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From Troilus and Criseyde, Book III, lines 344-420:
Troilus offers one of his sisters in return
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Geoffrey Chaucer (1342 - 1400):
Troilus and Criseyde
Book III, lines 421-483: Troilus and Criseyde think about each other


Thus held him ech of other wel apayed,
That al the world ne mighte it bet amende;
And, on the morwe, whan they were arayed,
Ech to his owene nedes gan entende.
425But Troilus, though as the fyr he brende
For sharp desyr of hope and of plesaunce,
He not forgat his goode governaunce.

But in him-self with manhod gan restreyne
Ech rakel dede and ech unbrydled chere,
430That alle tho that liven, sooth to seyne,
Ne sholde han wist, by word or by manere,
What that he mente, as touching this matere.
From every wight as fer as is the cloude
He was, so wel dissimulen he koude.

435And al the whyl which that I yow devyse,
This was his lyf; with al his fulle might,
By day he was in Martes high servyse,
This is to seyn, in armes as a knight;
And for the moore part, the longe night
440He lay, and thoughte how that he mighte serve
His lady best, hir thank for to deserve.

Nil I nought swere, although he lay softe,
That in his thought he nas sumwhat disesed,
Ne that he tornede on his pilwes ofte,
445And wolde of that him missed han ben sesed;
But in swich cas men is nought alwey plesed,
For ought I woot, no more than was he;
That kan I deme of possibilitee.

But certeyn is, to purpos for to go,
450That in this whyle, as writen is in geste,
He say his lady somtyme; and also
She with him spak, whan that she dorste or leste,
And by hir bothe avys, as was the beste,
Apoynteden ful warly in this nede,
455So as they dorste, how they wolde procede.

But it was spoken in so short a wyse,
In swich awayt alwey, and in swich fere,
Lest any wight devynen or devyse
Wolde of hem two, or to it leye an ere,
460That al this world so leef to hem ne were
As that Cupido wolde hem grace sende
To maken of hir speche aright an ende.

But thilke litel that they spake or wroughte,
His wyse goost took ay of al swich hede,
465It semed hir, he wiste what she thoughte
Withouten word, so that it was no nede
To bidde him ought to done, or ought forbede;
For which she thought that love, al come it late,
Of alle joye hadde opened hir the yate.

470And shortly of this proces for to pace,
So wel his werk and wordes he bisette,
That he so ful stood in his lady grace,
That twenty thousand tymes, or she lette,
She thonked God she ever with him mette;
475So koude he him governe in swich servyse,
That al the world ne might it bet devyse.

For why she fond him so discreet in al,
So secret, and of swich obeisaunce,
That wel she felte he was to hir a wal
480Of steel, and sheld from every displesaunce;
That, to ben in his gode governaunce,
So wys he was, she was no more afered,
I mene, as fer as oughte ben requered.



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From Troilus and Criseyde, Book III, lines 484-546:
Troilus prays to Apollo
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