From Geoffrey Chaucer's "Troilus and Criseyde", Book IV, lines 1247-1421

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From Troilus and Criseyde, Book IV, lines 1212-1246:
Criseyde awakes, stops Troilus and suggests to talk about their mutual grief in bed

Geoffrey Chaucer (1342 - 1400):
Troilus and Criseyde
Book IV, lines 1247-1421: Criseyde explains that she has to follow her fate

	Whan they were in hir bedde, in armes folde,
	Nought was it lyk tho nightes here biforn;
	For pitously ech other gan biholde,
1250	As they that hadden al hir blisse ylorn,
	Biwaylinge ay the day that they were born.
	Til at the last this sorwful wight Criseyde
	To Troilus these ilke wordes seyde: --

`Lo, herte myn, wel woot ye this,' quod she,

1255 `That if a wight alwey his wo compleyne,

And seketh nought how holpen for to be,

It nis but folye and encrees of peyne;

And syn that here assembled be we tweyne

To finde bote of wo that we ben inne,

1260 It were al tyme sone to biginne.

`I am a womman, as ful wel ye woot,

And as I am avysed sodeynly,

So wol I telle yow, whyl it is hoot.

Me thinketh thus, that nouther ye nor I

1265 Oughte half this wo to make skilfully.

For there is art ynough for to redresse

That yet is mis, and sleen this hevynesse.

`Sooth is, the wo, the whiche that we ben inne,

For ought I woot, for nothing elles is

1270 But for the cause that we sholden twynne.

Considered al, ther nis no-more amis.

But what is thanne a remede unto this,

But that we shape us sone for to mete?

This alle and some, my dere herte swete.

1275 `Now that I shal wel bringen it aboute

To come ayein, sone after that I go,

Ther-of am I no maner thing in doute.

For dredelees, withinne a wyke or two,

I shal ben here; and, that it may be so

1280 By alle right, and in a wordes fewe,

I shal yow wel an heep of weyes shewe.

`For which I wol not make long sermoun,

For tyme ylost may not recovered be;

But I wol gon to my conclusioun,

1285 And to the beste, in ought that I can see.

And, for the love of God, foryeve it me

If I speke ought ayein your hertes reste;

For trewely, I speke it for the beste;

`Makinge alwey a protestacioun,

1290 That now these wordes, whiche that I shal seye,

Nis but to shewe yow my mocioun,

To finde unto our helpe the beste weye;

And taketh it non other wyse, I preye.

For in effect what-so ye me comaunde,

1295 That wol I doon, for that is no demaunde.

`Now herkneth this, ye han wel understonde,

My goinge graunted is by parlement

So ferforth, that it may not be withstonde

For al this world, as by my jugement.

1300 And syn ther helpeth noon avysement

To letten it, lat it passe out of minde;

And lat us shape a bettre wey to finde.

`The sothe is, that the twinninge of us tweyne

Wol us disese and cruelliche anoye.

1305 But him bihoveth som-tyme han a peyne,

That serveth love, if that he wol have joye.

And syn I shal no ferthere out of Troye

Than I may ryde ayein on half a morwe,

It oughte lesse causen us to sorwe.

1310 `So as I shal not so ben hid in muwe,

That day by day, myn owene herte dere,

Syn wel ye woot that it is now a trewe,

Ye shal ful wel al myn estat y-here.

And er that trewe is doon, I shal ben here,

1315 And thanne have ye bothe Antenor ywonne

And me also; beth glad now, if ye konne;

`And thenk right thus, "Criseyde is now agoon,

But what! She shal come hastely ayeyn;"

And whanne, allas? By God, lo, right anoon,

1320 Er dayes ten, this dar I saufly seyn.

And thanne at erst shul we been so fayn,

So as we shulle togederes ever dwelle,

That al this world ne mighte our blisse telle.

`I see that ofte, ther-as we ben now,

1325 That for the beste, our counseil for to hyde,

Ye speke not with me, nor I with yow

In fourtenight; ne see yow go ne ryde.

