Delphi Poetry Anthology: The World's Greatest Poems (Delphi Poets Series Book 50) (34 page)
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Authors: Homer,William Shakespeare
Up go the trumpets and the melody,
And to the listes rode the company
1
By ordinance
1
, throughout the city large,
1
in orderly array
1
Hanged with cloth of gold, and not with sarge
1
.
1
serge
Full like a lord this noble Duke gan ride,
And these two Thebans upon either side:
And after rode the queen and Emily,
And after them another company
Of one and other, after their degree.
And thus they passed thorough that city
And to the listes came they by time:
It was not of the day yet fully prime
1
.
1
between 6 &
When set was Theseus full rich and high,
Hippolyta the queen and Emily,
And other ladies in their degrees about,
Unto the seates presseth all the rout.
And westward, through the gates under Mart,
Arcite, and eke the hundred of his part,
With banner red, is enter’d right anon;
And in the selve
1
moment Palamon
1
self-same
Is, under Venus, eastward in the place,
With banner white, and hardy cheer
1
and face
1
expression
In all the world, to seeken up and down
So even
1
without variatioun
1
equal
There were such companies never tway.
For there was none so wise that coulde say
That any had of other avantage
Of worthiness, nor of estate, nor age,
So even were they chosen for to guess.
And
1
in two ranges faire they them dress
1
.
1
they arranged themselves
When that their names read were every one, in two rows
1
That in their number guile
1
were there none,
1
fraud
Then were the gates shut, and cried was loud;
“Do now your devoir, younge knights proud
The heralds left their pricking
1
up and down
1
spurring their horses
Now ring the trumpet loud and clarioun.
There is no more to say, but east and west
In go the speares sadly
1
in the rest;
1
steadily
In go the sharpe spurs into the side.
There see me who can joust, and who can ride.
There shiver shaftes upon shieldes thick;
He feeleth through the hearte-spoon the prick.
Up spring the speares twenty foot on height;
Out go the swordes as the silver bright.
The helmes they to-hewen, and to-shred
1
;
1
strike in pieces
Out burst the blood, with sterne streames red.
With mighty maces the bones they to-brest
1
.
1
burst
He
through the thickest of the throng gan threst
1
.
1
thrust
There stumble steedes strong, and down go all.
He rolleth under foot as doth a ball.
He foineth
1
on his foe with a trunchoun,
1
forces himself
And he him hurtleth with his horse adown.
He through the body hurt is, and
1
sith take
1
,
1
afterwards captured
1
Maugre his head, and brought unto the stake,
As forword
1
was, right there he must abide.
1
covenant
Another led is on that other side.
And sometime doth
1
them Theseus to rest,
1
caused
Them to refresh, and drinken if them lest
1
.
1
pleased
Full oft a day have thilke Thebans two
1
these
Together met and wrought each other woe:
Unhorsed hath each other of them tway
1
1
twice
There is no tiger in the vale of Galaphay,
When that her whelp is stole, when it is lite
1
1
little
So cruel on the hunter, as Arcite
For jealous heart upon this Palamon:
Nor in Belmarie
there is no fell lion,
That hunted is, or for his hunger wood
1
1
mad
Or for his prey desireth so the blood,
As Palamon to slay his foe Arcite.
The jealous strokes upon their helmets bite;
Out runneth blood on both their sides red,
Sometime an end there is of every deed
For ere the sun unto the reste went,
The stronge king Emetrius gan hent
1
1
sieze, assail
This Palamon, as he fought with Arcite,
And made his sword deep in his flesh to bite,
And by the force of twenty is he take,
Unyielding, and is drawn unto the stake.
And in the rescue of this Palamon
The stronge king Licurgus is borne down:
And king Emetrius, for all his strength
Is borne out of his saddle a sword’s length,
So hit him Palamon ere he were take:
But all for nought; he was brought to the stake:
His hardy hearte might him helpe naught,
He must abide when that he was caught,
By force, and eke by composition
1
.
1
the bargain
Who sorroweth now but woful Palamon
That must no more go again to fight?
And when that Theseus had seen that sight
Unto the folk that foughte thus each one,
He cried, Ho! no more, for it is done!
I will be true judge, and not party.
Arcite of Thebes shall have Emily,
That by his fortune hath her fairly won.”
Anon there is a noise of people gone,
For joy of this, so loud and high withal,
It seemed that the listes shoulde fall.
What can now faire Venus do above?
What saith she now? what doth this queen of love?
But weepeth so, for wanting of her will,
Till that her teares in the listes fill
1
1
fall
She said: “I am ashamed doubteless.”
Saturnus saide: “Daughter, hold thy peace.
Mars hath his will, his knight hath all his boon,
And by mine head thou shalt be eased soon.”
The trumpeters with the loud minstrelsy,
The heralds, that full loude yell and cry,
Be in their joy for weal of Dan
1
Arcite.
1
Lord
But hearken me, and stinte noise a lite,
What a miracle there befell anon
This fierce Arcite hath off his helm y-done,
And on a courser for to shew his face
He
1
pricketh endelong
1
the large place,
1
rides from end to end
1
Looking upward upon this Emily;
And she again him cast a friendly eye
(For women, as to speaken
1
in commune
1
,
1
generally
1
They follow all the favour of fortune),
And was all his in cheer
1
, as his in heart.
1
countenance
Out of the ground a fire infernal start,
From Pluto sent, at request of Saturn
For which his horse for fear began to turn,
And leap aside, and founder
1
as he leap
1
stumble
And ere that Arcite may take any keep
1
,
1
care
He pight
1
him on the pummel
2
of his head.
