geoffrey chaucer - the knight's tale

8/8/2019 Geoffrey Chaucer - The Knight's Tale

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The Knights TaleBy Geoffrey Chaucer

Once on a time, as old tales tell to us,

There was a duke whose name was Theseus:Of Athens he was lord and governor,

And in his time was such a conquerorThat greater was there not beneath the sun

!ull many a rich country had he won"

#hat with his wisdom and his chivalry$e gained the realm of !emininity,

That was of old time known as %cythiaThere wedded he the queen, $i&&olyta,

And brought her home with him to his country

'n glory great and with great &ageantry,And, too, her younger sister, (mily

And thus, in victory and with melody,)et ' this noble duke to Athens ride

#ith all his armed host marching at his sideAnd truly, were it not too long to hear,

' would have told you fully how, that year,#as gained the realm of !emininity

By Theseus and by his chivalry"And all of the great battle that was wrought

#here Ama*ons and the Athenians fought"And how was wooed and won $i&&olyta,

That fair and hardy queen of %cythia"And of the feast was made at their wedding,

And of the tem&est at their home+coming"But all of that ' must for now forbear

' have, God knows, a large field for my share,And weak the oen, and the soil is tough

The remnant of the tale is long enough' will not hinder any, in my turn"

)et each man tell his tale, until we learn#hich of us all the most deserves to win"

%o where ' sto&&ed, again '-ll now begin

This duke of whom ' s&eak, of great renown,#hen he had drawn almost unto the town,

'n all well+being and in utmost &ride,

$e grew aware, casting his eyes aside,

That right u&on the road, as su&&liants do,A com&any of ladies, two by two,

.nelt, all in black, before his cavalcade"

But such a clamorous cry of woe they madeThat in the whole world living man had heard

/o such a lamentation, on my word"/or would they cease lamenting till at last

They-d clutched his bridle reins and held them fast0#hat folk are you that at my home+coming


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1isturb my trium&h with this dolorous thing20Cried Theseus 01o you so much envy

3y honour that you thus com&lain and cry2Or who has wronged you now, or who offended2

Come, tell me whether it may be amended"And tell me, why are you clothed thus, in black20

The eldest lady of them answered back,After she-d swooned, with cheek so deathly drear

That it was &itiful to see and hear,

And said: 0)ord, to whom !ortune has but given

4ictory, and to conquer where you-ve striven,5our glory and your honour grieve not us"

But we beseech your aid and &ity thus$ave mercy on our woe and our distress

%ome dro& of &ity, of your gentleness,6&on us wretched women, oh, let fall7

!or see, lord, there is no one of us allThat has not been a duchess or a queen"

/ow we are ca&tives, as may well be seen:

Thanks be to !ortune and her treacherous wheel,There-s none can rest assured of constant weal

And truly, lord, e&ecting your return,

'n 8ity-s tem&le, where the fires yet burn,#e have been waiting through a long fortnight"

/ow hel& us, lord, since it is in your might0', wretched woman, who am wee&ing thus,

#as once the wife of .ing Ca&aneus,#ho died at Thebes, oh, cursed be the day7

And all we that you see in this array,And make this lamentation to be known,

All we have lost our husbands at that town

1uring the siege that round about it layAnd now the old Creon, ah welaway7

The lord and governor of Thebes city,!ull of his wrath and all iniquity,

$e, in des&ite and out of tyranny,To do the dead a shame and villainy,

Of all our husbands, lying among the slain,

$as &iled the bodies in a hea&, amain,And will not suffer them, nor give consent,

To buried be, or burned, nor will relent,But sets his dogs to eat them, out of s&ite0

And on that word, at once, without res&ite,They all fell &rone and cried out &iteously:

0$ave on us wretched women some mercy,And let our sorrows sink into your heart70

This gentle duke down from his horse did start#ith heart of &ity, when he-d heard them s&eak

't seemed to him his heart must surely break,%eeing them there so miserable of state,

#ho had been &roud and ha&&y but so lateAnd in his arms he took them tenderly,

Giving them comfort understandingly:


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And swore his oath, that as he was true knight,$e would &ut forth so thoroughly his might

Against the tyrant Creon as to wreak4engeance so great that all of Greece should s&eak

And say how Creon was by Theseus served,As one that had his death full well deserved

This sworn and done, he no more there abode"$is banner he dis&layed and forth he rode

Toward Thebes, and all his host marched on beside"

/or nearer Athens would he walk or ride,

/or take his ease for even half a day,But onward, and in cam& that night he lay"

And thence he sent $i&&olyta the queenAnd her bright sister (mily, ' ween,

6nto the town of Athens, there to dwell#hile he went forth There is no more to tell

The image of red 3ars, with s&ear and shield,%o shone u&on his banner-s snow+white field

't made a billowing glitter u& and down"

And by the banner borne was his &ennon,On which in beaten gold was worked, com&lete,

The 3inotaur, which he had slain in Crete

Thus rode this duke, thus rode this conqueror,And in his host of chivalry the flower,

6ntil he came to Thebes and did alight!ull in the field where he-d intent to fight

But to be brief in telling of this thing,#ith Creon, who was Thebes- dread lord and king,

$e fought and slew him, manfully, like knight,'n o&en war, and &ut his host to flight"

And by assault he took the city then,

)evelling wall and rafter with his men"And to the ladies he restored again

The bones of their &oor husbands who were slain,To do for them the last rites of that day

But it were far too long a tale to sayThe clamour of great grief and sorrowing

Those ladies raised above the bones burning

6&on the &yres, and of the great honourThat Theseus, the noble conqueror,

8aid to the ladies when from him they went"To make the story short is my intent

#hen, then, this worthy duke, this Theseus$ad slain Creon and won Thebes city thus,

%till on the field he took that night his rest,And dealt with all the land as he thought best

'n searching through the hea& of enemy dead,%tri&&ing them of their gear from heel to head,

The busy &illagers could &ick and choose,After the battle, what they best could use"

And so befell that in a hea& they found,8ierced through with many a grievous, bloody wound,

Two young knights lying together, side by side,


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Bearing one crest, wrought richly, of their &ride,And of those two Arcita was the one,

The other knight was known as 8alamon/ot fully quick, nor fully dead they were,

But by their coats of arms and by their gearThe heralds readily could tell, withal,

That they were of the Theban blood royal,And that they had been of two sisters bornOut of the hea& the s&oilers had them torn

And carried gently over to the tent

Of Theseus" who shortly had them sentTo Athens, there in &rison cell to lie

!or ever, without ransom, till they dieAnd when this worthy duke had all this done,

$e gathered host and home he rode anon,#ith laurel crowned again as conqueror"

There lived he in all 9oy and all honour$is term of life" what more need words e&ress2

And in a tower, in anguish and distress,

8alamon and Arcita, day and night,1welt whence no gold might hel& them to take flight

Thus &assed by year by year and day by day,

Till it fell out, u&on a morn in 3ay,That (mily, far fairer to be seen

Than is the lily on its stalk of green,And fresher than is 3ay with flowers new

!or with the rose-s colour strove her hue,' know not which was fairer of the two;,

Before the dawn, as was her wont to do,%he rose and dressed her body for delight"

!or 3ay will have no sluggards of the night

That season rouses every gentle heartAnd forces it from winter-s slee& to start,

%aying: 0Arise and show thy reverence0%o (mily remembered to go thence

'n honour of the 3ay, and so she roseClothed, she was sweeter than any flower that blows"

$er yellow hair was braided in one tress

Behind her back, a full yard long, ' guessAnd in the garden, as the sun u&+rose,

%he sauntered back and forth and through each close,Gathering many a flower, white and red,

To weave a delicate garland for her head"And like a heavenly angel-s was her song

The tower tall, which was so thick and strong,And of the castle was the great don9on,

#herein the two knights languished in &rison,Of whom ' told and shall yet tell, withal;,

#as 9oined, at base, unto the garden wall#hereunder (mily went dallying

Bright was the sun and clear that morn in s&ring,And 8alamon, the woeful &risoner,

As was his wont, by leave of his gaoler,


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#as u& and &acing round that chamber high,!rom which the noble city filled his eye,

And, too, the garden full of branches green,#herein bright (mily, fair and serene,

#ent walking and went roving u& and downThis sorrowing &risoner, this 8alamon,

Being in the chamber, &acing to and fro,And to himself com&laining of his woe,Cursing his birth, he often cried 0Alas70

And so it was, by chance or other &ass,

That through a window, closed by many a barOf iron, strong and square as any s&ar,

$e cast his eyes u&on (milia,And thereu&on he blenched and cried out 0Ah70

As if he had been smitten to the heartAnd at that cry Arcita did u&+start,

Asking: 03y cousin, why what ails you nowThat you-ve so deathly &allor on your brow2

#hy did you cry out2 #ho-s offended you2

!or God-s love, show some &atience, as ' do,#ith &rison, for it may not different be"

!ortune has given this adversity

%ome evil dis&osition or as&ectOf %aturn did our horosco&es affect

To bring us here, though differently -twere sworn"But so the stars stood when we two were born"

#e must endure it" that, in brief, is &lain0This 8alamon re&lied and said again:

0Cousin, indeed in this o&inion now5our fancy is but vanity, ' trow

't-s not our &rison that caused me to cry

But ' was wounded lately through the eye1own to my heart, and that my bane will be

