
fully, unreservedly
That I am thilke
¹
woful Palamon,
¹
that same
That hath thy prison broken wickedly.
I am thy mortal foe, and it am I
That so hot loveth Emily the bright,
That I would die here present in her sight.
Therefore I aske death and my jewise
¹
.
¹
judgement
But slay my fellow eke in the same wise,
For both we have deserved to be slain.”