• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

They spedde hem fro the soper un-to reste.

On morwe, as sone as day bigan to clere,

This Troilus gan of his sleep tabrayde, 520

And to Pandare, his owene brother dere,

`For love of god,' ful pitously he seyde,

`As go we seen the paleys of Criseyde;

For sin we yet may have namore feste,

So lat us seen hir paleys at the leste.' 525

And ther-with-al, his meyne for to blende,

A cause he fond in toune for to go,

And to Criseydes hous they gonnen wende.

But lord! This sely Troilus was wo!

Him thoughte his sorweful herte braste a-two. 530

For whan he saugh hir dores sperred alle,

Wel neigh for sorwe a-doun he gan to falle.

Therwith, whan he was war and gan biholde

How shet was every windowe of the place,

As frost, him thoughte, his herte gan to colde; 535

For which with chaunged deedlich pale face,

With-outen word, he forth bigan to pace;

And, as god wolde, he gan so faste ryde,

That no wight of his contenance aspyde.

Than seyde he thus; `O paleys desolat, 540

O hous, of houses whylom best y-hight,

O paleys empty and disconsolat,

O thou lanterne, of which queynt is the light,

O paleys, whylom day, that now art night,

Wel oughtestow to falle, and I to dye, 545

Sin she is went that wont was us to gye!

`O paleys, whylom croune of houses alle,

Enlumined with sonne of alle blisse!

O ring, fro which the ruby is out-falle,

O cause of wo, that cause hast been of lisse! 550

Yet, sin I may no bet, fayn wolde I kisse

Thy colde dores, dorste I for this route;

And fare-wel shryne, of which the seynt is oute!'

Ther-with he caste on Pandarus his ye

With chaunged face, and pitous to biholde; 555

And whan he mighte his tyme aright aspye,

Ay as he rood, to Pandarus he tolde

His newe sorwe, and eek his Ioyes olde,

So pitously and with so dede an hewe,

That every wight mighte on his sorwe rewe. 560

Fro thennesforth he rydeth up and doun,

And every thing com him to remembraunce

As he rood forbi places of the toun

In whiche he whylom hadde al his plesaunce.

`Lo, yond saugh I myn owene lady daunce; 565

And in that temple, with hir eyen clere,

Me coughte first my righte lady dere.

`And yonder have I herd ful lustily

My dere herte laugh, and yonder pleye

Saugh I hir ones eek ful blisfully. 570

And yonder ones to me gan she seye,

"Now goode swete, love me wel, I preye."

And yond so goodly gan she me biholde,

That to the deeth myn herte is to hir holde.

`And at that corner, in the yonder hous, 575

Herde I myn alderlevest lady dere

So wommanly, with voys melodious,

Singen so wel, so goodly, and so clere,

That in my soule yet me thinketh I here

The blisful soun; and, in that yonder place, 580

My lady first me took un-to hir grace.'

Thanne thoughte he thus, `O blisful lord Cupyde,

Whanne I the proces have in my memorie,

How thou me hast wereyed on every syde,

Men might a book make of it, lyk a storie. 585

What nede is thee to seke on me victorie,

Sin I am thyn, and hoolly at thy wille?

What Ioye hastow thyn owene folk to spille?

`Wel hastow, lord, y-wroke on me thyn ire,

Thou mighty god, and dredful for to greve! 590

Now mercy, lord, thou wost wel I desire

Thy grace most, of alle lustes leve,

And live and deye I wol in thy bileve,

For which I naxe in guerdon but a bone,

That thou Criseyde ayein me sende sone. 595

`Distreyne hir herte as faste to retorne

As thou dost myn to longen hir to see;

Than woot I wel, that she nil nought soiorne.

Now, blisful lord, so cruel thou ne be

Un-to the blood of Troye, I preye thee, 600

As Iuno was un-to the blood Thebane,

For which the folk of Thebes caughte hir bane.'

And after this he to the yates wente

Ther-as Criseyde out-rood a ful good paas,

And up and doun ther made he many a wente, 605

And to him-self ful ofte he seyde `Allas!

From hennes rood my blisse and my solas!

As wolde blisful god now, for his Ioye,

I mighte hir seen ayein come in-to Troye!

`And to the yonder hille I gan hir gyde, 610

Allas! And there I took of hir my leve!

And yond I saugh hir to hir fader ryde,