The beauty of the lady that ' seeThere in that garden, &acing to and fro,

's cause of all my crying and my woe' know not if she-s woman or goddess"

But 4enus she is verily, ' guess0

And thereu&on down on his knees he fell,And said: 0O 4enus, if it be thy will

To be transfigured in this garden, thusBefore me, sorrowing wretch, oh now hel& us

Out of this &rison to be soon esca&edAnd if it be my destiny is sha&ed,

By fate, to die in durance, in bondage,$ave &ity, then, u&on our lineage

That has been brought so low by tyranny0And on that word Arcita looked to see

This lady who went roving to and froAnd in that look her beauty struck him so

That, if &oor 8alamon is wounded sore,Arcita is as dee&ly hurt, and more

And with a sigh he said then, &iteously:


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0The virgin beauty slays me suddenlyOf her that wanders yonder in that &lace"

And save ' have her &ity and her grace,That ' at least may see her day by day,

' am but dead" there is no more to say0This 8alamon, when these words he had heard,

8itilessly he watched him, and answered:01o you say this in earnest or in &lay20

0/ay,0 quoth Arcita, 0earnest, now, ' say7

God hel& me, ' am in no mood for &lay70

8alamon knit his brows and stood at bay0't will not &rove,0 he said, 0to your honour

After so long a time to turn traitorTo me, who am your cousin and your brother,

%worn as we are, and each unto the other,That never, though for death in any &ain,

/ever, indeed, till death shall &art us twain,(ither of us in love shall hinder other,

/o, nor in any thing, O my dear brother"

But that, instead, you shall so further meAs ' shall you All this we did agree

%uch was your oath and such was mine also

5ou dare not now deny it, well ' knowThus you are of my &arty, beyond doubt

And now you would all falsely go aboutTo love my lady, whom ' love and serve,

And shall while life my heart-s blood may &reserve/ay, false Arcita, it shall not be so

' loved her first, and told you all my woe,As to a brother and to one that swore

To further me, as ' have said before

!or which you are in duty bound, as knight,To hel& me, if the thing lie in your might,

Or else you-re false, ' say, and downfallen0Then this Arcita &roudly s&oke again:

05ou shall,0 he said, 0be rather false than '"And that you-re so, ' tell you utterly"

!or &ar amour ' loved her first, you know

#hat can you say2 5ou know not, even now,#hether she is a woman or goddess7

5ours is a worshi& as of holiness,#hile mine is love, as of a mortal maid"

#herefore ' told you of it, unafraid,As to my cousin and my brother sworn

)et us assume you loved her first, this morn".now you not well the ancient writer-s saw

Of -#ho shall give a lover any law2-)ove is a greater law, aye by my &an,

Than man has ever given to earthly manAnd therefore statute law and such decrees

Are broken daily and in all degreesA man must needs have love, maugre his head

$e cannot flee it though he should be dead,


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And be she maid, or widow, or a wifeAnd yet it is not likely that, in life,

5ou-ll stand within her graces" nor shall '"!or you are well aware, aye verily,

That you and ' are doomed to &rison drear8er&etually" we gain no ransom here

#e strive but as those dogs did for the bone"They fought all day, and yet their gain was none

Till came a kite while they were still so wroth

And bore the bone away between them both

And therefore, at the king-s court, O my brother,'t-s each man for himself and not for other

)ove if you like" for ' love and aye shall"And certainly, dear brother, that is all

$ere in this &rison cell must we remainAnd each endure whatever fate ordain0

Great was the strife, and long, betwit the two,'f ' had but the time to tell it you,

%ave in effect 't ha&&ened on a day

To tell the tale as briefly as ' may;,A worthy duke men called 8irithous,

#ho had been friend unto 1uke Theseus

%ince each had been a little child, a chit,#as come to visit Athens and visit

$is &lay+fellow, as he was wont to do,!or in this whole world he loved no man so"

And Theseus loved him as truly+ nay,%o well each loved the other, old books say,

That when one died it is but truth ' tell;,The other went and sought him down in $ell"

But of that tale ' have no wish to write

8irithous loved Arcita, too, that knight,$aving known him in Thebes full many a year"

And finally, at his request and &rayer,And that without a coin of ransom &aid,

1uke Theseus released him out of shade,!reely to go where-er he wished, and to

$is own devices, as '-ll now tell you

The com&act was, to set it &lainly down,As made between those two of great renown:

That if Arcita, any time, were found,(ver in life, by day or night, on ground

Of any country of this Theseus,And he were caught, it was concerted thus,

That by the sword he straight should lose his head$e had no choice, so taking leave he s&ed

$omeward to Thebes, lest by the sword-s shar& edge$e forfeit life $is neck was under &ledge

$ow great a sorrow is Arcita-s now7$ow through his heart he feels death-s heavy blow,

$e wee&s, he wails, he cries out &iteously"$e thinks to slay himself all &rivily

%aid he: 0Alas, the day that ' was born7


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'-m in worse &rison, now, and more forlorn"/ow am ' doomed eternally to dwell

/o more in 8urgatory, but in $ellAlas, that ' have known 8irithous7

!or else had ' remained with Theseus,!ettered within that cell" but even so

Then had ' been in bliss and not in woeOnly the sight of her that ' would serve,

Though ' might never her dear grace deserve,

#ould have sufficed, oh well enough for me7

O my dear cousin 8alamon,0 said he,05ours is the victory, and that is sure,

!or there, full ha&&ily, you may endure'n &rison2 /ever, but in 8aradise7

Oh, well has !ortune turned for you the dice,#ho have the sight of her, ' the absence

!or &ossible it is, in her &resence,5ou being a knight, a worthy and able,

That by some chance, since !ortune-s changeable

5ou may to your desire sometime attainBut ', that am in eile and in &ain,

%tri&&ed of all ho&e and in so dee& des&air

That there-s no earth nor water, fire nor air,/or any creature made of them there is

To hel& or give me comfort, now, in this+%urely '-ll die of sorrow and distress"

!arewell, my life, my love, my 9oyousness70Alas7 #hy is it men so much com&lain

Of what great God, or !ortune, may ordain,#hen better is the gift, in any guise,

Than men may often for themselves devise2

One man desires only that great wealth#hich may but cause his death or long ill+health

One who from &rison gladly would be free,At home by his own servants slain might be

'nfinite evils lie therein, -tis clear"#e know not what it is we &ray for here

#e fare as he that-s drunken as a mouse"

A drunk man knows right well he has a house,But he knows not the right way leading thither"

And a drunk man is sure to sli& and slitherAnd certainly, in this world so fare we"

#e furiously &ursue felicity,5et we go often wrong before we die

This may we all admit, and s&ecially ',#ho deemed and held, as ' were under s&ell,

That if ' might esca&e from &rison cell,Then would ' find again what might heal,

#ho now am only eiled from my weal!or since ' may not see you, (mily,

' am but dead" there is no remedy0And on the other hand, this 8alamon,

#hen that he found Arcita truly gone,


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%uch lamentation made he, that the tower


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$ave s&illed out well+nigh all the blood we hadAt Thebes, and desolated her wide walls

And 4enus slays me with the bitter gallsOf fear of Arcita, and 9ealousy0

/ow will ' leave this 8alamon, for he's in his &rison, where he still must dwell,

And of Arcita will ' forthwith tell%ummer being &assed away and nights grown long,

'ncreased now doubly all the anguish strong

Both of the lover and the &risoner

' know not which one was the woefuller!or, to be brief about it, 8alamon

's doomed to lie for ever in &rison,'n chains and fetters till he shall be dead"

And eiled on the forfeit of his head;Arcita must remain abroad, nor see,

!or evermore, the face of his lady5ou lovers, now ' ask you this question:

#ho has the worse, Arcita or 8alamon2

The one may see his lady day by day,But yet in &rison must he dwell for ayeThe other, where he wishes, he may go,

But never see his lady more, ah no/ow answer as you wish, all you that can

!or ' will s&eak right on as ' began(&licit &rima &ars

%equitur &ars secunda/ow when Arcita unto Thebes was come,

$e lay and languished all day in his home,%ince he his lady nevermore should see,

But telling of his sorrow brief '-ll be

$ad never any man so much torture,/o, nor shall have while this world may endure

Bereft he was of slee& and meat and drink,That lean he grew and dry as shaft, ' think

$is eyes were hollow and ghastly to behold,$is face was sallow, all &ale and ashen+cold,

And solitary ke&t he and alone,

#ailing the whole night long, making his moanAnd if he heard a song or instrument,

Then he would wee& ungoverned and lament"%o feeble were his s&irits, and so low,

And so changed was he, that no man could know$im by his words or voice, whoever heard

And in this change, for all the world he faredAs if not troubled by malady of love,

But by that humor dark and grim, whereof%&rings melancholy madness in the brain,

And fantasy unbridled holds its reignAnd shortly, all was turned quite u&side+down,

Both habits and the tem&er all had knownOf him, this woeful lover, 1an Arcite

#hy should ' all day of his woe indite2


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#hen he-d endured all this a year or two,This cruel torment and this &ain and woe,

At Thebes, in his own country, as ' said,6&on a night, while slee&ing in his bed,

