• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

This mene I now, for she gan hoomward hye,

But execut was al bisyde hir leve,

At the goddes wil, for which she moste bleve.

The bente mone with hir hornes pale,

Saturne, and Iove, in Cancro ioyned were, 625

That swich a rayn from hevene gan avale

That every maner womman that was there

Hadde of that smoky reyn a verray fere;

At which Pandare tho lough, and seyde thenne,

`Now were it tyme a lady to go henne! 630

`But goode nece, if I mighte ever plese

Yow any-thing, than prey I yow,' quod he,

`To doon myn herte as now so greet an ese

As for to dwelle here al this night with me,

For-why this is your owene hous, pardee. 635

For, by my trouthe, I sey it nought a-game,

To wende as now, it were to me a shame.'

Criseyde, which that coude as muche good

As half a world, tok hede of his preyere;

And sin it ron, and al was on a flood, 640

She thoughte, as good chep may I dwellen here,

And graunte it gladly with a freendes chere,

And have a thank, as grucche and thanne abyde;

For hoom to goon, it may nought wel bityde.'

`I wol,' quod she, `myn uncle leef and dere, 645

Sin that yow list, it skile is to be so;

I am right glad with yow to dwellen here;

I seyde but a-game, I wolde go.'

`Y-wis, graunt mercy, nece!' quod he tho;

`Were it a game or no, soth for to telle, 650

Now am I glad, sin that yow list to dwelle.'

Thus al is wel; but tho bigan aright

The newe Ioye, and al the feste agayn;

But Pandarus, if goodly hadde he might,

He wolde han hyed hir to bedde fayn, 655

And seyde, `Lord, this is an huge rayn!

This were a weder for to slepen inne;

And that I rede us sonE to biginne.

`And nece, woot ye wher I wol yow leye,

For that we shul not liggen fer asonder, 660

And for ye neither shullen, dar I seye,

Heren noise of reynes nor of thondre?

By god, right in my lyte closet yonder.

And I wol in that outer hous allone

Be wardeyn of your wommen everichone. 665

`And in this middel chaumbre that ye see

Shal youre wommen slepen wel and softe;

And ther I seyde shal your-selve be;

And if ye liggen wel to-night, com ofte,

And careth not what weder is on-lofte. 670

The wyn anon, and whan so that yow leste,

So go we slepe, I trowe it be the beste.'

Ther nis no more, but here-after sone,

The voyde dronke, and travers drawe anon,

Gan every wight, that hadde nought to done 675

More in the place, out of the chaumber gon.

And ever-mo so sternelich it ron,

And blew ther-with so wonderliche loude,

That wel neigh no man heren other coude.

Tho Pandarus, hir eem, right as him oughte, 680

With women swiche as were hir most aboute,

Ful glad un-to hir beddes syde hir broughte,

And toke his leve, and gan ful lowe loute,

And seyde, `Here at this closet-dore with-oute,

Right over-thwart, your wommen liggen alle, 685

That, whom yow list of hem, ye may here calle.'

So whan that she was in the closet leyd,

And alle hir wommen forth by ordenaunce

A-bedde weren, ther as I have seyd,

There was no more to skippen nor to traunce, 690

But boden go to bedde, with mischaunce,

If any wight was steringe any-where,

And late hem slepe that a-bedde were.

But Pandarus, that wel coude eche a del

The olde daunce, and every poynt ther-inne, 695

Whan that he sey that alle thing was wel,

He thoughte he wolde up-on his werk biginne,

And gan the stewe-dore al softe un-pinne;

And stille as stoon, with-outen lenger lette,

By Troilus a-doun right he him sette. 700

And, shortly to the poynt right for to gon,

Of al this werk he tolde him word and ende,

And seyde, `Make thee redy right anon,

For thou shalt in-to hevene blisse wende.'

`Now blisful Venus, thou me grace sende,' 705

Quod Troilus, `for never yet no nede

Hadde I er now, ne halvendel the drede.'

Quod Pandarus, `Ne drede thee never a del,

For it shal been right as thou wilt desyre;

So thryve I, this night shal I make it wel, 710

Or casten al the gruwel in the fyre.'

`Yit blisful Venus, this night thou me enspyre,'

Quod Troilus, `as wis as I thee serve,

And ever bet and bet shal,