May ye not ten dayes thanne abyde,

For myn honour, in swich an aventure?

1330 Y-wis, ye mowen elles lite endure!

`Ye knowe eek how that al my kin is here,

But-if that onliche it my fader be;

And eek myn othere thinges alle yfeere,

And nameliche, my dere herte, ye,

1335 Whom that I nolde leven for to see

For al this world, as wyd as it hath space;

Or elles, see ich never joves face!

`Why trowe ye my fader in this wyse

Coveiteth so to see me, but for drede

1340 Lest in this toun that folkes me dispyse

Bycause of him, for his unhappy dede?

What woot my fader what lyf that I lede?

For if he wiste in Troye how wel I fare,

Us neded for my wending nought to care.

1345 `Ye seen that every day eek, more and more,

Men trete of pees; and it supposed is,

That men the quene Eleyne shal restore,

And Grekes us restore that is mis.

So though ther nere comfort noon but this,

1350 That men purposen pees on every syde,

Ye may the bettre at ese of herte abyde.

`For if that it be pees, myn herte dere,

The nature of the pees mot nedes dryve

That men moste entrecomunen y-fere,

1355 And to and fro eek ryde and gon as blyve

Alday as thikke as been flen from an hyve;

And every wight han libertee to bleve

Whereas him list the bet, withouten leve.

`And though so be that pees ther may be noon,

1360 Yet hider, though ther never pees ne were,

I moste come; for whider sholde I goon,

Or how meschaunce sholde I dwelle there

Among tho men of armes ever in fere?

For which, as wisly God my soule rede,

1365 I can not seen wherof ye sholden drede.

`Have here another wey, if it so be

That al this thing ne may yow not suffyse.

My fader, as ye knowen wel, pardee,

Is old, and elde is ful of coveityse,

1370 And I right now have founden al the gyse,

Withoute net, wherwith I shal him hente;

And herkeneth how, if that ye wole assente.

`Lo, Troilus, men seyn that hard it is

The wolf ful, and the wether hool to have;

1375 This is to seyn, that men ful ofte, ywis,

Mot spenden part, the remenant for to save.

For ay with gold men may the herte grave

Of him that set is upon coveityse;

And how I mene, I shal it yow devyse.

1380 `The moeble which that I have in this toun

Unto my fader shal I take, and seye,

That right for trust and for savacioun

It sent is from a freend of his or tweye,

The whiche freendes ferventliche him preye

1385 To senden after more, and that in hye,

Whyl that this toun stant thus in jupartye.

`And that shal been an huge quantitee,

Thus shal I seyn, but, lest it folk aspyde,

This may be sent by no wight but by me;

1390 I shal eek shewen him, if pees bityde,

What frendes that ich have on every syde

Toward the court, to doon the wrathe pace

Of Priamus, and doon him stonde in grace.

`So what for o thing and for other, swete,

1395 I shal him so enchaunten with my sawes,

That right in hevene his soule is, shal he mete!

For al Appollo, or his clerkes lawes,

Or calculinge avayleth nought thre hawes;

Desyr of gold shal so his soule blende,

1400 That, as me list, I shal wel make an ende.

`And if he wolde ought by his sort it preve

If that I lye, in certayn I shal fonde

Distorben him, and plukke him by the sleve,

Makinge his sort, and beren him on honde,

1405 He hath not wel the goddes understonde.

For goddes speken in amphibologyes,

And, for o sooth they tellen twenty lyes.

`Eek drede fond first goddes, I suppose,

Thus shal I seyn, and that his cowarde herte

1410 Made him amis the goddes text to glose,

Whan he for ferde out of his Delphos sterte.

And but I make him sone to converte,

And doon my reed withinne a day or tweye,

I wol to yow oblige me to deye.'

1415 And treweliche, as writen wel I finde,

That al this thing was seyd of good entente;

And that hir herte trewe was and kinde

Towardes him, and spak right as she mente,

And that she starf for wo neigh, whan she wente,

1420 And was in purpos ever to be trewe;

Thus writen they that of hir werkes knewe.

