Troilus and Criseyde Part 29

Ye shal wel knowen that I nought ne lye, 900 And al this thing right seen it with your ye, And that anoon; ye nil not trowe how sone; Now taketh heed, for it is for to done.

'What wene ye your wyse fader wolde Han yeven Antenor for yow anoon, 905 If he ne wiste that the citee sholde Destroyed been? Why, nay, so mote I goon!

He knew ful wel ther shal not scapen oon That Troyan is; and for the grete fere, He dorste not, ye dwelte lenger there. 910

'What wole ye more, lufsom lady dere?

Lat Troye and Troyan fro your herte pace!

Dryf out that bittre hope, and make good chere, And clepe ayein the beautee of your face, That ye with salte teres so deface. 915 For Troye is brought in swich a Iupartye, That, it to save, is now no remedye.

'And thenketh wel, ye shal in Grekes finde, A more parfit love, er it be night, Than any Troian is, and more kinde, 920 And bet to serven yow wol doon his might.

And if ye vouche sauf, my lady bright, I wol ben he to serven yow my-selve, Yee, lever than he lord of Greces twelve!'

And with that word he gan to waxen reed, 925 And in his speche a litel wight he quook, And caste a-syde a litel wight his heed, And stinte a whyle; and afterward awook, And sobreliche on hir he threw his look, And seyde, 'I am, al be it yow no Ioye, 930 As gentil man as any wight in Troye.

'For if my fader Tydeus,' he seyde, 'Y-lived hadde, I hadde been, er this, Of Calidoine and Arge a king, Criseyde!

And so hope I that I shal yet, y-wis. 935 But he was slayn, allas! The more harm is, Unhappily at Thebes al to rathe, Polymites and many a man to scathe.

'But herte myn, sin that I am your man, And been the ferste of whom I seche grace, 940 To serven you as hertely as I can, And ever shal, whyl I to live have s.p.a.ce, So, er that I departe out of this place, Ye wol me graunte, that I may to-morwe, At bettre leyser, telle yow my sorwe.' 945

What shold I telle his wordes that he seyde?

He spak y-now, for o day at the meste; It preveth wel, he spak so that Criseyde Graunted, on the morwe, at his requeste, For to speken with him at the leste, 950 So that he nolde speke of swich matere; And thus to him she seyde, as ye may here:

As she that hadde hir herte on Troilus So faste, that ther may it noon arace; And straungely she spak, and seyde thus; 955 'O Diomede, I love that ilke place Ther I was born; and Ioves, for his grace, Delivere it sone of al that doth it care!

G.o.d, for thy might, so leve it wel to fare!

'That Grekes wolde hir wraththe on Troye wreke, 960 If that they mighte, I knowe it wel, y-wis.

But it shal not bifallen as ye speke; And G.o.d to-forn, and ferther over this, I wot my fader wys and redy is; And that he me hath bought, as ye me tolde, 965 So dere, I am the more un-to him holde.

'That Grekes been of heigh condicioun, I woot eek wel; but certein, men shal finde As worthy folk with-inne Troye toun, As conning, and as parfit and as kinde, 970 As been bitwixen Orcades and Inde.

And that ye coude wel your lady serve, I trowe eek wel, hir thank for to deserve.

'But as to speke of love, y-wis,' she seyde, 'I hadde a lord, to whom I wedded was, 975 The whos myn herte al was, til that he deyde; And other love, as helpe me now Pallas, Ther in myn herte nis, ne nevere was.

And that ye been of n.o.ble and heigh kinrede, I have wel herd it tellen, out of drede. 980

'And that doth me to han so gret a wonder, That ye wol scornen any womman so.

Eek, G.o.d wot, love and I be fer a-sonder!

I am disposed bet, so mote I go, Un-to my deeth, to pleyne and maken wo. 985 What I shal after doon, I can not seye; But trewely, as yet me list not pleye.

'Myn herte is now in tribulacioun, And ye in armes bisy, day by day.

Here-after, whan ye wonnen han the toun, 990 Paraunter, thanne so it happen may, That whan I see that I never er say, Than wole I werke that I never wroughte!

This word to yow y-nough suffysen oughte.

'To-morwe eek wol I speken with yow fayn, 995 So that ye touchen nought of this matere.

And whan yow list, ye may come here ayeyn; And, er ye gon, thus muche I seye yow here; As help me Pallas with hir heres clere, If that I sholde of any Greek han routhe, 1000 It sholde be your-selven, by my trouthe!

'I sey not therfore that I wol yow love, Ne I sey not nay, but in conclusioun, I mene wel, by G.o.d that sit above:' -- And ther-with-al she caste hir eyen doun, 1005 And gan to syke, and seyde, 'O Troye toun, Yet bidde I G.o.d, in quiete and in reste I may yow seen, or do myn herte breste.'

But in effect, and shortly for to seye, This Diomede al freshly newe ayeyn 1010 Gan pressen on, and faste hir mercy preye; And after this, the sothe for to seyn, Hir glove he took, of which he was ful fayn.

