Troilus and Criseyde Part 8

'For thus ferforth I have thy work bigonne, 960 Fro day to day, til this day, by the morwe, Hir love of freendship have I to thee wonne, And also hath she leyd hir feyth to borwe.

Algate a foot is hameled of thy sorwe.'

What sholde I lenger sermon of it holde? 965 As ye han herd bifore, al he him tolde.

But right as floures, thorugh the colde of night Y-closed, stoupen on hir stalke lowe, Redressen hem a-yein the sonne bright, And spreden on hir kinde cours by rowe, 970 Right so gan tho his eyen up to throwe This Troilus, and seyde, 'O Venus dere, Thy might, thy grace, y-heried be it here!'

And to Pandare he held up bothe his hondes, And seyde, 'Lord, al thyn be that I have; 975 For I am hool, al brosten been my bondes; A thousand Troians who so that me yave, Eche after other, G.o.d so wis me save, Ne mighte me so gladen; lo, myn herte, It spredeth so for Ioye, it wol to-sterte! 980

'But Lord, how shal I doon, how shal I liven?

Whan shal I next my dere herte see?

How shal this longe tyme a-wey be driven, Til that thou be ayein at hir fro me?

Thou mayst answere, "A-byd, a-byd," but he 985 That hangeth by the nekke, sooth to seyne, In grete disese abydeth for the peyne.'

'Al esily, now, for the love of Marte,'

Quod Pandarus, 'for every thing hath tyme; So longe abyd til that the night departe; 990 For al so siker as thow lyst here by me, And G.o.d toforn, I wol be there at pryme, And for thy werk somwhat as I shal seye, Or on som other wight this charge leye.

'For pardee, G.o.d wot, I have ever yit 995 Ben redy thee to serve, and to this night Have I nought fayned, but emforth my wit Don al thy l.u.s.t, and shal with al my might.

Do now as I shal seye, and fare a-right; And if thou nilt, wyte al thy-self thy care, 1000 On me is nought along thyn yvel fare.

'I woot wel that thow wyser art than I A thousand fold, but if I were as thou, G.o.d help me so, as I wolde outrely, Right of myn owene hond, wryte hir right now 1005 A lettre, in which I wolde hir tellen how I ferde amis, and hir beseche of routhe; Now help thy-self, and leve it not for slouthe.

'And I my-self shal ther-with to hir goon; And whan thou wost that I am with hir there, 1010 Worth thou up-on a courser right anoon, Ye, hardily, right in thy beste gere, And ryd forth by the place, as nought ne were, And thou shalt finde us, if I may, sittinge At som windowe, in-to the strete lokinge. 1015

'And if thee list, than maystow us saluwe, And up-on me make thy contenaunce; But, by thy lyf, be war and faste eschuwe To tarien ought, G.o.d shilde us fro mischaunce!

Ryd forth thy wey, and hold thy governaunce; 1020 And we shal speke of thee som-what, I trowe, Whan Thou art goon, to do thyne eres glowe!

'Touching thy lettre, thou art wys y-nough, I woot thow nilt it digneliche endyte; As make it with thise argumentes tough; 1025 Ne scrivenish or craftily thou it wryte; Beblotte it with thy teres eek a lyte; And if thou wryte a goodly word al softe, Though it be good, reherce it not to ofte.

'For though the beste harpour upon lyve 1030 Wolde on the beste souned Ioly harpe That ever was, with alle his fingres fyve, Touche ay o streng, or ay o werbul harpe, Were his nayles poynted never so sharpe, It shulde maken every wight to dulle, 1035 To here his glee, and of his strokes fulle.

'Ne Iompre eek no discordaunt thing y-fere, As thus, to usen termes of phisyk; In loves termes, hold of thy matere The forme alwey, and do that it be lyk; 1040 For if a peyntour wolde peynte a pyk With a.s.ses feet, and hede it as an ape, It cordeth nought; so nere it but a Iape.'