$e dreamed of how the winged God 3ercuryBefore him stood and bade him ha&&ier be

$is slee&+bestowing wand he bore u&right"A hat he wore u&on his ringlets brightArrayed this god was noted at a lea&;

As he-d been when to Argus he gave slee&

And thus he s&oke: 0To Athens shall you wend"!or all your woe is destined there to end0

And on that word Arcita woke and started0/ow truly, howsoever sore '-m smarted,0

%aid he, 0to Athens right now will ' fare"/or for the dread of death will ' now s&are

To see my lady, whom ' love and serve"' will not reck of death, with her, nor swerve0

And with that word he caught a great mirror,

And saw how changed was all his old colour,And saw his visage altered from its kind

And right away it ran into his mind

That since his face was now disfigured so,By suffering endured as well we know;,

$e might, if he should bear him low in town,)ive there in Athens evermore, unknown,

%eeing his lady well+nigh every dayAnd right anon he altered his array,

)ike a &oor labourer in mean attire,And all alone, save only for a squire,

#ho knew his secret heart and all his case,

And who was dressed as &oorly as he was,To Athens was he gone the nearest way

And to the court he went u&on a day,And at the gate he &roffered services

To drudge and drag, as any one devisesAnd to be brief herein, and to be &lain,

$e found em&loyment with a chamberlain

#as serving in the house of (mily"!or he was shar& and very soon could see

#hat every servant did who served her there


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'f Theseus should heighten his degreeAnd &ut him in more honourable service

#herein he might his virtue eerciseAnd thus, anon, his name was so u&+s&rung,

Both for his deeds and sayings of his tongue,That Theseus had brought him nigh and nigher

And of the chamber he had made him squire,And given him gold to maintain dignity

Besides, men brought him, from his own country,

!rom year to year, clandestinely, his rent"

But honestly and slyly it was s&ent,And no man wondered how he came by it

And three years thus he lived, with much &rofit,And bore him so in &eace and so in war

There was no man that Theseus loved moreAnd in such bliss ' leave Arcita now,

And u&on 8alamon some words bestow'n darksome, horrible, and strong &rison

These seven years has now sat 8alamon,

#asted by woe and by his long distress#ho has a two+fold evil heaviness

But 8alamon2 whom love yet tortures so

That half out of his wits he is for woe"And 9oined thereto he is a &risoner,

8er&etually, not only for a yearAnd who could rhyme in (nglish, &ro&erly,

$is martyrdom2 !orsooth, it is not '"And therefore ' &ass lightly on my way

't fell out in the seventh year, in 3ay,On the third night as say the books of old

#hich have this story much more fully told;,

#ere it by chance or were it destiny%ince, when a thing is destined, it must be;,

That, shortly after midnight, 8alamon,By hel& ing of a friend, broke from &rison,

And fled the city, fast as he might go"!or he had given his guard a drink that so

#as mied of s&ice and honey and certain wine

And Theban o&iate and anodyne,That all that night, although a man might shake

This gaoler, he sle&t on, nor could awakeAnd thus he flees as fast as ever he may

The night was short and it was nearly day,#herefore he needs must find a &lace to hide"

And to a grove that grew hard by, with strideOf furtive foot, went fearful 8alamon

'n brief, he-d formed his &lan, as he went on,That in the grove he would lie fast all day,

And when night came, then would he take his wayToward Thebes, and there find friends, and of them &ray

Their hel& on Theseus in war-s array"And briefly either he would lose his life,

Or else win (mily to be his wife"


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This is the gist of his intention &lain/ow '-ll return to Arcita again,

#ho little knew how near to him was careTill !ortune caught him in her tangling snare

The busy lark, the herald of the day,%alutes now in her song the morning grey"

And fiery 8hoebus rises u& so brightThat all the east is laughing with the light,

And with his streamers dries, among the greves,

The silver dro&lets hanging on the leaves

And so Arcita, in the court royal#ith Theseus and his squire &rinci&al,

's risen, and looks on the merry dayAnd now, to do his reverence to 3ay,

Calling to mind the &oint of his desire,$e on a courser, lea&ing high like fire,

's ridden to the fields to muse and &lay,Out of the court, a mile or two away"

And to the grove, whereof ' lately told,

By accident his way began to hold,To make him there the garland that one weaves

Of woodbine leaves and of green hawthorn leaves

And loud he sang within the sunlit sheen:0O 3ay, with all thy flowers and all thy green,

#elcome be thou, thou fair and freshening 3ay:' ho&e to &luck some garland green today0

And from his courser, with a lusty heart,'nto the grove right hastily did start,

And on a &ath he wandered u& and down,/ear which, and as it chanced, this 8alamon

)ay in the thicket, where no man might see,

!or sore afraid of finding death was be$e knew not that Arcita was so near:

God knows he would have doubted eye and ear,But it has been a truth these many years

That 0!ields have eyes and every wood has ears0't-s well for one to bear himself with &oise"

!or every day unlooked+for chance annoys

And little knew Arcita of his friend,#ho was so near and heard him to the end,

#here in the bush lie sat now, kee&ing stillArcita, having roamed and roved his fill,

And having sung his rondel, lustily,'nto a study fell he, suddenly,

As do these lovers in their strange desires,/ow in the trees, now down among the briers,

/ow u&, now down, like bucket in a well(ven as on a !riday, truth to tell,

The sun shines now, and now the rain comes fast,(ven so can fickle 4enus overcast

The s&irits of her &eo&le" as her day,'s changeful, so she changes her array

%eldom is !riday quite like all the week


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Arcita, having sung, began to s&eak,And sat him down, sighing like one forlorn

0Alas,0 said he, 0the day that ' was born7$ow long, O =uno, of thy cruelty,

#ilt thou wage bitter war on Thebes city2Alas7 Confounded beyond all reason

The blood of Cadmus and of Am&hion"Of royal Cadmus, who was the first man

To build at Thebes, and first the town began,

And first of all the city to be king"

Of his lineage am ', and his offs&ring,By true descent, and of the stock royal:

And now '-m such a wretched serving thrall,That he who is my mortal enemy,

' serve him as his squire, and all humblyAnd even more does =uno give me shame,

!or ' dare not acknowledge my own name"But whereas ' was Arcita by right,

/ow '-m 8hilostrates, not worth a mite

Alas, thou cruel 3ars7 Alas, =uno7Thus have your angers all our kin brought low,

%ave only me, and wretched 8alamon,

#hom Theseus martyrs yonder in &risonAnd above all, to slay me utterly,

)ove has his fiery dart so burningly%truck through my faithful and care+laden heart,

3y death was &atterned ere my swaddling+shirt5ou slay me with your two eyes, (mily"

5ou are the cause for which ' now must die!or on the whole of all my other care

' would not set the value of a tare,

%o ' could do one thing to your &leasance70And with that word he fell down in a trance

That lasted long" and then he did u&+startThis 8alamon, who thought that through his heart

$e felt a cold and sudden sword blade glide,!or rage he shook, no longer would he hide

But after he had heard Arcita-s tale,

As he were mad, with face gone deathly &ale,$e started u& and s&rang out of the thicket,

Crying: 0Arcita, oh you traitor wicked,/ow are you caught, that crave my lady so,

!or whom ' suffer all this &ain and woe,And are my blood, and know my secrets- store,

As ' have often told you heretofore,And have befooled the great 1uke Thesues,

And falsely changed your name and station thus:(ither ' shall be dead or you shall die

5ou shall not love my lady (mily,But ' will love her, and none other, no"

!or ' am 8alamon, your mortal foeAnd though ' have no wea&on in this &lace,

Being but out of &rison by God-s grace,


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' say again, that either you shall dieOr else forgo your love for (mily

Choose which you will, for you shall not de&art0This Arcita, with scornful, angry heart,

#hen he knew him and all the tale had heard,!ierce as a lion, out he &ulled a sword,

And answered thus: 0By God that sits above7#ere it not you are sick and mad for love,And that you have no wea&on in this &lace,

Out of this grove you-d never move a &ace,

But meet your death right now, and at my hand!or ' renounce the bond and its demand

#hich you assert that ' have made with you#hat, arrant fool, love-s free to choose and do,

And ' will have her, s&ite of all your might7But in as much as you-re a worthy knight

And willing to defend your love, in mail,$ear now this word: tomorrow '-ll not fail

#ithout the cogni*ance of any wight;

To come here armed and harnessed as a knight,And to bring arms for you, too, as you-ll see"

And choose the better and leave the worse for me

And meat and drink this very night '-ll bring,(nough for you, and clothes for your bedding

And if it be that you my lady winAnd slay me in this wood that now '-m in,

Then may you have your lady, for all of me0This 8alamon re&lied: 0' do agree0

And thus they &arted till the morrow morn,#hen each had &ledged his honour to return

O Cu&ido, that know-st not charity7

O des&ot, that no &eer will have with thee7Truly, -tis said, that love, like all lordshi&,

1eclines, with little thanks, a &artnershiell learned they that, Arcite and 8alamon

Arcita rode into the town anon,And on the morrow, ere the dawn, he bore,

%ecretly, arms and armour out of store,

(nough for each, and &ro&er to maintainA battle in the field between the twain

%o on his horse, alone as he was born,$e carried out that harness as he-d sworn"

And in the grove, at time and &lace they-d set,Arcita and this 8alamon were met

(ach of the two changed colour in the face!or as the hunter in the realm of Thrace

