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The Knight's Tale
Modern English
1 Once on a time, as old tales tell to us,
2There was a duke whose name was
Theseus:
3 Of Athens he was lord and governor,
4 And in his time was such a conqueror
5That greater was there not beneath the
sun.
6 Full many a rich country had he won;7 hat with his wisdom and his chivalry
8 !e gained the realm of Femininity,
9 That was of old time known as "cythia.
10 There wedded he the queen, !i##olyta,
11And brought her home with him to his
country.
12 $n glory great and with great #ageantry,
13 And, too, her younger sister, %mily.
14 And thus, in victory and with melody,
15 &et $ this noble duke to Athens ride
16ith all his armed host marching at his
side.
17 And truly, were it not too long to hear,
18$ would have told you fully how, that
year,
19 as gained the realm of Femininity
20 'y Theseus and by his chivalry;
21And all of the great battle that was
wrought
22 here Ama(ons and the Atheniansfought;
23And how was wooed and won
!i##olyta,
24 That fair and hardy queen of "cythia;
25And of the feast was made at their
wedding,
26And of the tem#est at their home)
coming;
27 'ut all of that $ must for now forbear.
28 $ have, *od knows, a large field for myshare,
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29And weak the o+en, and the soil is
tough.
30 The remnant of the tale is long enough.
31 $ will not hinder any, in my turn;
32 &et each man tell his tale, until we learn
33hich of us all the most deserves to
win;
34"o where $ sto##ed, again $ll now
begin.
35This duke of whom $ s#eak, of great
renown,
36hen he had drawn almost unto the
town,
37 $n all well)being and in utmost #ride,
38 !e grew aware, casting his eyes aside,
39That right u#on the road, as su##liantsdo,
40 A com#any of ladies, two by two,
41-nelt, all in black, before his
cavalcade;
42'ut such a clamorous cry of woe they
made
43That in the whole world living man had
heard
44 o such a lamentation, on my word;
45 or would they cease lamenting till atlast
46Theyd clutched his bridle reins and
held them fast.
47hat folk are you that at my home)
coming
48/isturb my trium#h with this dolorous
thing0
49 1ried Theseus. /o you so much envy
502y honour that you thus com#lain and
cry0
51Or who has wronged you now, or who
offended0
521ome, tell me whether it may be
amended;
53And tell me, why are you clothed thus,
in black0
54 The eldest lady of them answered back,
55After shed swooned, with cheek so
deathly drear
56 That it was #itiful to see and hear,57 And said: &ord, to whom Fortune has
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but given
583ictory, and to conquer where youve
striven,
594our glory and your honour grieve not
us;
60 'ut we beseech your aid and #ity thus.
61!ave mercy on our woe and our
distress.
62 "ome dro# of #ity, of your gentleness,
63 5#on us wretched women, oh, let fall6
64 For see, lord, there is no one of us all
65 That has not been a duchess or a queen;
66ow we are ca#tives, as may well be
seen:
67
Thanks be to Fortune and her
treacherous wheel,
68Theres none can rest assured of
constant weal.
69 And truly, lord, e+#ecting your return,
70$n 7itys tem#le, where the fires yet
burn,
71e have been waiting through a long
fortnight;
72ow hel# us, lord, since it is in your
might.
73 $, wretched woman, who am wee#ingthus,
74 as once the wife of -ing 1a#aneus,
75ho died at Thebes, oh, cursed be the
day6
76 And all we that you see in this array,
77And make this lamentation to be
known,
78All we have lost our husbands at that
town
79 /uring the siege that round about it lay.80 And now the old 1reon, ah welaway6
81 The lord and governor of Thebes city,
82 Full of his wrath and all iniquity,
83 !e, in des#ite and out of tyranny,
84 To do the dead a shame and villainy,
85Of all our husbands, lying among the
slain,
86 !as #iled the bodies in a hea#, amain,
87
And will not suffer them, nor give
consent,88 To buried be, or burned, nor will relent,
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89'ut sets his dogs to eat them, out of
s#ite.
90And on that word, at once, without
res#ite,
91
They all fell #rone and cried out
#iteously:
92!ave on us wretched women some
mercy,
93And let our sorrows sink into your
heart6
94This gentle duke down from his horse
did start
95ith heart of #ity, when hed heard
them s#eak.
96$t seemed to him his heart must surely
break,97 "eeing them there so miserable of state,
98ho had been #roud and ha##y but so
late.