This counseyl lyked wel to Troilus; But, as a dreedful lover, he seyde this: -- 1045 'Allas, my dere brother Pandarus, I am ashamed for to wryte, y-wis, Lest of myn innocence I seyde a-mis, Or that she nolde it for despyt receyve; Thanne were I deed, ther mighte it no-thing weyve.' 1050

To that Pandare answerde, 'If thee lest, Do that I seye, and lat me therwith goon; For by that lord that formed est and west, I hope of it to bringe answere anoon Right of hir hond, and if that thou nilt noon, 1055 Lat be; and sory mote he been his lyve, Ayeins thy l.u.s.t that helpeth thee to thryve.'

Quod Troilus, 'Depardieux, I a.s.sente; Sin that thee list, I will aryse and wryte; And blisful G.o.d preye ich, with good entente, 1060 The vyage, and the lettre I shal endyte, So spede it; and thou, Minerva, the whyte, Yif thou me wit my lettre to devyse:'

And sette him doun, and wroot right in this wyse. --

First he gan hir his righte lady calle, 1065 His hertes lyf, his l.u.s.t, his sorwes leche, His blisse, and eek these othere termes alle, That in swich cas these loveres alle seche; And in ful humble wyse, as in his speche, He gan him recomaunde un-to hir grace; 1070 To telle al how, it axeth muchel s.p.a.ce.

And after this, ful lowly he hir prayde To be nought wrooth, though he, of his folye, So hardy was to hir to wryte, and seyde, That love it made, or elles moste he dye, 1075 And pitously gan mercy for to crye; And after that he seyde, and ley ful loude, Him-self was litel worth, and lesse he coude;

And that she sholde han his conning excused, That litel was, and eek he dredde hir so, 1080 And his unworthinesse he ay acused; And after that, than gan he telle his woo; But that was endeles, with-outen ho; And seyde, he wolde in trouthe alwey him holde; -- And radde it over, and gan the lettre folde. 1085

And with his salte teres gan he bathe The ruby in his signet, and it sette Upon the wex deliverliche and rathe; Ther-with a thousand tymes, er he lette, He kiste tho the lettre that he shette, 1090 And seyde, 'Lettre, a blisful destenee Thee shapen is, my lady shal thee see.'

This Pandare took the lettre, and that by tyme A-morwe, and to his neces paleys sterte, And faste he swoor, that it was pa.s.sed pryme, 1095 And gan to Iape, and seyde, 'Y-wis, myn herte, So fresh it is, al-though it sore smerte, I may not slepe never a Mayes morwe; I have a Ioly wo, a l.u.s.ty sorwe.'

Criseyde, whan that she hir uncle herde, 1100 With dreedful herte, and desirous to here The cause of his cominge, thus answerde: 'Now by your feyth, myn uncle,' quod she, 'dere, What maner windes gydeth yow now here?

Tel us your Ioly wo and your penaunce, 1105 How ferforth be ye put in loves daunce.'

'By G.o.d,' quod he, 'I hoppe alwey bihinde!'

And she to-laugh, it thoughte hir herte breste.

Quod Pandarus, 'Loke alwey that ye finde Game in myn hood, but herkneth, if yow leste; 1110 Ther is right now come in-to toune a geste, A Greek espye, and telleth newe thinges, For which I come to telle yow tydinges.

'Into the gardin go we, and we shal here, Al prevely, of this a long sermoun.' 1115 With that they wenten arm in arm y-fere In-to the gardin from the chaumbre doun.

And whan that he so fer was that the soun Of that he speke, no man here mighte, He seyde hir thus, and out the lettre plighte, 1120

'Lo, he that is al hoolly youres free Him recomaundeth lowly to your grace, And sent to you this lettre here by me; Avyseth you on it, whan ye han s.p.a.ce, And of som goodly answere yow purchace; 1125 Or, helpe me G.o.d, so pleynly for to seyne, He may not longe liven for his peyne.'