%tands at the clearing with his ready s&ear,#hen hunted is the lion, or the bear,

And through the forest hears him rushing fast,Breaking the boughs and leaves, and thinks aghast

0$ere comes a&ace my mortal enemy7/ow, without fail, he must be slain, or '"

!or either ' must kill him ere he &ass,


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Or he will make of me a dead carcass0+%o fared these men, in altering their hue,

%o far as each the strength of other knewThere was no 0good+day0 given, no saluting,

But without word, rehearsal, or such thing,(ach of them hel& ing, so they armed each other

As dutifully as he were his own brother"And afterward, with their shar& s&ears and strong,

They thrust each at the other wondrous long

5ou might have fancied that this 8alamon,

'n battle, was a furious, mad lion,And that Arcita was a tiger quite:

)ike very boars the two began to smite,)ike boars that froth for anger in the wood

6& to the ankles fought they in their bloodAnd leaving them thus fighting fast and fell,

!orthwith of Theseus ' now will tellGreat destiny, minister+general,

That eecutes in this world, and for all,

The needs that God foresaw ere we were born,%o strong it is that, though the world had sworn

The contrary of a thing, by yea or nay,

5et sometime it shall fall u&on a day,Though not again within a thousand years

!or certainly our wishes and our fears,#hether of war or &eace, or hate or love,

All, all are ruled by that !oresight aboveThis show ' now by mighty Theseus,

#ho to go hunting is so desirous,And s&ecially of the hart of ten, in 3ay,

That, in his bed, there dawns for him no day

That he-s not clothed and soon &re&ared to ride#ith hound and horn and huntsman at his side

!or in his hunting has he such delight,That it is all his 9oy and a&&etite

To be himself the great hart-s deadly bane:!or after 3ars, he serves 1iana-s reign

Clear was the day, as ' have told ere this,

#hen Theseus, com&act of 9oy and bliss,#ith his $i&&olyta, the lovely queen,

And fair (milia, clothed all in green,A+hunting they went riding royally

And to the grove of trees that grew hard by,'n which there was a hart, as men had told,

1uke Theseus the shortest way did holdAnd to the glade he rode on, straight and right,

!or there the hart was wont to go in flight,And over a brook, and so forth on his way

This duke would have a course at him today,#ith such hounds as it &leased him to command

And when this duke was come u&on that land,6nder the slanting sun he looked, anon,

And there saw Arcita and 8alamon,


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#ho furiously fought, as two boars do"The bright swords went in circles to and fro

%o terribly, that even their least stroke%eemed &owerful enough to fell an oak"

But who the two were, nothing did he noteThis duke his courser with the shar& s&urs smote,

And in one bound he was between the two,And lugged his great sword out, and cried out: 0$o7

/o more, ' say, on &ain of losing head7

By mighty 3ars, that one shall soon be dead

#ho smites another stroke that ' may see7But tell me now what manner of men ye be

That are so hardy as to fight out here#ithout a 9udge or other officer,

As if you+rode in lists right royally20This 8alamon re&lied, then, hastily,

%aying: 0O %ire, what need for more ado2#e have deserved our death at hands of you

Two woeful wretches are we, two ca&tives

That are encumbered by our own sad lives"And as you are a righteous lord and 9udge,

Give us not either mercy or refuge,

But slay me first, for sacred charity"But slay my fellow here, as well, with me

Or slay him first" for though you learn it late,This is your mortal foe, Arcita+ wait7+

That from the land was banished, on his headAnd for the which he merits to be dead

!or this is he who came unto your gate,Calling himself 8hilostrates+ nay, wait7+

Thus has he fooled you well this many a year,

And you have made him your chief squire, ' hear:And this is he that loves fair (mily

!or since the day is come when ' must die,' make confession &lainly and say on,

That ' am that same woeful 8alamon#ho has your &rison broken, viciously

' am your mortal foe, and it is '

#ho love so hotly (mily the brightThat '-ll die gladly here within her sigh7

Therefore do ' ask death as &enalty,But slay my fellow with the same mercy,

!or both of us deserve but to be slain0This worthy duke &resently s&oke again,

%aying: 0This 9udgment needs but a short session:5our own mouth, aye, and by your own confession,

$as doomed and damned you, as ' shall recordThere is no need for torture, on my word

But you shall die, by mighty 3ars the red70But then the queen, whose heart for &ity bled,

Began to wee&, and so did (milyAnd all the ladies in the com&any

Great &ity must it be, so thought they all,


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That ever such misfortune should befall:!or these were gentlemen, of great estate,

And for no thing, save love, was their debateThey saw their bloody wounds, so sore and wide,

And all cried out+ greater and less, they cried:0$ave mercy, lord, u&on us women all70

And down u&on their bare knees did they fall,And would have kissed his feet there where he stood,

Till at the last assuaged was his high mood"

!or soon will &ity flow through gentle heart

And though he first for ire did shake and start,$e soon considered, to state the case in brief,

#hat cause they had for fighting, what for grief"And though his anger still their guilt accused,

5et in his reason he held them both ecused"'n such wise: he thought well that every man

#ill hel& himself in love, if he but can,And will himself deliver from &rison"

And, too, at heart he had com&assion on

Those women, for they cried and we&t as one,And in his gentle heart he thought anon,And softly to himself he said then: 0!ie

6&on a lord that will have no mercy,But acts the lion, both in word and deed,

To those re&entant and in fear and need,As well as to the &roud and &itiless man

That still would do the thing that he began7That lord must surely in discretion lack

#ho, in such case, can no distinction make,But weighs both &roud and humble in one scale0

And shortly, when his ire was thus grown &ale,

$e looked u& to the sky, with eyes alight,And s&oke these words, as he would &romise &light:

0The god of love, ah benedicite7$ow mighty and how great a lord is he7

Against his might may stand no obstacles,A true god is he by his miracles"

!or he can manage, in his own sweet wise,

The heart of anyone as he devise)o, here, Arcita and this 8alamon,

That were delivered out of my &rison,And might have lived in Thebes right royally,

.nowing me for their mortal enemy,And also that their lives lay in my hand"

And yet their love has wiled them to this land,Against all sense, and brought them here to die7

)ook you now, is not that a folly high2#ho can be called a fool, ece&t he love2

And see, for sake of God who sits above,%ee how they bleed7 Are they not well arrayed2

Thus has their lord, the god of love, re&aidTheir wages and their fees for their service7

And yet they are su&&osed to be full wise


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#ho serve love well, whatever may befall7But this is yet the best 9est of them all,

That she for whom they have this 9ollityCan thank them for it quite as much as me"

%he knows no more of all this fervent fare,By God7 than knows a cuckoo or a hare

But all must be essayed, both hot and cold,A man must &lay the fool, when young or old"

' know it of myself from years long gone:

!or of love-s servants '-ve been numbered one

And therefore, since ' know well all love-s &ain,And know how sorely it can man constrain,

As one that has been taken in the net,' will forgive your tres&ass, and forget,

At instance of my sweet queen, kneeling here,Aye, and of (mily, my sister dear

And you shall &resently consent to swearThat nevermore will you my &ower dare,

/or wage war on me, either night or day,

But will be friends to me in all you may"' do forgive this tres&ass, full and fair0

And then they swore what he demanded there,

And, of his might, they of his mercy &rayed,And he etended grace, and thus he said:

0To s&eak for royalty-s inheritress,Although she be a queen or a &rincess,

(ach of you both is worthy, ' confess,#hen comes the time to wed: but nonetheless,

' s&eak now of my sister (mily,The cause of all this strife and 9ealousy+

5ou know yourselves she may not marry two,

At once, although you fight or what you do:One of you, then, and be he loath or lief,

3ust &i&e his sorrows in an ivy leafThat is to say, she cannot have you both,

$owever 9ealous one may be, or wrothTherefore ' &ut you both in this decree,

That each of you shall learn his destiny

As it is cast" and hear, now, in what wiseThe word of fate shall s&eak through my device

03y will is this, to draw conclusion flat,#ithout re&ly, or &lea, or caveat

'n any case, acce&t it for the best;,That each of you shall follow his own quest,

!ree of all ransom or of fear from me"And this day, fifty weeks hence, both shall be

$ere once again, each with a hundred knights,Armed for the lists, who stoutly for your rights

#ill ready be to battle, to maintain5our claim to love ' &romise you, again,

6&on my word, and as ' am a knight,That whichsoever of you wins the fight,

That is to say, whichever of you two


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3ay with his hundred, whom ' s&oke of, do$is foe to death, or out of boundary drive,

Then he shall have (milia to wiveTo whom !ortune gives so fair a grace

The lists shall be erected in this &laceAnd God so truly on my soul have ruth

As ' shall &rove an honest 9udge, in truth5ou shall no other 9udgment in me waken

Than that the one shall die or else be taken

And if you think the sentence is well said,

%&eak your o&inion, that you-re well re&aidThis is the end, and ' conclude hereon0

#ho looks u& lightly now but 8alamon2#ho lea&s for you but Arcita the knight2

And who could tell, or who could ever writeThe 9ubilation made within that &lace

#here Theseus has shown so fair a grace2But down on knee went each one for delight

And thanked him there with all his heart and might,

And s&ecially those Thebans did their &artAnd thus, with high ho&es, being blithe of heart,

