Among his sobbes and his sykes sore, 375
‘Lo! Pandare, I am deed, with-outen more.
Hastow nought herd at parlement,’ he seyde,
‘For Antenor how lost is my Criseyde?’
Ful pitously answerde and seyde, ‘yis!
As wisly were it fals as it is trewe, 381
That I have herd, and wot al how it is.
O mercy, god, who wolde have trowed this?
Who wolde have wend that, in so litel a throwe, 384
Fortune our joye wolde han over-throwe?
As to my doom, that ever saw ruyne
Straungere than this, thorugh cas or aventure.
But who may al eschewe or al devyne?
Swich is this world; for-thy I thus defyne, 390
†Ne truste no wight finden in Fortune
Ay propretee; hir yeftes been comune.
To sorwen thus? Why lystow in this wyse,
Sin thy desyr al holly hastow had, 395
So that, by right, it oughte y-now suffyse?
But I, that never felte in my servyse
A frendly chere or loking of an yë,
Lat me thus wepe and wayle, til I dye.
This town is ful of ladies al aboute;
And, to my doom, fairer than swiche twelve
As ever she was, shal I finde, in som route,
Ye, oon or two, with-outen any doute. 404
For-thy be glad, myn owene dere brother,
If she be lost, we shul recovere another.
In o thing were, and in non other wight!
If oon can singe, another can wel daunce;
If this be goodly, she is glad and light;
And this is fayr, and that can good a-right. 411
Ech for his vertu holden is for dere,
Bothe heroner and faucon for rivere.
“The newe love out chaceth ofte the olde;” 415
And up- on newe cas lyth newe avys.
Thenk eek, thy-self to saven artow holde;
Swich fyr, by proces shal of kinde colde.
For sin it is but casuel plesaunce,
Som cas shal putte it out of remembraunce. 420
The newe love, labour or other wo,
Or elles selde seinge of a wight,
Don olde affecciouns alle over-go.
And, for thy part, thou shalt have oon of tho 425
To abrigge with thy bittre peynes smerte;
Absence of hir shal dryve hir out of herte.’
To helpe his freend, lest he for sorwe deyde.
For doutelees, to doon his wo to falle, 430
He roughte not what unthrift that he seyde.
But Troilus, that neigh for sorwe deyde,
Tok litel hede of al that ever he mente;
Oon ere it herde, at the other out it wente:—
This lechecraft, or heled thus to be,
Were wel sitting, if that I were a feend,
To traysen hir that trewe is unto me!
I pray god, lat this consayl never y- thee;
But do me rather sterve anon-right here 440
Er I thus do as thou me woldest lere.
To whom myn herte enhabit is by right,
Shal han me holly hires til that I deye.
For, Pandarus, sin I have trouthe hir hight, 445
I wol not been untrewe for no wight;
But as hir man I wol ay live and sterve,
And never other creature serve.
As she, lat be, make no comparisoun 450
To creature y-formed here by kinde.
O leve Pandare in conclusioun,
I wol not be of thyn opinioun,
Touching al this; for whiche I thee biseche,
So hold thy pees; thou sleest me with thy speche. 455
Al freshly newe, and lat Criseyde go!
It lyth not in my power, leve brother.
And though I mighte, I wolde not do so.
But canstow pleyen raket, to and fro, 460
Netle in, dokke out, now this, now that Pandare?
Now foule falle hir, for thy wo that care!
As he, that whan a wight is wo bi-goon,
He cometh to him a pas, and seyth right thus, 465
“Thenk not on smert, and thou shalt fele noon.”
Thou most me first transmuwen in a stoon,
And reve me my passiounes alle,
Er thou so lightly do my wo to falle.
The lyf, so longe may this sorwe myne;
But fro my
| Previous chapter/page | Back | Home | Email this | Search | Discuss | Bookmark | Next chapter/page |