WHILOM, as old stories tellen us,
There was a duk that highte Theseus ;
Of Athenes he was lord and governour,
And in his time swiche a conquerour,
That greter was ther non under the sonne;
Ful many a riche contree had he wonne.
What with his wisdom and his chevalrie,
He conquerd all the regne of Feminie,
That whilom was ycleped Scythia,
And wedded the fresshe Quene Ipolita,
And brought hire home with him to his contree
With mochel glorie and solempnitee,
And eke hire yonge suster Emelie.
And thus with victorie and with melodie
Let I this worthy duk to Athenes ride,
And all his host in armes him beside.
And certes, if it n'ere to long to here,
I wolde have told you fully the manere
How wonnen was the regne of Feminie
By Theseus, and by his chevalrie:
And of the grete bataille for the nones
Betwix Athenes and Amasones:
And how asseged was Ipolita,
The faire hardie quene of Scythia;
And of the feste, that was at hire wedding,
And of the temple at hire home coming:
But all this thing I moste as now forbere;
I have, God wot, a large feld to ere,
And weke ben the oxen in my plowe:
The remenent of my tale is long ynow.
I wil not letten eke non of this route;
Let every felaw telle his tale aboute,
And let se now who shal the souper winne,
There as I left, I will agen beginne.
This duk, of whom I made mentioun,
Whan he was comen almost to the toun,
In all his wele and his moste pride,
He was ware, as he cast his eye aside,
Wher that ther kneled in the highe wey
A compagnie of ladies, twey and twey,
Eche after other, clad in clothes blake;
But swiche a crie and swiche a wo they make,
That in this world n'is creature living
That ever heard swiche another waimenting;
And of this crie ne wolde never stenten,
Till they the reines of his bridel henten.
What folk be ye that at min home coming
Perturben so my feste with crying?
Quod Theseus; have ye so grete envie
Of min honour, that thus complaine and crie?
Or who hath you misboden, or offended?
Do telle me, if that it may be amended,
And why ye be thus clothed all in blake?
The oldest lady of hem all than spake,
Whan she had swouned with a dedly chere,
That it was reuthe for to seen and here.
She sayde, Lord, to whom Fortune hath yeven
Victorie, and as a conqueror to liven,
Nought greveth us your glorie and your honour,
But we beseke you of mercie and socour :
Have mercie on our wo and our distresse :
Some drope of pitee thrugh thy gentillesse
Upon us wretched wimmen let now fall;
For certes, lord, there n'is non of us alle
That she n'hath ben a duchesse or a quene;
Now be we caitives, as it is wel sene :
Thanked be Fortune, and hire false whele,
That non estat ensureth to be wele.
And certes, lord, to abiden your presence,
Here in this temple of the goddesse Clemence,
We han ben waiting all this fourtenight:
Now help us, lord, sin it lieth in thy might.
I wretched wight, that wepe and waile thus,
Was whilom wif to King Capaneus,
That starfe at Thebes, cursed be that day,
And alle we that ben in this aray,
And maken all this lamentation,
We losten all our husbondes at that toun,
While that the siege therabouten lay:
And yet now the old Creon, wala wa!
That lord is now of Thebes the citee,
Fulfilled of ire and of iniquittee,
He for despit, and for his tyrannie,
To don the ded bodies a vilanie,
Of alle our lordes, which that ben yslawe,
Hath alle the bodies on an hepe ydrawe,
And will not suffren hem by non assent
Neyther to ben yberied, ne ybrent,
But maketh houndes ete hem in despite.
And with that word, withouten more respite,
They fallen groff, and crien pitously,
Have on us wretched wimmen som mercy,
And let our sorwe sinken in thin herte.
This gentil duk doun from his courser sterte, With herte piteous, whan he herd hem speke. Him thoughte that his herte wold all to-breke When he saw hem so pitous and so mate That whilom weren of so gret estate, And in his armes, he hem all up hente, And hem comforted in ful good entente, And swore his oth, as he was trewe knight, He wolde don so ferforthly his might Upon the tyrant Creon hem to wreke, That all the peple of Grece shulde speke How Creon was of Theseus yserved; As he that hath his deth ful wel deserved.