They took their leave" and homeward did they ride

To Thebes that sits within her old walls wide(&licit secunda &ars

%equitur &ars tercia' think that men would deem it negligence

'f ' forgot to tell of the e&enseOf Theseus, who went so busily

To work u&on the lists, right royally"!or such an am&hitheatre he made,

'ts equal never yet on earth was laid

The circuit, rising, hemmed a mile about,#alled all of stone and moated dee& without


21/43

And northward, in a turret on the wall,Of alabaster white and red coral,

An oratory s&lendid as could be,'n honour of 1iana-s chastity,

1uke Theseus wrought out in noble wiseBut yet have forgot to advertise

The noble carvings and the &ortraitures,The sha&es, the countenances, the figures

That all were in these oratories three

!irst, in the fane of 4enus, one might see,

#rought on the wall, and &iteous to behold,The broken slumbers and the sighing cold,

The sacred tears and the lamenting dire,The fiery throbbing of the strong desire,

That all love-s servants in this life endure"The vows that all their &romises assure"

8leasure and ho&e, desire, foolhardiness,Beauty, youth, bawdiness, and riches, yes,

Charms, and all force, and lies, and flattery,

(&ense, and labour" aye, and =ealousyThat wore of marigolds a great garlandAnd had a cuckoo sitting on her hand"

Carols and instruments and feasts and dances,)ust and array, and all the circumstances

Of love that ' may reckon or ever shall,'n order they were &ainted on the wall,

Aye, and more, too, than ' have ever known!or truly, all the 3ount of Citheron,

#here 4enus has her chief and favoured dwelling,#as &ainted on that wall, beyond my telling,

#ith all the gardens in their loveliness

/or was forgot the gate+guard 'dleness,/or fair /arcissus of the years long gone,

/or yet the folly of .ing %olomon,/o, nor the giant strength of $ercules,

/or Circe-s and 3edea-s sorceries,/or Turnus with his hardy, fierce courage,

/or the rich Croesus, ca&tive in his age

Thus may be seen that wisdom, nor largess,Beauty, nor skill, nor strength, nor hardiness,

3ay with >ueen 4enus share authority"!or as she wills, so must the whole world be

)o, all these folk were so caught in her snareThey cried aloud in sorrow and in care

$ere let suffice eam&les one or two,Though ' might give a thousand more to you

The form of 4enus, glorious as could be,#as naked, floating on the o&en sea,

And from the navel down all covered was#ith green waves, bright as ever any glass

A citole in her small right hand had she,And on her head, and beautiful to see,

A garland of red roses, sweet smelling,


22/43

Above her swirled her white doves, flutteringBefore her stood her one son, Cu&ido,

#hose two white wings u&on his shoulders grow"And blind he was, as it is often seen"

A bow he bore, and arrows bright and keen#hy should ' not as well, now, tell you all

The &ortraiture that was u&on the wall#ithin the fane of mighty 3ars the red2

'n length and breadth the whole wall was &ainted

)ike the interior of that grisly &lace,

The mighty tem&le of great 3ars in Thrace,'n that same cold and frosty region where

3ars to his su&reme mansion may re&air!irst, on the wall was limned a vast forest

#herein there dwelt no man nor any beast,#ith knotted, gnarled, and leafless trees, so old

The shar&ened stum&s were dreadful to behold"Through which there ran a rumbling, even now,

As if a storm were breaking every bough"

And down a hill, beneath a shar& descent,The tem&le stood of 3ars armi&otent,

#rought all of burnished steel, whereof the gate

#as grim like death to see, and long, and straitAnd therefrom raged a wind that seemed to shake

The very ground, and made the great doors quakeThe northern light in at those same doors shone,

!or window in that massive wall was noneThrough which a man might any light discern

The doors were all of adamant eterne,


23/43

The tyrant, with the s&oils of violent theft"The town destroyed, in ruins, nothing left

And saw ' burnt the shi&s that dance by &hares,The hunter strangled by the fierce wild bears"

The sow chewing the child right in the cradle"The cook well scalded, s&ite of his long ladle

/othing was lacking of 3ars- evil &art:The carter over+driven by his cart,

6nder a wheel he lay low in the dust

There were likewise in 3ars- house, as needs must,

The surgeon, and the butcher, and the smith#ho forges shar& swords and great ills therewith

And over all, de&icted in a tower,%at Conquest, high in honour and in &ower,

5et with a shar& sword hanging o-er his headBut by the tenuous twisting of a thread

1e&icted was the death of =ulius,Of /ero great, and of Antonius"

And though at that same time they were unborn,

There were their deaths de&icted to adornThe menacing of 3ars, in likeness sure"

Things were so shown, in all that &ortraiture,

As are fore+shown among the stars above,#ho shall be slain in war or dead for love

%uffice one instance from old &lenitude,' could not tell them all, even if ' would

3ars- image stood u&on a chariot,Armed, and so grim that mad he seemed, God wot"

And o-er his head two constellations shoneOf stars that have been named in writings known

One being 8uella, and one


24/43

And him were eating, since they knew him notAnd &ainted farther on, ' saw before

$ow Atalanta hunted the wild boar"And 3eleager, and many another there,

!or which 1iana wrought him woe and careThere saw ' many another wondrous tale

!rom which ' will not now draw memory-s veilThis goddess on an antlered hart was set,#ith little hounds about her feet, and yet

Beneath her &erfect feet there was a moon,

#aing it was, but it should wane full soon'n robes of yellowish green her statue was,

%he-d bow in hand and arrows in a case$er eyes were downcast, looking at the ground

#here 8luto in his dark realm may be foundBefore her was a woman travailing,

#ho was so long in giving birth, &oor thing,That &itifully )ucina did she call,

8raying, 0Oh hel& , for thou may-st best of all70

#ell could he &aint, who had this &icture wrought,#ith many a florin he-d his colours bought,But now the lists were done, and Theseus,

#ho at so great cost had a&&ointed thusThe tem&les and the circus, as ' tell,

#hen all was done, he liked it wondrous wellBut hold ' will from Theseus, and on

To s&eak of Arcita and 8alamonThe day of their return is forthcoming,

#hen each of them a hundred knights must bringThe combat to su&&ort, as ' have told"

And into Athens, covenant to u&hold,

$as each one ridden with his hundred knights,#ell armed for war, at all &oints, in their mights

And certainly, -twas thought by many a manThat never, since the day this world began,

%&eaking of good knights hardy of their hands,#herever God created seas and lands,

#as, of so few, so noble com&any

!or every man that loved all chivalry,And eager was to win sur&assing fame,

$ad &rayed to &lay a &art in that great game"And all was well with him who chosen was

!or if there came tomorrow such a case,5ou know right well that every lusty knight

#ho loves the ladies fair and kee&s his might,Be it in (ngland, aye or otherwhere,

#ould wish of all things to be &resent thereTo fight for some fair lady Ben-cite7

-Twould be a &leasant goodly sight to see7And so it was with those with 8alamon

#ith him there rode of good knights many a one"%ome would be armoured in a habergeon

And in a breast&late, under light 9u&on"


25/43

And some wore breast+and back+&lates thick and large"And some would have a 8russian shield, or targe"

%ome on their very legs were armoured well,And carried ae, and some a mace of steel

There is no new thing, now, that is not oldAnd so they all were armed, as ' have told,

To his own liking and design, each oneThere might you see, riding with 8alamon,)ycurgus- self, the mighty king of Thrace"

Black was his beard and manly was his face

The eyeballs in the sockets of his head,They glowed between a yellow and a red

And like a griffon glared he round about!rom under bushy eyebrows thick and stout

$is limbs were large, his muscles hard and strong$is shoulders broad, his arms both big and long,

And, as the fashion was in his country,$igh in a chariot of gold stood he,

#ith four white bulls in traces, to &rogress

'nstead of coat+of+arms above harness,#ith yellow claws &reserved and bright as gold,

$e wore a bear+skin, black and very old

$is long combed hair was hanging down his back,As any raven-s feather it was black:

A wreath of gold, arm+thick, of heavy weight,#as on his head, and set with 9ewels great,

Of rubies fine and &erfect diamondsAbout his car there circled huge white hounds,

Twenty or more, as large as any steer,To hunt the lion or the antlered deer"

And so they followed him, with mu**les bound,

#earing gold collars with smooth rings and roundA hundred lords came riding in his rout,

All armed at &oint, with hearts both stern and stout#ith Arcita, in tales men call to mind,

The great (metreus, a king of 'nd,6&on a bay steed harnessed all in steel,

Covered with cloth of gold, all dia&ered well,

Came riding like the god of arms, great 3ars$is coat+of+arms was cloth of the Tartars,

Begemmed with &earls, all white and round and greatOf beaten gold his saddle, burnished late"

A mantle from his shoulders hung, the thingClose+set with rubies red, like fire bla*ing

$is cris& hair all in bright ringlets was run,5ellow as gold and gleaming as the sun

$is nose was high, his eyes a bright citrine,$is li&s were full, his colouring sanguine

And a few freckles on his face were seen,/one either black or yellow, but the mean"

And like a lion he his glances cast/ot more than five+and+twenty years he-d &ast

$is beard was well beginning, now, to s&ring"


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$is voice was as a trum&et thundering6&on his brows he wore, of laurel green,