Next:
From Troilus and Criseyde, Book IV, lines 1422-1526:
Troilus comforts Criseyde

	`Lo, herte myn, wel woot ye this,' quod she,
1255	`That if a wight alwey his wo compleyne,
	And seketh nought how holpen for to be,
	It nis but folye and encrees of peyne;
	And syn that here assembled be we tweyne
	To finde bote of wo that we ben inne,
1260	It were al tyme sone to biginne.

	`I am a womman, as ful wel ye woot,
	And as I am avysed sodeynly,
	So wol I telle yow, whyl it is hoot.
	Me thinketh thus, that nouther ye nor I
1265	Oughte half this wo to make skilfully.
	For there is art ynough for to redresse
	That yet is mis, and sleen this hevynesse.

	`Sooth is, the wo, the whiche that we ben inne,
	For ought I woot, for nothing elles is
1270	But for the cause that we sholden twynne.
	Considered al, ther nis no-more amis.
	But what is thanne a remede unto this,
	But that we shape us sone for to mete?
	This alle and some, my dere herte swete.

1275	`Now that I shal wel bringen it aboute
	To come ayein, sone after that I go,
	Ther-of am I no maner thing in doute.
	For dredelees, withinne a wyke or two,
	I shal ben here; and, that it may be so
1280	By alle right, and in a wordes fewe,
	I shal yow wel an heep of weyes shewe.

	`For which I wol not make long sermoun,
	For tyme ylost may not recovered be;
	But I wol gon to my conclusioun,
1285	And to the beste, in ought that I can see.
	And, for the love of God, foryeve it me
	If I speke ought ayein your hertes reste;
	For trewely, I speke it for the beste;

	`Makinge alwey a protestacioun,
1290	That now these wordes, whiche that I shal seye,
	Nis but to shewe yow my mocioun,
	To finde unto our helpe the beste weye;
	And taketh it non other wyse, I preye.
	For in effect what-so ye me comaunde,
1295	That wol I doon, for that is no demaunde.

	`Now herkneth this, ye han wel understonde,
	My goinge graunted is by parlement
	So ferforth, that it may not be withstonde
	For al this world, as by my jugement.
1300	And syn ther helpeth noon avysement
	To letten it, lat it passe out of minde;
	And lat us shape a bettre wey to finde.

	`The sothe is, that the twinninge of us tweyne
	Wol us disese and cruelliche anoye.
1305	But him bihoveth som-tyme han a peyne,
	That serveth love, if that he wol have joye.
	And syn I shal no ferthere out of Troye
	Than I may ryde ayein on half a morwe,
	It oughte lesse causen us to sorwe.

1310	`So as I shal not so ben hid in muwe,
	That day by day, myn owene herte dere,
	Syn wel ye woot that it is now a trewe,
	Ye shal ful wel al myn estat y-here.
	And er that trewe is doon, I shal ben here,
1315	And thanne have ye bothe Antenor ywonne
	And me also; beth glad now, if ye konne;

	`And thenk right thus, "Criseyde is now agoon,
	But what! She shal come hastely ayeyn;"
	And whanne, allas? By God, lo, right anoon,
1320	Er dayes ten, this dar I saufly seyn.
	And thanne at erst shul we been so fayn,
	So as we shulle togederes ever dwelle,
	That al this world ne mighte our blisse telle.

	`I see that ofte, ther-as we ben now,
1325	That for the beste, our counseil for to hyde,
	Ye speke not with me, nor I with yow
	In fourtenight; ne see yow go ne ryde.
	May ye not ten dayes thanne abyde,
	For myn honour, in swich an aventure?
1330	Y-wis, ye mowen elles lite endure!