And right anon, withouten more abode, His banner he displaide, and forth he rode To Thebes ward, and all his host beside : No ner Athenes n'olde he go ne ride,
Ne take his ese fully half a day,
But onward on his way that night he lay,
And sent anon Ipolita the quene,
And Emeli hire yonge sister shene,
Unto the toun of Athenes for to dwell;
And forth he rit; ther n'is no more to tell.
The red statue of Mars, with spere and targe,
So shineth in his white banner large,
That all the feldes gliteren up and doun;
And by his banner borne is his penoun,
Of golde ful riche, in which ther was ybete
The Minotaure, which that he slew in Crete.
Thus rit this duk, thus rit this conquerour,
And in his host of chevalrie the flour,
Til that he came to Thebes, and alight
Fayre in a felde, ther as he thought to fight:
But shortly for to speken of this thing,
With Creon, which that was of Thebes king,
He fought and slew him manly as a knight
In plaine bataille, and put his folk to flight;
And by assaut he wan the citee after,
And rent adoun bothe wall, and sparre, and rafter;
And to the ladies he restored again
The bodies of hir housbondes that were slain,
To don the obsequies, as was tho the gise.
But it were all to long for to devise
The grete clamour and the waimenting
Whiche that the ladies made at the brenning
Of the bodies, and the gret honour
That Theseus, the noble conquerour,
Doth to the ladies whan they from him wente;
But shortly for to telle is min entente.
Whan that this worthy duk, this Theseus,
Hath Creon slain, and wonnen Thebes thus,
Still in the feld he toke all night his reste,
And did with all the countree as hem leste;
'To ransake in the tas of bodies dede,
Hem for to stripe of harneis and of wede,
The pillours dide hir businesse and cure,
After the bataille and discomfiture;
And so befell, that, in the tas, they found,
Thurgh girt with many a grevous blody wound,
Two yonge knightes ligging by and by,
Bothe in on armes, wrought ful richely;
Of whiche two, Arcite highte that on,
And he that other highte Palamon.
Not fully quik, ne fully ded they were, But by hir cote armure, and by hir gere, The heraudes knew hem wel in special, As tho that weren of the blod real Of Thebes, and of sustren two yborne : Out of the tas the pillours han hem torne, And han hem carried soft unto the tente Of Theseus, and he ful sone hem sente To Athenes, for to dwellen in prison Perpetuel, he n'olde no raunson. And whan this worthy duk had thus ydon, He toke his host, and home he rit anon, With laurel crouned as a conquerour; And ther he liveth in joye and in honour, Terme of his lif; what nedeth wordes mo? And in a tour, in anguish and in wo, Dwellen this Palamon, and eke Arcite, For evermo, ther may no gold hem quite. Thus passeth yere by yere, and day by day, Till it fell ones, in a morwe of May, That Emilie, that fayrer was to sene Than is the lilie upon the stalke grene, And fressher than the May with floures new, (For with the rose colour strof hire hewe, I n'ot which was the finer of hem two,) Er it was day, as she was wont to do, She was arisen, and all redy dight; For May wol have no slogardie a-night: The season priketh every gentil herte, And maketh him out of his slepe to sterte, And sayth, Arise, and do thin observance.
This maketh Emelie han remembraunce To don honour to May, and for to rise; Yclothed was she fresshe for to devise; Hire yelwe here was broided in a tresse Behind hire back, a yerde long I gesse; And in the gardin at sonne uprist, She walketh up and doun wher as hire list; She gathereth floures, partie white and red, To make a sotel garland for hire hed; And as an angel hevenlich she song: The grete tour that was so thikke and strong, Which, of the castel, was the chef dongeon (Wher as these knightes weren in prison, Of which I tolde you, and tellen shai,) Was even joinant to the gardin wall,
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