A garland, fresh and &leasing to be seen6&on his wrist he bore, for his delight,

An eagle tame, as any lily whiteA hundred lords came riding with him there,

All armed, ece&t their heads, in all their gear,And wealthily a&&ointed in all things

!or, trust me well, that dukes and earls and kings

#ere gathered in this noble com&any

!or love and for increase of chivalryAbout this king there ran, on every side,

3any tame lions and leo&ards in their &rideAnd in such wise these mighty lords, in sum,

#ere, of a %unday, to the city comeAbout the &rime, and in the town did light

This Theseus, this duke, this noble knight,#hen he-d conducted them to his city,

And quartered them, according to degree,

$e feasted them, and was at so much &ainsTo give them ease and honour, of his gains,That men yet hold that never human wit,

Of high or low estate, could better itThe minstrelsy, the service at the feast,

The great gifts to the highest and the least,The furnishings of Theseus, rich &alace,

#ho highest sat or lowest on the dais,#hat ladies fairest were or best dandling,

Or which of them could dance the best, or sing,Or who could s&eak most feelingly of love,

Or what hawks sat u&on the &erch above,

Or what great hounds were lying on the floor+Of all these ' will make no mention more"

But tell my tale, for that, ' think, is best"/ow comes the &oint, and listen if you-ve *est

That %unday night, ere day began to s&ring,#hen 8alamon the earliest lark heard sing,

Although it lacked two hours of being day,

5et the lark sang, and 8alamon sang a lay#ith &ious heart and with a high courage

$e rose, to go u&on a &ilgrimage6nto the blessed Cytherea-s shrine

' mean >ueen 4enus, worthy and benign;And at her hour he then walked forth a&ace

Out to the lists wherein her tem&le was,And down he knelt in manner to revere,

And from a full heart s&oke as you shall hear0!airest of fair, O lady mine, 4enus,

1aughter of =ove and s&ouse to 4ulcanus,Thou gladdener of the 3ount of Citheron,

By that great love thou borest to Adon,$ave &ity on my bitter tears that smart

And hear my humble &rayer within thy heart


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Alas7 ' have no words in which to tellThe effect of all the torments of my hell"

3y heavy heart its evils can-t bewray"'-m so confused ' can find naught to say

But mercy, lady bright, that knowest well3y heart, and seest all the ills ' feel,

Consider and have ruth u&on my soreAs truly as ' shall, for evermore,

#ell as ' may, thy one true servant be,

And wage a war henceforth on chastity

'f thou wilt hel& , thus do ' make my vow,To boast of knightly skill ' care not now,

/or do ' ask tomorrow-s victory,/or any such renown, nor vain glory

Of &ri*e of arms, blown before lord and churl,But ' would have &ossession of one girl,

Of (mily, and die in thy service"!ind thou the manner how, and in what wise

!or ' care not, unless it better be,

#hether ' vanquish them or they do me,%o ' may have my lady in my arms

!or though 3ars is the god of war-s alarms,

Thy &ower is so great in $eaven above,That, if it be thy will, '-ll have my love

'n thy fane will ' worshi& always, soThat on thine altar, where-er ' ride or go,

' will lay sacrifice and thy fires feedAnd if thou wilt not so, O lady, cede,

' &ray thee, that tomorrow, with a s&ear,Arcita bear me through the heart, 9ust here

!or '-ll care naught, when ' have lost my life,

That Arcita may win her for his wifeThis the effect and end of all my &rayer,

Give me my love, thou blissful lady fair0/ow when he-d finished all the orison,

$is sacrifice he made, this 8alamon,


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The horns of mead, as was a way they had'n smoking tem&le, full of dra&eries fair,

This (mily with young heart debonnaire,$er body washed in water from a well"

But how she did the rite ' dare not tell,(ce&t it be at large, in general"

And yet it was a thing worth hearing all"#hen one-s well meaning, there is no transgression"

But it is best to s&eak at one-s discretion

$er bright hair was unbound, but combed withal"

%he wore of green oak leaves a coronal6&on her lovely head Then she began

Two fires u&on the altar stone to fan,And did her ceremonies as we-re told

'n %tatius- Thebaid and books as old#hen kindled was the fire, with sober face

6nto 1iana s&oke she in that &lace0O thou chaste goddess of the wildwood green,

By whom all heaven and earth and sea are seen,

>ueen of the realm of 8luto, dark and low,Goddess of maidens, that my heart dost know!or all my years, and knowest what ' desire,

Oh, save me from thy vengeance and thine ireThat on Actaeon fell so cruelly

Chaste goddess, well indeed thou knowest that '1esire to be a virgin all my life,

/or ever wish to be man-s love or wife' am, thou know-st, yet of thy com&any,

A maid, who loves the hunt and venery,And to go rambling in the greenwood wild,

And not to be a wife and be with child

' do not crave the com&any of man/ow hel& me, lady, since thou may-st and can,

By the three beings who are one in thee!or 8alamon, who bears such love to me,

And for Arcita, loving me so sore,This grace ' &ray thee, without one thing more,

To send down love and &eace between those two,

And turn their hearts away from me: so doThat all their furious love and their desire,

And all their ceaseless torment and their fireBe quenched or turned into another &lace"

And if it be thou wilt not show this grace,Or if my destiny be moulded so

That ' must needs have one of these same two,Then send me him that most desires me

Behold, O goddess of utter chastity,The bitter tears that down my two cheeks fall

%ince thou art maid and kee&er of us all,3y maidenhead kee& thou, and still &reserve,

And while ' live a maid, thee will ' serve0The fires bla*ed high u&on the altar there,

#hile (mily was saying thus her &rayer,


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But suddenly she saw a sight most quaint,!or there, before her eyes, one fire went faint,

Then bla*ed again" and after that, anon,The other fire was quenched, and so was gone

And as it died it made a whistling sound,As do wet branches burning on the ground,

And from the brands- ends there ran out, anon,#hat looked like dro&s of blood, and many a one"

At which so much aghast was (mily

That she was near da*ed, and began to cry,

!or she knew naught of what it signified"But only out of terror thus she cried

And we&t, till it was &itiful to hearBut thereu&on 1iana did a&&ear,

#ith bow in hand, like any right huntress,And said: 03y daughter, leave this heaviness

Among the high gods it has been affirmed,And by eternal written word confirmed,

That you shall be the wife of one of those

#ho bear for you so many cares and woes"But unto which of them may not tell

' can no longer tarry, so farewell

The fires that on my altar burn incense%hould tell you everything, ere you go hence,

Of what must come of love in this your case0And with that word the arrows of the chase

The goddess carried clattered and did ring,And forth she went in mystic vanishing"

At which this (mily astonished was,And said she then: 0Ah, what means this, alas7

' &ut myself in thy &rotection here,

1iana, and at thy dis&osal dear0And home she wended, then, the nearest way

This is the &ur&ort" there-s no more to sayAt the net hour of 3ars, and following this,

Arcita to the tem&le walked, that is1evoted to fierce 3ars, to sacrifice

#ith all the ceremonies, &agan+wise

#ith sobered heart and high devotion, onThis wise, right thus he said his orison

0O mighty god that in the regions coldOf Thrace art honoured, where thy lordshi&s hold,

And hast in every realm and every landThe reins of battle in thy guiding hand,

And givest fortune as thou dost devise,Acce&t of me my &ious sacrifice

'f so it be that my youth may deserve,And that my strength be worthy found to serve

Thy godhead, and be numbered one of thine,Then &ray ' thee for ruth on &ain that-s mine

!or that same &ain and even that hot fire#herein thou once did-st burn with dee& desire,

#hen thou did-st use the marvelous beauty


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Of fair young wanton 4enus, fresh and free,And had-st her in thine arms and at thy will

$owbeit with thee, once, all the chance fell ill,And 4ulcan caught thee in his net, whenas

$e found thee lying with his wife, alas7;+!or that same sorrow that was in thy heart,

$ave&ity, now, u&on my &ains that smart

'-m young, and little skilled, as knowest thou,

#ith love more hurt and much more broken now

Than ever living creature was, '-m sure"!or she who makes me all this woe endure,

#hether ' float or sink cares not at all,And ere she-ll hear with mercy when ' call,

' must by &rowess win her in this &lace"And well ' know, too, without hel& and grace

Of thee, my human strength shall not availThen hel& me, lord, tomorrow not to fail,

!or sake of that same fire that once burned thee,

The which consuming fire so now burns me"And grant, tomorrow, ' have victory

3ine be the toil, and thine the whole glory7

Thy sovereign tem&le will ' honour mostOf any s&ot, and toil and count no cost

To &leasure thee and in thy craft have grace,And in thy fane my banner will ' &lace,

And all the wea&ons of my com&any"And evermore, until the day ' die,

(ternal fire shalt thou before thee find3oreover, to this vow myself ' bind:

3y beard, my hair that ri&&les down so long,

That never yet has felt the slightest wrongOf ra*or or of shears, to thee '-ll give,

And be thy loyal servant while ' live/ow, lord, have &ity on my sorrows sore"

Give me the victory ' ask no more0#ith ended &rayer of Arcita the young,

The rings that on the tem&le door were hung,

And even the doors themselves, rattled so fastThat this Arcita found himself aghast

The fires bla*ed high u&on the altar bright,6ntil the entire tem&le shone with light"