And fynally, whan it was waxen eve, And al was wel, he roos and took his leve. 1015

The brighte Venus folwede and ay taughte The wey, ther brode Phebus doun alighte; And Cynthea hir char-hors over-raughte To whirle out of the Lyon, if she mighte; And Signifer his candelse shewed brighte, 1020 Whan that Criseyde un-to hir bedde wente In-with hir fadres faire brighte tente.

Retorning in hir soule ay up and doun The wordes of this sodein Diomede, His greet estat, and peril of the toun, 1025 And that she was allone and hadde nede Of freendes help; and thus bigan to brede The cause why, the sothe for to telle, That she tok fully purpos for to dwelle.

The morwe com, and goostly for to speke, 1030 This Diomede is come un-to Criseyde, And shortly, lest that ye my tale breke, So wel he for him-selve spak and seyde, That alle hir sykes sore adoun he leyde.

And fynally, the sothe for to seyne, 1035 He refte hir of the grete of al hir peyne.

And after this the story telleth us, That she him yaf the faire baye stede, The which he ones wan of Troilus; And eek a broche (and that was litel nede) 1040 That Troilus was, she yaf this Diomede.

And eek, the bet from sorwe him to releve, She made him were a pencel of hir sleve.

I finde eek in stories elles-where, Whan through the body hurt was Diomede 1045 Of Troilus, tho weep she many a tere, Whan that she saugh his wyde woundes blede; And that she took to kepen him good hede, And for to hele him of his sorwes smerte.

Men seyn, I not, that she yaf him hir herte. 1050

But trewely, the story telleth us, Ther made never womman more wo Than she, whan that she falsed Troilus.

She seyde, 'Allas! For now is clene a-go My name of trouthe in love, for ever-mo! 1055 For I have falsed oon, the gentileste That ever was, and oon the worthieste!

'Allas, of me, un-to the worldes ende, Shal neither been y-writen nor y-songe No good word, for thise bokes wol me shende. 1060 O, rolled shal I been on many a tonge; Through-out the world my belle shal be ronge; And wommen most wol hate me of alle.

Allas, that swich a cas me sholde falle!

'They wol seyn, in as muche as in me is, 1065 I have hem don dishonour, weylawey!

Al be I not the first that dide amis, What helpeth that to do my blame awey?

But sin I see there is no bettre way, And that to late is now for me to rewe, 1070 To Diomede algate I wol be trewe.

'But Troilus, sin I no better may, And sin that thus departen ye and I, Yet preye I G.o.d, so yeve yow right good day As for the gentileste, trewely, 1075 That ever I say, to serven feithfully, And best can ay his lady honour kepe:' -- And with that word she brast anon to wepe.

'And certes yow ne haten shal I never, And freendes love, that shal ye han of me, 1080 And my good word, al mighte I liven ever.

And, trewely, I wolde sory be For to seen yow in adversitee.

And giltelees, I woot wel, I yow leve; But al shal pa.s.se; and thus take I my leve.' 1085

But trewely, how longe it was bitwene, That she for-sook him for this Diomede, Ther is non auctor telleth it, I wene.

Take every man now to his bokes hede; He shal no terme finden, out of drede. 1090 For though that he bigan to wowe hir sone, Er he hir wan, yet was ther more to done.

Ne me ne list this sely womman chyde Ferther than the story wol devyse.

Hir name, allas! Is publisshed so wyde, 1095 That for hir gilt it oughte y-noe suffyse.

And if I mighte excuse hir any wyse, For she so sory was for hir untrouthe, Y-wis, I wolde excuse hir yet for routhe.

This Troilus, as I biforn have told, 1100 Thus dryveth forth, as wel as he hath might.

But often was his herte hoot and cold, And namely, that ilke nynthe night, Which on the morwe she hadde him byhight To come ayein: G.o.d wot, ful litel reste 1105 Hadde he that night; no-thing to slepe him leste.

The laurer-crouned Phebus, with his hete, Gan, in his course ay upward as he wente, To warmen of the est see the wawes wete, And Nisus doughter song with fresh entente, 1110 Whan Troilus his Pandare after sente; And on the walles of the toun they pleyde, To loke if they can seen ought of Criseyde.

Til it was noon, they stoden for to see Who that ther come; and every maner wight, 1115 That cam fro fer, they seyden it was she, Til that they coude knowen him a-right.

Now was his herte dul, now was it light; And thus by-iaped stonden for to stare Aboute nought, this Troilus and Pandare. 1120

To Pandarus this Troilus tho seyde, 'For ought I wot, bi-for noon, sikerly, In-to this toun ne comth nought here Criseyde.

She hath y-now to done, hardily, To winnen from hir fader, so trowe I; 1125 Hir olde fader wol yet make hir dyne Er that she go; G.o.d yeve his herte pyne!'

Pandare answerde, 'It may wel be, certeyn; And for-thy lat us dyne, I thee biseche; And after noon than maystw thou come ayeyn.' 1130 And hoom they go, with-oute more speche; And comen ayein, but longe may they seche Er that they finde that they after cape; Fortune hem bothe thenketh for to Iape.

Quod Troilus, 'I see wel now, that she 1135 Is taried with hir olde fader so, That er she come, it wole neigh even be.