Ful dredfully tho gan she stonde stille, And took it nought, but al hir humble chere Gan for to chaunge, and seyde, 'Scrit ne bille, 1130 For love of G.o.d, that toucheth swich matere, Ne bring me noon; and also, uncle dere, To myn estat have more reward, I preye, Than to his l.u.s.t; what sholde I more seye?

'And loketh now if this be resonable, 1135 And letteth nought, for favour ne for slouthe, To seyn a sooth; now were it covenable To myn estat, by G.o.d, and by your trouthe, To taken it, or to han of him routhe, In harming of my-self or in repreve? 1140 Ber it a-yein, for him that ye on leve!'

This Pandarus gan on hir for to stare, And seyde, 'Now is this the grettest wonder That ever I sey! Lat be this nyce fare!

To deethe mote I smiten be with thonder, 1145 If, for the citee which that stondeth yonder, Wolde I a lettre un-to yow bringe or take To harm of yow; what list yow thus it make?

'But thus ye faren, wel neigh alle and some, That he that most desireth yow to serve, 1150 Of him ye recche leest wher he bicome, And whether that he live or elles sterve.

But for al that that ever I may deserve, Refuse it nought,' quod he, and hente hir faste, And in hir bosom the lettre doun he thraste, 1155

And seyde hire, 'Now cast it awey anoon, That folk may seen and gauren on us tweye.'

Quod she, 'I can abyde til they be goon,'

And gan to smyle, and seyde hym, 'Eem, I preye, Swich answere as yow list, your-self purveye, 1160 For trewely I nil no lettre wryte.'

'No? than wol I,' quod he, 'so ye endyte.'

Therwith she lough, and seyde, 'Go we dyne.'

And he gan at him-self to iape faste, And seyde, 'Nece, I have so greet a pyne 1165 For love, that every other day I faste' -- And gan his beste Iapes forth to caste; And made hir so to laughe at his folye, That she for laughter wende for to dye.

And whan that she was comen in-to halle, 1170 'Now, eem,' quod she, 'we wol go dine anoon;'

And gan some of hir women to hir calle, And streyght in-to hir chaumbre gan she goon; But of hir besinesses, this was oon A-monges othere thinges, out of drede, 1175 Ful prively this lettre for to rede;

Avysed word by word in every lyne, And fond no lak, she thoughte he coude good; And up it putte, and went hir in to dyne.

But Pandarus, that in a study stood, 1180 Er he was war, she took him by the hood, And seyde, 'Ye were caught er that ye wiste;'

'I vouche sauf,' quod he. 'do what yow liste.'

Tho wesshen they, and sette hem doun and ete; And after noon ful sleyly Pandarus 1185 Gan drawe him to the window next the strete, And seyde, 'Nece, who hath arayed thus The yonder hous, that stant afor-yeyn us?'

'Which hous?' quod she, and gan for to biholde, And knew it wel, and whos it was him tolde, 1190

And fillen forth in speche of thinges smale, And seten in the window bothe tweye.

Whan Pandarus saw tyme un-to his tale, And saw wel that hir folk were alle aweye, 'Now, nece myn, tel on,' quod he; 'I seye, 1195 How liketh yow the lettre that ye woot?

Can he ther-on? For, by my trouthe, I noot.'

Therwith al rosy hewed tho wex she, And gan to humme, and seyde, 'So I trowe.'

'Aquyte him wel, for G.o.ddes love,' quod he; 1200 'My-self to medes wol the lettre sowe.'

And held his hondes up, and sat on knowe, 'Now, goode nece, be it never so lyte, Yif me the labour, it to sowe and plyte.'

'Ye, for I can so wryte,' quod she tho; 1205 'And eek I noot what I sholde to him seye.'

'Nay, nece,' quod Pandare, 'sey nat so; Yet at the leste thanketh him, I preye, Of his good wil, and doth him not to deye.