Troilus and Criseyde Part 30

Com forth, I wol un-to the yate go.

Thise portours been unkonninge ever-mo; And I wol doon hem holden up the yate 1140 As nought ne were, al-though she come late.'

The day goth faste, and after that comth eve, And yet com nought to Troilus Criseyde.

He loketh forth by hegge, by tree, by greve, And fer his heed over the wal he leyde. 1145 And at the laste he torned him, and seyde.

'By G.o.d, I woot hir mening now, Pandare!

Al-most, y-wis, al newe was my care.

'Now douteles, this lady can hir good; I woot, she meneth ryden prively. 1150 I comende hir wysdom, by myn hood!

She wol not maken peple nycely Gaure on hir, whan she comth; but softely By nighte in-to the toun she thenketh ryde.

And, dere brother, thenk not longe to abyde. 1155

'We han nought elles for to don, y-wis.

And Pandarus, now woltow trowen me?

Have here my trouthe, I see hir! Yond she is.

Heve up thyn eyen, man! Maystow not see?'

Pandare answerde, 'Nay, so mote I thee! 1160 Al wrong, by G.o.d; what seystow, man, wher art?

That I see yond nis but a fare-cart.'

'Allas, thou seist right sooth,' quod Troilus; 'But, hardely, it is not al for nought That in myn herte I now reioyse thus. 1165 It is ayein som good I have a thought.

Noot I not how, but sin that I was wrought, Ne felte I swich a confort, dar I seye; She comth to-night, my lyf, that dorste I leye!'

Pandare answerde, 'It may be wel, y-nough'; 1170 And held with him of al that ever he seyde; But in his herte he thoughte, and softe lough, And to him-self ful sobrely he seyde: 'From hasel-wode, ther Ioly Robin pleyde, Shal come al that thou abydest here; 1175 Ye, fare-wel al the snow of ferne yere!'

The wardein of the yates gan to calle The folk which that with-oute the yates were, And bad hem dryven in hir bestes alle, Or al the night they moste bleven there. 1180 And fer with-in the night, with many a tere, This Troilus gan hoomward for to ryde; For wel he seeth it helpeth nought tabyde.

But natheles, he gladded him in this; He thoughte he misacounted hadde his day, 1185 And seyde, 'I understonde have al a-mis.

For thilke night I last Criseyde say, She seyde, "I shal ben here, if that I may, Er that the mone, O dere herte swete!

The Lyon pa.s.se, out of this Ariete." 1190

'For which she may yet holde al hir biheste.'

And on the morwe un-to the yate he wente, And up and down, by west and eek by este, Up-on the walles made he many a wente.

But al for nought; his hope alwey him blente; 1195 For which at night, in sorwe and sykes sore, He wente him hoom, with-outen any more.

This hope al clene out of his herte fledde, He nath wher-on now lenger for to honge; But for the peyne him thoughte his herte bledde, 1200 So were his throwes sharpe and wonder stronge.

For when he saugh that she abood so longe, He niste what he iuggen of it mighte, Sin she hath broken that she him bihighte.

The thridde, ferthe, fifte, sixte day 1205 After tho dayes ten, of which I tolde, Bitwixen hope and drede his herte lay, Yet som-what trustinge on hir hestes olde.

But whan he saugh she nolde hir terme holde, He can now seen non other remedye, 1210 But for to shape him sone for to dye.

Ther-with the wikked spirit, G.o.d us blesse, Which that men clepeth wode Ialousye, Gan in him crepe, in al this hevinesse; For which, by-cause he wolde sone dye, 1215 He ne eet ne dronk, for his malencolye, And eek from every companye he fledde; This was the lyf that al the tyme he ledde.

He so defet was, that no maner man Unneth mighte him knowe ther he wente; 1220 So was he lene, and ther-to pale and wan, And feble, that he walketh by potente; And with his ire he thus himselven shente.

But who-so axed him wher-of him smerte, He seyde, his harm was al aboute his herte. 1225

Pryam ful ofte, and eek his moder dere, His bretheren and his sustren gonne him freyne Why he so sorwful was in al his chere, And what thing was the cause of al his peyne?

But al for nought; he nolde his cause pleyne, 1230 But seyde, he felte a grevous maladye A-boute his herte, and fayn he wolde dye.

So on a day he leyde him doun to slepe, And so bifel that in his sleep him thoughte, That in a forest faste he welk to wepe 1235 For love of hir that him these peynes wroughte; And up and doun as he the forest soughte, He mette he saugh a boor with tuskes grete, That sleep ayein the brighte sonnes hete.

And by this boor, faste in his armes folde, 1240 Lay kissing ay his lady bright Criseyde: For sorwe of which, whan he it gan biholde, And for despyt, out of his slepe he breyde, And loude he cryde on Pandarus, and seyde, 'O Pandarus, now knowe I crop and rote! 1245 I nam but deed; ther nis non other bote!

'My lady bright Criseyde hath me bitrayed, In whom I trusted most of any wight, She elles-where hath now hir herte apayed; The blisful G.o.ddes, through hir grete might, 1250 Han in my dreem y-shewed it ful right.