	`Ye knowe eek how that al my kin is here,
	But-if that onliche it my fader be;
	And eek myn othere thinges alle yfeere,
	And nameliche, my dere herte, ye,
1335	Whom that I nolde leven for to see
	For al this world, as wyd as it hath space;
	Or elles, see ich never joves face!

	`Why trowe ye my fader in this wyse
	Coveiteth so to see me, but for drede
1340	Lest in this toun that folkes me dispyse
	Bycause of him, for his unhappy dede?
	What woot my fader what lyf that I lede?
	For if he wiste in Troye how wel I fare,
	Us neded for my wending nought to care.

1345	`Ye seen that every day eek, more and more,
	Men trete of pees; and it supposed is,
	That men the quene Eleyne shal restore,
	And Grekes us restore that is mis.
	So though ther nere comfort noon but this,
1350	That men purposen pees on every syde,
	Ye may the bettre at ese of herte abyde.

	`For if that it be pees, myn herte dere,
	The nature of the pees mot nedes dryve
	That men moste entrecomunen y-fere,
1355	And to and fro eek ryde and gon as blyve
	Alday as thikke as been flen from an hyve;
	And every wight han libertee to bleve
	Whereas him list the bet, withouten leve.

	`And though so be that pees ther may be noon,
1360	Yet hider, though ther never pees ne were,
	I moste come; for whider sholde I goon,
	Or how meschaunce sholde I dwelle there
	Among tho men of armes ever in fere?
	For which, as wisly God my soule rede,
1365	I can not seen wherof ye sholden drede.

	`Have here another wey, if it so be
	That al this thing ne may yow not suffyse.
	My fader, as ye knowen wel, pardee,
	Is old, and elde is ful of coveityse,
1370	And I right now have founden al the gyse,
	Withoute net, wherwith I shal him hente;
	And herkeneth how, if that ye wole assente.

	`Lo, Troilus, men seyn that hard it is
	The wolf ful, and the wether hool to have;
1375	This is to seyn, that men ful ofte, ywis,
	Mot spenden part, the remenant for to save.
	For ay with gold men may the herte grave
	Of him that set is upon coveityse;
	And how I mene, I shal it yow devyse.

1380	`The moeble which that I have in this toun
	Unto my fader shal I take, and seye,
	That right for trust and for savacioun
	It sent is from a freend of his or tweye,
	The whiche freendes ferventliche him preye
1385	To senden after more, and that in hye,
	Whyl that this toun stant thus in jupartye.

	`And that shal been an huge quantitee,
	Thus shal I seyn, but, lest it folk aspyde,
	This may be sent by no wight but by me;
1390	I shal eek shewen him, if pees bityde,
	What frendes that ich have on every syde
	Toward the court, to doon the wrathe pace
	Of Priamus, and doon him stonde in grace.

	`So what for o thing and for other, swete,
1395	I shal him so enchaunten with my sawes,
	That right in hevene his soule is, shal he mete!
	For al Appollo, or his clerkes lawes,
	Or calculinge avayleth nought thre hawes;
	Desyr of gold shal so his soule blende,
1400	That, as me list, I shal wel make an ende.

	`And if he wolde ought by his sort it preve
	If that I lye, in certayn I shal fonde
	Distorben him, and plukke him by the sleve,
	Makinge his sort, and beren him on honde,
1405	He hath not wel the goddes understonde.
	For goddes speken in amphibologyes,
	And, for o sooth they tellen twenty lyes.

	`Eek drede fond first goddes, I suppose,
	Thus shal I seyn, and that his cowarde herte
1410	Made him amis the goddes text to glose,
	Whan he for ferde out of his Delphos sterte.
	And but I make him sone to converte,
	And doon my reed withinne a day or tweye,
	I wol to yow oblige me to deye.'

1415	And treweliche, as writen wel I finde,
	That al this thing was seyd of good entente;
	And that hir herte trewe was and kinde
	Towardes him, and spak right as she mente,
	And that she starf for wo neigh, whan she wente,
1420	And was in purpos ever to be trewe;
	Thus writen they that of hir werkes knewe.