• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

And swote smellen floures whyte and rede,

In sondry wyses shewed, as I rede,

The folk of Troye hir observaunces olde, 160

Palladiones feste for to holde.

And to the temple, in al hir beste wyse,

In general, ther wente many a wight,

To herknen of Palladion servyse;

And namely, so many a lusty knight, 165

So many a lady fresh and mayden bright,

Ful wel arayed, bothe moste and leste,

Ye, bothe for the seson and the feste.

Among thise othere folk was Criseyda,

In widewes habite blak; but nathelees, 170

Right as our firste lettre is now an A,

In beautee first so stood she, makelees;

Hir godly looking gladede al the prees.

Nas never seyn thing to ben preysed derre,

Nor under cloude blak so bright a sterre 175

As was Criseyde, as folk seyde everichoon

That hir behelden in hir blake wede;

And yet she stood ful lowe and stille alloon,

Bihinden othere folk, in litel brede,

And neigh the dore, ay under shames drede, 180

Simple of a-tyr, and debonaire of chere,

With ful assured loking and manere.

This Troilus, as he was wont to gyde

His yonge knightes, ladde hem up and doun

In thilke large temple on every syde, 185

Biholding ay the ladyes of the toun,

Now here, now there, for no devocioun

Hadde he to noon, to reven him his reste,

But gan to preyse and lakken whom him leste.

And in his walk ful fast he gan to wayten 190

If knight or squyer of his companye

Gan for to syke, or lete his eyen bayten

On any woman that he coude aspye;

He wolde smyle, and holden it folye,

And seye him thus, `god wot, she slepeth softe 195

For love of thee, whan thou tornest ful ofte!

`I have herd told, pardieux, of your livinge,

Ye lovers, and your lewede observaunces,

And which a labour folk han in winninge

Of love, and, in the keping, which doutaunces; 200

And whan your preye is lost, wo and penaunces;

O verrey foles! nyce and blinde be ye;

Ther nis not oon can war by other be.'

And with that word he gan cast up the browe,

Ascaunces, `Lo! is this nought wysly spoken?' 205

At which the god of love gan loken rowe

Right for despyt, and shoop for to ben wroken;

He kidde anoon his bowe nas not broken;

For sodeynly he hit him at the fulle;

And yet as proud a pekok can he pulle. 210

O blinde world, O blinde entencioun!

How ofte falleth al theffect contraire

Of surquidrye and foul presumpcioun;

For caught is proud, and caught is debonaire.

This Troilus is clomben on the staire, 215

And litel weneth that he moot descenden.

But al-day falleth thing that foles ne wenden.

As proude Bayard ginneth for to skippe

Out of the wey, so priketh him his corn,

Til he a lash have of the longe whippe, 220

Than thenketh he, `Though I praunce al biforn

First in the trays, ful fat and newe shorn,

Yet am I but an hors, and horses lawe

I moot endure, and with my feres drawe.'

So ferde it by this fers and proude knight; 225

Though he a worthy kinges sone were,

And wende nothing hadde had swiche might

Ayens his wil that sholde his herte stere,

Yet with a look his herte wex a-fere,

That he, that now was most in pryde above, 230

Wex sodeynly most subget un-to love.

For-thy ensample taketh of this man,

Ye wyse, proude, and worthy folkes alle,

To scornen Love, which that so sone can

The freedom of your hertes to him thralle; 235

For ever it was, and ever it shal bifalle,

That Love is he that alle thing may binde;

For may no man for-do the lawe of kinde.

That this be sooth, hath preved and doth yet;

For this trowe I ye knowen, alle or some, 240

Men reden not that folk han gretter wit

Than they that han be most with love y-nome;

And strengest folk ben therwith overcome,

The worthiest and grettest of degree:

This was, and is, and yet men shal it see. 245

And trewelich it sit wel to be so;

For alderwysest han ther-with ben plesed;

And they that han ben aldermost in wo,

With love han ben conforted most and esed;

And ofte it hath the cruel herte apesed, 250

And worthy folk maad worthier of name,

And causeth most to dreden vyce and shame.