Thus in my dreem Criseyde I have biholde' -- And al this thing to Pandarus he tolde.

'O my Criseyde, allas! What subtiltee.

What newe l.u.s.t, what beautee, what science, 1255 What wratthe of iuste cause have ye to me?

What gilt of me, what fel experience Hath fro me raft, allas! Thyn advertence?

O trust, O feyth, O depe aseuraunce, Who hath me reft Criseyde, al my plesaunce? 1260

'Allas! Why leet I you from hennes go, For which wel neigh out of my wit I breyde?

Who shal now trowe on any othes mo?

G.o.d wot I wende, O lady bright, Criseyde, That every word was gospel that ye seyde! 1265 But who may bet bigylen, yf him liste, Than he on whom men weneth best to triste?

'What shal I doon, my Pandarus, allas!

I fele now so sharpe a newe peyne, Sin that ther is no remedie in this cas, 1270 That bet were it I with myn hondes tweyne My-selven slow, than alwey thus to pleyne.

For through my deeth my wo sholde han an ende, Ther every day with lyf my-self I shende.'

Pandare answerde and seyde, 'Allas the whyle 1275 That I was born; have I not seyd er this, That dremes many a maner man bigyle?

And why? For folk expounden hem a-mis.

How darstow seyn that fals thy lady is, For any dreem, right for thyn owene drede? 1280 Lat be this thought, thou canst no dremes rede.

'Paraunter, ther thou dremest of this boor, It may so be that it may signifye Hir fader, which that old is and eek hoor, Ayein the sonne lyth, on poynt to dye, 1285 And she for sorwe ginneth wepe and crye, And kisseth him, ther he lyth on the grounde; Thus shuldestow thy dreem a-right expounde.'

'How mighte I thanne do?' quod Troilus, 'To knowe of this, ye, were it never so lyte?' 1290 'Now seystow wysly,' quod this Pandarus, 'My reed is this, sin thou canst wel endyte, That hastely a lettre thou hir wryte, Thorugh which thou shalt wel bringen it aboute, To knowe a sooth of that thou art in doute. 1295

'And see now why; for this I dar wel seyn, That if so is that she untrewe be, I can not trowe that she wol wryte ayeyn.

And if she wryte, thou shalt ful sone see, As whether she hath any libertee 1300 To come ayein, or ellis in som clause, If she be let, she wol a.s.signe a cause.

'Thou hast not writen hir sin that she wente, Nor she to thee, and this I dorste leye, Ther may swich cause been in hir entente, 1305 That hardely thou wolt thy-selven seye, That hir a-bood the beste is for yow tweye.

Now wryte hir thanne, and thou shalt fele sone A sothe of al; ther is no more to done.'

Acorded been to this conclusioun, 1310 And that anoon, these ilke lordes two; And hastely sit Troilus adoun, And rolleth in his herte to and fro, How he may best discryven hir his wo.

And to Criseyde, his owene lady dere, 1315 He wroot right thus, and seyde as ye may here.

'Right fresshe flour, whos I have been and shal, With-outen part of elles-where servyse, With herte, body, lyf, l.u.s.t, thought, and al; I, woful wight, in every humble wyse 1320 That tonge telle or herte may devyse, As ofte as matere occupyeth place, Me recomaunde un-to your n.o.ble grace.

'Lyketh it yow to witen, swete herte, As ye wel knowe how longe tyme agoon 1325 That ye me lefte in aspre peynes smerte, Whan that ye wente, of which yet bote noon Have I non had, but ever wers bigoon Fro day to day am I, and so mot dwelle, While it yow list, of wele and wo my welle. 1330

'For which to yow, with dredful herte trewe, I wryte, as he that sorwe dryfth to wryte, My wo, that every houre encreseth newe, Compleyninge as I dar or can endyte.

And that defaced is, that may ye wyte 1335 The teres, which that fro myn eyen reyne, That wolde speke, if that they coude, and pleyne.

'Yow first biseche I, that your eyen clere To look on this defouled ye not holde; And over al this, that ye, my lady dere, 1340 Wol vouche-sauf this lettre to biholde.

And by the cause eek of my cares colde, That sleeth my wit, if ought amis me asterte, For-yeve it me, myn owene swete herte.

'If any servant dorste or oughte of right 1345 Up-on his lady pitously compleyne, Than wene I, that ich oughte be that wight, Considered this, that ye these monthes tweyne Han taried, ther ye seyden, sooth to seyne, But dayes ten ye nolde in ost soiourne, 1350 But in two monthes yet ye not retourne.

'But for-as-muche as me mot nedes lyke Al that yow list, I dar not pleyne more, But humbely with sorwful sykes syke; Yow wryte ich myn unresty sorwes sore, 1355 Fro day to day desyring ever-more To knowen fully, if your wil it were, How ye han ferd and doon, whyl ye be there.

'The whos wel-fare and hele eek G.o.d encresse In honour swich, that upward in degree 1360 It growe alwey, so that it never cesse; Right as your herte ay can, my lady free, Devyse, I prey to G.o.d so mote it be.