1
pitched
2
top
That in the place he lay as he were dead.
His breast to-bursten with his saddle-bow.
As black he lay as any coal or crow,
So was the blood y-run into his face.
Anon he was y-borne out of the place
With hearte sore, to Theseus’ palace.
Then was he carven
1
out of his harness.
1
cut
And in a bed y-brought full fair and blive
1
1
quickly
For he was yet in mem’ry and alive,
And always crying after Emily.
Duke Theseus, with all his company,
Is come home to Athens his city,
With alle bliss and great solemnity.
Albeit that this aventure was fall
1
,
1
befallen
He woulde not discomforte
1
them all
1
discourage
Then said eke, that Arcite should not die,
He should be healed of his malady.
And of another thing they were as fain
1
.
1
glad
That of them alle was there no one slain,
All
1
were they sorely hurt, and namely
2
one,
1
although
2
especially
That with a spear was thirled
1
his breast-bone.
1
pierced
To other woundes, and to broken arms,
Some hadden salves, and some hadden charms:
And pharmacies of herbs, and eke save
1
1
sage, Salvia officinalis
They dranken, for they would their lives have.
For which this noble Duke, as he well can,
Comforteth and honoureth every man,
And made revel all the longe night,
Unto the strange lordes, as was right.
Nor there was holden no discomforting,
But as at jousts or at a tourneying;
For soothly there was no discomfiture,
For falling is not but an aventure
1
.
1
chance, accident
Nor to be led by force unto a stake
Unyielding, and with twenty knights y-take
One person all alone, withouten mo’,
And harried
1
forth by armes, foot, and toe,
1
dragged, hurried
And eke his steede driven forth with staves,
With footmen, bothe yeomen and eke knaves
1
,
1
servants
It was
1
aretted him no villainy:
1
1
counted no disgrace to him
1
There may no man
1
clepen it cowardy
1
.
1
call it cowardice
1
For which anon Duke Theseus
1
let cry
1
, —
1
caused to be proclaimed
1
To stenten
1
alle rancour and envy, —
1
stop
The gree
1
as well on one side as the other,
1
prize, merit
And either side alike as other’s brother:
And gave them giftes after their degree,
And held a feaste fully dayes three:
And conveyed the kinges worthily
Out of his town a journee
1
largely
1
day’s journey
And home went every man the righte way,
There was no more but “Farewell, Have good day.”
Of this bataille I will no more indite
But speak of Palamon and of Arcite.
Swelleth the breast of Arcite and the sore
Increaseth at his hearte more and more.
The clotted blood, for any leache-craft
1
1
surgical skill
Corrupteth and is
1
in his bouk y-laft
1
1
left in his body
1
That neither
1
veine blood nor ventousing
1
,
1
blood-letting or cupping
1
Nor drink of herbes may be his helping.
The virtue expulsive or animal,
From thilke virtue called natural,
Nor may the venom voide, nor expel
The pipes of his lungs began to swell
And every lacert
1
in his breast adown
1
sinew, muscle
Is shent
1
with venom and corruption.
1
destroyed
Him gaineth
1
neither, for to get his life,
1
availeth
Vomit upward, nor downward laxative;
All is to-bursten thilke region;
Nature hath now no domination.
And certainly where nature will not wirch,
1
1
work
Farewell physic: go bear the man to chirch.
1
1
church
This all and some is, Arcite must die.
For which he sendeth after Emily,
And Palamon, that was his cousin dear,
Then said he thus, as ye shall after hear.
“Nought may the woful spirit in mine heart
Declare one point of all my sorrows’ smart
To you, my lady, that I love the most:
But I bequeath the service of my ghost
To you aboven every creature,
Since that my life ne may no longer dure.
Alas the woe! alas, the paines strong
That I for you have suffered and so long!
Alas the death, alas, mine Emily!
Alas departing
1
of our company!
1
the severance
Alas, mine hearte’s queen! alas, my wife!
Mine hearte’s lady, ender of my life!
What is this world? what aske men to have?
Now with his love, now in his colde grave
Al one, withouten any company.
Farewell, my sweet, farewell, mine Emily,
And softly take me in your armes tway,
For love of God, and hearken what I say.
I have here with my cousin Palamon
Had strife and rancour many a day agone,
For love of you, and for my jealousy.
And Jupiter so
1
wis my soule gie
1
,
1
surely guides my soul
1
To speaken of a servant properly,
With alle circumstances truely,
That is to say, truth, honour, and knighthead,
Wisdom, humbless
1
, estate, and high kindred,
1
humility
Freedom, and all that longeth to that art,
So Jupiter have of my soul part,
As in this world right now I know not one,
So worthy to be lov’d as Palamon,
That serveth you, and will do all his life.
And if that you shall ever be a wife,
Forget not Palamon, the gentle man.”
And with that word his speech to fail began.
For from his feet up to his breast was come
The cold of death, that had him overnome
1
.
1
overcome
And yet moreover in his armes two
The vital strength is lost, and all ago
1
.
1
gone
Only the intellect, withoute more,
That dwelled in his hearte sick and sore,
Gan faile, when the hearte felte death;
Dusked
1
his eyen two, and fail’d his breath.
1
grew dim
But on his lady yet he cast his eye;
His laste word was; “Mercy, Emily!”
His spirit changed house, and wente there,
As I came never I cannot telle where.
Therefore I stent
1
, I am no divinister
2
;
1
refrain
2
diviner
Of soules find I nought in this register.
Ne me list not th’ opinions to tell
Of them, though that they writen where they dwell;
Arcite is cold, there Mars his soule gie.
1
1
guide
Now will I speake forth of Emily.