And a sweet odour rose u& from the ground"And Arcita whirled then his arm around,

And yet more incense on the fire he cast,And did still further rites" and at the last

The armour of God 3ars began to ring,And with that sound there came a murmuring,

)ow and uncertain, saying: 04ictory70!or which he gave 3ars honour and glory

And thus in 9oy and ho&e, which all might dare,Arcita to his lodging then did fare,

!ain of the fight as fowl is of the sun


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But thereu&on such quarrelling was begun,!rom this same granting, in the heaven above,

-Twit lovely 4enus, goddess of all love,And 3ars, the iron god armi&otent,

That =ove toiled hard to make a settlement"6ntil the sallow %aturn, calm and cold,

#ho had so many ha&&enings known of old,!ound from his full e&erience the artTo satisfy each &arty and each &art

!or true it is, age has great advantage"

(&erience and wisdom come with age"3en may the old out+run, but not out+wit

Thus %aturn, though it scarcely did befit$is nature so to do, devised a &lan

To quiet all the strife, and thus began:0/ow my dear daughter 4enus,0 quoth %aturn,

03y course, which has so wide a way to turn,$as &ower more than any man may know

3ine is the drowning in sea below"

3ine is the dungeon underneath the moat"3ine is the hanging and strangling by the throat"


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Betimes, to see the heralded great fight,All they retired to early rest that night

And on the morrow, when that day did s&ring,Of horse and harness, noise and clattering,

There was enough in hostelries aboutAnd to the &alace rode full many a rout

Of lords, bestriding steeds and on &alfreysThere could you see ad9usting of harness,

%o curious and so rich, and wrought so well

Of goldsmiths- work, embroidery, and of steel"

The shields, the helmets bright, the gay tra&&ings,The gold+hewn casques, the coats+of+arms, the rings,

The lords in vestments rich, on their coursers,.nights with their retinues and also squires"

The rivetting of s&ears, the helm+buckling,The stra&&ing of the shields, and thong+lacing+

'n their great need, not one of them was idle"The frothing steeds, cham&ing the golden bridle,

And the quick smiths, and armourers also,

#ith file and hammer s&urring to and fro"5eoman, and &easants with short staves were out,

Crowding as thick as they could move about"

8i&es, trum&ets, kettledrums, and clarions,That in the battle sound such grim summons"

The &alace full of &eo&le, u& and down,$ere three, there ten, debating the renown

And questioning about these Theban knights,%ome &ut it thus, some said, 0't-s so by rights0

%ome held with him who had the great black beard,%ome with the bald+heads, some with the thick haired"

%ome said, 0$e looks grim, and he-ll fight like hate"

$e has an ae of twenty &ound in weight0And thus the hall was full of gossi&ing

)ong after the bright sun began to s&ringThe mighty Theseus, from slee& awakened

By songs and all the noise that never slackened,.e&t yet the chamber of this rich &alace,

Till the two Theban knights, with equal grace

And honour, were ushered in with flourish fitting1uke Theseus was at a window sitting,

Arrayed as he were god u&on a throneThen &ressed the &eo&le thitherward full soon,

To see him and to do him reverence,Aye, and to hear commands of sa&ience

A herald on a scaffold cried out 0$o70Till all the &eo&le-s noise was stilled" and so,

#hen he observed that all were fallen still,$e then &roclaimed the mighty ruler-s will

0The duke our lord, full wise and full discreet,$olds that it were but wanton waste to meet

And fight, these gentle folk, all in the guiseOf mortal battle in this enter&rise

#herefore, in order that no man may die,


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$e does his earlier &ur&ose modify/o man, therefore, on &ain of loss of life,

%hall any arrow, &ole+ae, or short knife%end into lists in any wise, or bring"

/or any shortened sword, for &oint+thrusting,%hall a man draw, or bear it by his side

/or shall knight against o&&onent ride,%ave one full course, with any shar&+ground s&ear"

6nhorsed, a man may thrust with any gear

And he that-s overcome, should this occur,

%hall not be slain, but brought to barrier,#hereof there shall be one on either side"

)et him be forced to go there and abideAnd if by chance the leader there must go,

Of either side, or slay his equal foe,/o longer, then, shall tourneying endure

God s&eed you" go forth now, and lay on sure#ith long sword and with maces fight your fill

Go now your ways" this is the lord duke-s will0

The voices of the &eo&le rent the skies,%uch was the u&roar of their merry cries:

0/ow God save such a lord, who is so good

$e will not have destruction of men-s blood706& start the trum&ets and make melody

And to the lists rode forth the com&any,'n marshalled ranks, throughout the city large,

All hung with cloth of gold, and not with serge!ull like a lord this noble duke did ride,

#ith the two Theban knights on either side"And, following, rode the queen and (mily,

And, after, came another com&any

Of one and other, each in his degreeAnd thus they went throughout the whole city,

And to the lists they came, all in good timeThe day was not yet fully come to &rime

#hen throned was Theseus full rich and high,And >ueen $i&&olyta and (mily,

#hile other ladies sat in tiers about

'nto the seats then &ressed the lesser routAnd westward, through the gate of 3ars, right hearty,

Arcita and the hundred of his &arty#ith banner red is entering anon"

And in that self+same moment, 8alamon's under 4enus, eastward in that &lace,

#ith banner white, and resolute of face'n all the world, searching it u& and down,

%o equal were they all, from heel to crown,There were no two such bands in any way

!or there was no man wise enough to say$ow either had of other advantage

'n high re&ute, or in estate, or age,%o even were they chosen, as ' guess

And in two goodly ranks, they did then dress


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And when the name was called of every one,That cheating in their number might be none,

Then were the gates closed, and the cry rang loud:0/ow do your devoir, all you young knights &roud70

The heralds cease their s&urring u& and down"/ow ring the trum&ets as the charge is blown"

And there-s no more to say, for east and westTwo hundred s&ears are firmly laid in rest"

And the shar& s&urs are thrust, now, into side

/ow see men who can 9oust and who can ride7

/ow shivered are the shafts on bucklers thick"One feels through very breast+bone the s&ear-s &rick"

)ances are flung full twenty feet in height"Out flash the swords like silver burnished bright

$elmets are hewed, the lacings ri&&ed and shred"Out bursts the blood, gushing in stern streams red

#ith mighty maces bones are crushed in 9oustOne through the thickest throng begins to thrust

There strong steeds stumble now, and down goes all

One rolls beneath their feet as rolls a ballOne flails about with club, being overthrown,Another, on a mailed horse, rides him down

One through the body-s hurt, and haled, for aid%&ite of his struggles, to the barricade,

As com&act was, and there he must abide"Another-s ca&tured by the other side

At times 1uke Theseus orders them to rest,To eat a bite and drink what each likes best

And many times that day those Thebans two3et in the fight and wrought each other woe"

6nhorsed each has the other on that day

/o tigress in the vale of Galgo&hey,#hose little whel& is stolen in the light,

's cruel to the hunter as Arcite!or 9ealousy is cruel to 8alamon"

/or in Belmarie, when the hunt is on's there a lion, wild for want of food,

That of his &rey desires so much the blood

As 8alamon the death of Arcite thereTheir 9ealous blows fall on their helmets fair"

Out lea&s the blood and makes their two sides redBut sometime comes the end of every deed"

And ere the sun had sunk to rest in gold,The mighty .ing (metreus did hold

This 8alamon, as he fought with Arcite,And made his sword dee& in the flesh to bite"

And by the force of twenty men he-s made,6nyielded, to withdraw to barricade

And, trying hard to rescue 8alamon,The mighty .ing )yburgus is borne down"

And .ing (metreus, for all his strength,'s hurled out of the saddle a sword-s length,

%o hits out 8alamon once more, or ere


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But all for naught; he-s brought to barrier$is hardy heart may now avail him naught"

$e must abide there now, being fairly caughtBy force of arms, as by &rovision known

#ho sorrows now but woeful 8alamon,#ho may no more advance into the fight2

And when 1uke Theseus had seen this sight,6nto the warriors fighting, every one,

$e cried out: 0$old7 /o more7 !or it is done7

/ow will ' &rove true 9udge, of no &arty

Theban Arcita shall have (mily,#ho, by his fortune, has her fairly won0

And now a noise of &eo&le is begun!or 9oy of this, so loud and shrill withal,

't seems as if the very lists will fallBut now, what can fair 4enus do above2

#hat says she now2 #hat does this queen of loveBut wee& so fast, for thwarting of her will,

$er tears u&on the lists begin to s&ill

%he said: 0/ow am ' shamed and over+flung0But %aturn said: 03y daughter, hold your tongue

3ars has his will, his knight has all his boon,

And, by my head, you shall be eased, and soon0The trum&eters and other minstrelsy,

The heralds that did loudly yell and cry,#ere at their best for 9oy of Arcita

But hear me further while ' tell you+ ah7+The miracle that ha&&ened there anon

This fierce Arcita doffs his helmet soon,And mounted on a horse, to show his face,

$e s&urs from end to end of that great &lace,

)ooking aloft to ga*e on (mily"And she cast down on him a friendly eye

!or women, generally s&eaking, go#herever !ortune may her favor show;

And she was fair to see, and held his heartBut from the ground infernal furies start,

