The Canterbury Tales [360]
my trust, and my pleasance! That I was born, alas! that me is woe, That day of us must make disseverance! For time it is to rise, and hence to go, Or else I am but lost for evermo'. O Night! alas! why n'ilt thou o'er us hove,* *hover As long as when Alcmena lay by Jove? <62>
"O blacke Night! as folk in bookes read That shapen* art by God, this world to hide, *appointed At certain times, with thy darke weed,* *robe That under it men might in rest abide, Well oughte beastes plain, and folke chide, That where as Day with labour would us brest,* *burst, overcome There thou right flee'st, and deignest* not us rest.* *grantest
"Thou dost, alas! so shortly thine office,* *duty Thou rakel* Night! that God, maker of kind, *rash, hasty Thee for thy haste and thine unkinde vice, So fast ay to our hemisphere bind, That never more under the ground thou wind;* *turn, revolve For through thy rakel hieing* out of Troy *hasting Have I forgone* thus hastily my joy!" *lost
This Troilus, that with these wordes felt, As thought him then, for piteous distress, The bloody teares from his hearte melt, As he that never yet such heaviness Assayed had out of so great gladness, Gan therewithal Cresside, his lady dear, In armes strain, and said in this mannere:
"O cruel Day! accuser of the joy That Night and Love have stol'n, and *fast y-wrien!* *closely Accursed be thy coming into Troy! concealed* For ev'ry bow'r* hath one of thy bright eyen: *chamber Envious Day! Why list thee to espyen? What hast thou lost? Why seekest thou this place? There God thy light so quenche, for his grace!
"Alas! what have these lovers thee aguilt?* *offended, sinned against Dispiteous* Day, thine be the pains of hell! *cruel, spiteful For many a lover hast thou slain, and wilt; Thy peering in will nowhere let them dwell: What! proff'rest thou thy light here for to sell? Go sell it them that smalle seales grave!* *cut devices on We will thee not, us needs no day to have."
And eke the Sunne, Titan, gan he chide, And said, "O fool! well may men thee despise! That hast the Dawning <63> all night thee beside, And suff'rest her so soon up from thee rise, For to disease* us lovers in this wise! *annoy What! hold* thy bed, both thou, and eke thy Morrow! *keep I bidde* God so give you bothe sorrow!" *pray
The lovers part with many sighs and protestations of unswerving and undying love; Cressida responding to the vows of Troilus with the assurance --
"That first shall Phoebus* falle from his sphere, *the sun And heaven's eagle be the dove's fere, And ev'ry rock out of his place start, Ere Troilus out of Cressida's heart."
When Pandarus visits Troilus in his palace later in the day, he warns him not to mar his bliss by any fault of his own:
"For, of Fortune's sharp adversity, The worste kind of infortune is this, A man to have been in prosperity, And it remember when it passed is.<64> Thou art wise enough; forthy,*" do not amiss; *therefore Be not too rakel,* though thou sitte warm; *rash, over-hasty For if thou be, certain it will thee harm.
"Thou art at ease, and hold thee well therein; For, all so sure as red is ev'ry fire, As great a craft is to keep weal as win; <65> Bridle alway thy speech and thy desire, For worldly joy holds not but by a wire; That proveth well, it breaks all day so oft, Forthy need is to worke with it soft."
Troilus sedulously observes the counsel; and the lovers have many renewals of their pleasure, and of their bitter chidings of the Day. The effects of love on Troilus are altogether refining and ennobling; as may be inferred from the song which he sung often to Pandarus:
The Second Song of Troilus.
"Love, that of Earth and Sea hath governance!
"O blacke Night! as folk in bookes read That shapen* art by God, this world to hide, *appointed At certain times, with thy darke weed,* *robe That under it men might in rest abide, Well oughte beastes plain, and folke chide, That where as Day with labour would us brest,* *burst, overcome There thou right flee'st, and deignest* not us rest.* *grantest
"Thou dost, alas! so shortly thine office,* *duty Thou rakel* Night! that God, maker of kind, *rash, hasty Thee for thy haste and thine unkinde vice, So fast ay to our hemisphere bind, That never more under the ground thou wind;* *turn, revolve For through thy rakel hieing* out of Troy *hasting Have I forgone* thus hastily my joy!" *lost
This Troilus, that with these wordes felt, As thought him then, for piteous distress, The bloody teares from his hearte melt, As he that never yet such heaviness Assayed had out of so great gladness, Gan therewithal Cresside, his lady dear, In armes strain, and said in this mannere:
"O cruel Day! accuser of the joy That Night and Love have stol'n, and *fast y-wrien!* *closely Accursed be thy coming into Troy! concealed* For ev'ry bow'r* hath one of thy bright eyen: *chamber Envious Day! Why list thee to espyen? What hast thou lost? Why seekest thou this place? There God thy light so quenche, for his grace!
"Alas! what have these lovers thee aguilt?* *offended, sinned against Dispiteous* Day, thine be the pains of hell! *cruel, spiteful For many a lover hast thou slain, and wilt; Thy peering in will nowhere let them dwell: What! proff'rest thou thy light here for to sell? Go sell it them that smalle seales grave!* *cut devices on We will thee not, us needs no day to have."
And eke the Sunne, Titan, gan he chide, And said, "O fool! well may men thee despise! That hast the Dawning <63> all night thee beside, And suff'rest her so soon up from thee rise, For to disease* us lovers in this wise! *annoy What! hold* thy bed, both thou, and eke thy Morrow! *keep I bidde* God so give you bothe sorrow!" *pray
The lovers part with many sighs and protestations of unswerving and undying love; Cressida responding to the vows of Troilus with the assurance --
"That first shall Phoebus* falle from his sphere, *the sun And heaven's eagle be the dove's fere, And ev'ry rock out of his place start, Ere Troilus out of Cressida's heart."
When Pandarus visits Troilus in his palace later in the day, he warns him not to mar his bliss by any fault of his own:
"For, of Fortune's sharp adversity, The worste kind of infortune is this, A man to have been in prosperity, And it remember when it passed is.<64> Thou art wise enough; forthy,*" do not amiss; *therefore Be not too rakel,* though thou sitte warm; *rash, over-hasty For if thou be, certain it will thee harm.
"Thou art at ease, and hold thee well therein; For, all so sure as red is ev'ry fire, As great a craft is to keep weal as win; <65> Bridle alway thy speech and thy desire, For worldly joy holds not but by a wire; That proveth well, it breaks all day so oft, Forthy need is to worke with it soft."
Troilus sedulously observes the counsel; and the lovers have many renewals of their pleasure, and of their bitter chidings of the Day. The effects of love on Troilus are altogether refining and ennobling; as may be inferred from the song which he sung often to Pandarus:
The Second Song of Troilus.
"Love, that of Earth and Sea hath governance!