!rom 8luto sent, at instance of %aturn,

#hereat his horse, for fear, began to turnAnd lea& aside, all suddenly falling there"

And Arcita before he could beware#as &itched u&on the ground, u&on his head,

And lay there, moving not, as he were dead,$is chest crushed in u&on the saddle+bow

And black he lay as ever coal, or crow,%o ran the surging blood into his face

Anon they carried him from out that &lace,#ith heavy hearts, to Theseus- &alace

There was his harness cut away, each lace,And swiftly was he laid u&on a bed,

!or he was yet alive and some words said,Crying and calling after (mily

1uke Theseus, with all his com&any,


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's come again to Athens, his city,#ith 9oyous heart and great festivity

And though sore grieved for this unha&&y fall,$e would not cast a blight u&on them all

3en said, too, that Arcita should not die,But should be healed of all his in9ury

And of another thing they were right fain,#hich was, that of them all no one was slain,

Though each was sore, and hurt, and s&ecially one

#ho-d got a lance+head thrust through his breastbone

!or other bruises, wounds and broken arms,%ome of them carried salves and some had charms"

And medicines of many herbs, and sageThey drank, to kee& their limbs from hemorrhage

'n all of which this duke, as he well can,/ow comforts and now honours every man,

And makes a revelry the livelong night!or all these foreign lords, as was but right

/or was there held any discomfiting,

%ave from the 9ousts and from the tourneying!or truly, there had been no cause for shame,

%ince being thrown is fortune of the game"

/or is it, to be led to barrier,6nyielded, and by twenty knights- &ower,

One man alone, surrounded by the foe,1riven by arms, and dragged out, heel and toe,

And with his courser driven forth with stavesOf men on foot, yeomen and serving knaves+

All this im&utes to one no kind of vice,And no man may bring charge of cowardice

!or which, anon, 1uke Theseus bade cry,

To still all rancour and all keen envy,The worth, as well of one side as the other,

As equal both, and each the other-s brother"And gave them gifts according to degree,

And held a three days- feast, right royally"And then convoyed these kings u&on their road

!or one full day, and to them honour showed

And home went every man on his right wayThere was naught more but 0!arewell0 and 0Good+day0

'-ll say no more of war, but turn u&on3y tale of Arcita and 8alamon

%wells now Arcita-s breast until the sore'ncreases near his heart yet more and more

The clotted blood, in s&ite of all leech+craft,


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's foul with &oison and all rotten grown$e gains in neither, in his strife to live,

By vomiting or taking laative"All is so broken in that &art of him,

/ature Tetains no vigour there, nor vimAnd certainly, where /ature will not work,

't-s farewell &hysic, bear the man to kirk7The sum of all is, Arcita must die,And so he sends a word to (mily,

And 8alamon, who was his cousin dear"

And then he said to them as you shall hear0/aught may the woeful s&irit in my heart

1eclare one &oint of how my sorrows smartTo you, my lady, whom ' love the most"

But ' bequeath the service of my ghostTo you above all others, this being sure

/ow that my life may here no more endureAlas, the woe7 Alas, the &ain so strong

That ' for you have suffered, and so long7

Alas for death7 Alas, my (mily7Alas, the &arting of our com&any7

Alas, my heart-s own queen7 Alas, my wife7

3y soul-s dear lady, ender of my life7#hat is this world2 #hat asks a man to have2

/ow with his love, now in the cold dark graveAlone, with never any com&any

!arewell, my sweet foe7 O my (mily7Oh, take me in your gentle arms, ' &ray,

!or love of God, and hear what ' will say0' have here, with my cousin 8alamon,

$ad strife and rancour many a day that-s gone,

!or love of you and for my 9ealousy3ay =ove so surely guide my soul for me,

To s&eak about a lover &ro&erly,#ith all the circumstances, faithfully+

That is to say, truth, honour, and knighthood,#isdom, humility and kinshi& good,

And generous soul and all the lover-s art+

%o now may =ove have in my soul his &artAs in this world, right now, ' know of none

%o worthy to be loved as 8alamon,#ho serves you and will do so all his life

And if you ever should become a wife,!orget not 8alamon, the noble man0

And with that word his s&eech to fail began,!or from his feet u& to his breast had come

The cold of death, making his body numbAnd furthermore, from his two arms the strength

#as gone out, now, and he was lost, at lengthOnly the intellect, and nothing more

#hich dwelt within his heart so sick and sore,Began to fail now, when the heart felt death,

And his eyes darkened, and he failed of breath


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But on his lady turned he still his eye,And his last word was, 03ercy, (mily70

$is s&irit changed its house and went awayAs ' was never there, ' cannot say

#here" so ' sto&, not being a soothsayer"Of souls here naught shall ' enregister"

/or do ' wish their notions, now, to tell#ho write of them, though they say where they dwell

Arcita-s cold" 3ars guides his soul on high"

/ow will ' s&eak forthwith of (mily

%hrieked (mily and howled now 8alamon,Till Theseus his sister took, anon,

And bore her, swooning, from the cor&se away$ow shall it hel& , to dwell the livelong day

'n telling how she we&t both night and morrow2!or in like cases women have such sorrow,

#hen their good husband from their side must go,And, for the greater &art, they take on so,

Or else they fall into such malady

That, at the last, and certainly, they die'nfinite were the sorrows and the tearsOf all old folk and folk of tender years

Throughout the town, at death of this Theban"!or him there we&t the child and we&t the man"

%o great a wee&ing was not, -tis certain,#hen $ector was brought back, but newly slain,

To Troy Alas, the sorrow that was there7Tearing of cheeks and rending out of hair

0Oh why will you be dead,0 these women cry,0#ho had of gold enough, and (mily20

/o man might comfort then 1uke Theseus,

(ce&ting his old father, A(geus,#ho knew this world-s mutations, and men-s own

%ince he had seen them changing u& and down,=oy after woe, and woe from ha&&iness:

$e showed them, by eam&le, the &rocess0=ust as there never died a man,0 quoth he,

0But he had lived on earth in some degree,

=ust so there never lived a man,0 he said,0'n all this world, but must be sometime dead

This world is but a thoroughfare of woe,And we are &ilgrims &assing to and fro"

1eath is the end of every worldly sore0And after this, he told them yet much more

To that effect, all wisely to ehortThe &eo&le that they should find some comfort

1uke Theseus now considered and with care#hat &lace of burial he should &re&are

!or good Arcita, as it best might be,And one most worthy of his high degree

And at the last concluded, hereu&on,That where at first Arcita and 8alamon

$ad fought for love, with no man else between,


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There, in that very grove, so sweet and green,#here he mused on his amorous desires

Com&laining of love-s hot and flaming fires,$e-d make a &yre and have the funeral

Accom&lished there, and worthily in allAnd so he gave command to hack and hew

The ancient oaks, and lay them straight and true'n s&lit lengths that would kindle well and burn

$is officers, with sure swift feet, they turn

And ride away to do his whole intent

And after this 1uke Theseus straightway sent!or a great bier, and had it all o-er+s&read

#ith cloth of gold, the richest that he hadArcita clad he, too, in cloth of gold"

#hite gloves were on his hands where they did fold"6&on his head a crown of laurel green,

And near his hand a sword both bright and keenThen, having bared the dead face on the bier,

The duke so we&t, -twas &itiful to hear

And, so that folk might see him, one and all,#hen it was day he brought them to the hall,

#hich echoed of their wailing cries anon

Then came this woeful Theban, 8lamon,#ith fluttery beard and matted, ash+strewn hair,

All in black clothes wet with his tears" and there,%ur&assing all in wee&ing, (mily,

The most affected of the com&anyAnd so that every several rite should be

/oble and rich, and suiting his degree,1uke Theseus commanded that they bring

Three horses, mailed in steel all glittering,

And covered with Arcita-s armour bright6&on these stallions, which were large and white,

There rode three men, whereof one bore the shieldAnd one the s&ear he-d known so well to wield"

The third man bore his Turkish bow, nor lessOf burnished gold the quiver than harness"

And forth they slowly rode, with mournful cheer,

Toward that grove, as you shall further hearThe noblest Greeks did gladly volunteer

To bear u&on their shoulders that great bier,#ith measured &ace and eyes gone red and wet,

Through all the city, by the wide main street,#hich was all s&read with black, and, wondrous high,

Covered with this same cloth were houses nigh6&on the right hand went old A(geus,

And on the other side 1uke Theseus,#ith vessels in their hands, of gold right fine,

All filled with honey, milk, and blood, and wine"And 8alamon with a great com&any"

And after that came woeful (mily,#ith fire in hands, as use was, to ignite

The sacrifice and set the &yre alight


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Great labour and full great a&&arelling#ent to the service and the fire+making,

!or to the skies that green &yre reached its to&,And twenty fathoms did the arms out+cro&,

That is to say, the branches went so wide!ull many a load of straw they did &rovide

But how the fire, was made to climb so high"Or what names all the different trees went by

As oak, fir, birch, as&, alder, &o&lar, holm,

#illow, &lane, ash, bo, chestnut, linden, elm,

)aurel, thorn, ma&le, beech, yew, dogwood tree,Or how they were felled, sha-n-t be told by me

/or how the wood+gods scam&ered u& and down,1riven from homes that they had called their own,

#herein they-d lived so long at ease,

geoffrey chaucer - the knight's tale

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