99 And in his arms he took them tenderly,
100 *iving them comfort understandingly:
101And swore his oath, that as he was true
knight,
102!e would #ut forth so thoroughly his
might
103 Against the tyrant 1reon as to wreak
1043engeance so great that all of *reece
should s#eak
105And say how 1reon was by Theseus
served,
106As one that had his death full well
deserved.
107This sworn and done, he no more there
abode;
108!is banner he dis#layed and forth he
rode
109Toward Thebes, and all his host
marched on beside;
110or nearer Athens would he walk or
ride,
111 or take his ease for even half a day,
112'ut onward, and in cam# that night he
lay;
113 And thence he sent !i##olyta the queen
114 And her bright sister %mily, $ ween,
115 5nto the town of Athens, there to dwell116 hile he went forth. There is no more
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to tell.
117The image of red 2ars, with s#ear and
shield,
118"o shone u#on his banners snow)white
field
119$t made a billowing glitter u# anddown;
120And by the banner borne was his
#ennon,
121On which in beaten gold was worked,
com#lete,
122The 2inotaur, which he had slain in
1rete.
123Thus rode this duke, thus rode this
conqueror,
124 And in his host of chivalry the flower,125 5ntil he came to Thebes and did alight
126Full in the field where hed intent to
fight.
127 'ut to be brief in telling of this thing,
128ith 1reon, who was Thebes dread
lord and king,
129!e fought and slew him, manfully, like
knight,
130 $n o#en war, and #ut his host to flight;
131 And by assault he took the city then,132 &evelling wall and rafter with his men;
133 And to the ladies he restored again
134The bones of their #oor husbands who
were slain,
135 To do for them the last rites of that day.
136 'ut it were far too long a tale to say
137The clamour of great grief and
sorrowing
138
Those ladies raised above the bones
burning139 5#on the #yres, and of the great honour
140 That Theseus, the noble conqueror,
1417aid to the ladies when from him they
went;
142 To make the story short is my intent.
143hen, then, this worthy duke, this
Theseus
144!ad slain 1reon and won Thebes city
thus,
145 "till on the field he took that night hisrest,
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146And dealt with all the land as he
thought best.
147$n searching through the hea# of enemy
dead,
148
"tri##ing them of their gear from heel
to head,
149The busy #illagers could #ick and
choose,
150After the battle, what they best could
use;
151 And so befell that in a hea# they found,
1527ierced through with many a grievous,
bloody wound,
153Two young knights lying together, side
by side,
154 'earing one crest, wrought richly, oftheir #ride,
155 And of those two Arcita was the one,
156The other knight was known as
7alamon.
157ot fully quick, nor fully dead they
were,
158'ut by their coats of arms and by their
gear
159 The heralds readily could tell, withal,
160 That they were of the Theban bloodroyal,
161And that they had been of two sisters
born.
162Out of the hea# the s#oilers had them
torn
163 And carried gently over to the tent
164 Of Theseus; who shortly had them sent
165 To Athens, there in #rison cell to lie
166 For ever, without ransom, till they die.
167 And when this worthy duke had all thisdone,
168!e gathered host and home he rode
anon,
169ith laurel crowned again as
conqueror;
170 There lived he in all 8oy and all honour
171!is term of life; what more need words
e+#ress0
172 And in a tower, in anguish and distress,
173 7alamon and Arcita, day and night,174 /welt whence no gold might hel# them
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to take flight.
175Thus #assed by year by year and day by
day,
176 Till it fell out, u#on a morn in 2ay,
177 That %mily, far fairer to be seen
178 Than is the lily on its stalk of green,
179And fresher than is 2ay with flowers
new
1809For with the roses colour strove her
hue,
181$ know not which was fairer of the
two,
182 'efore the dawn, as was her wont to do,
183"he rose and dressed her body for
delight;
184For 2ay will have no sluggards of thenight.
185 That season rouses every gentle heart
186And forces it from winters slee# to
start,
187 "aying: Arise and show thy reverence.
188 "o %mily remembered to go thence
189 $n honour of the 2ay, and so she rose.
1901lothed, she was sweeter than any
flower that blows;
191!er yellow hair was braided in onetress
192'ehind her back, a full yard long, $
guess.
193 And in the garden, as the sun u#)rose,
194"he sauntered back and forth and
through each close,
195*athering many a flower, white and
red,
196
To weave a delicate garland for her
head;
197And like a heavenly angels was her
song.
198The tower tall, which was so thick and
strong,
199 And of the castle was the great don8on,
2009herein the two knights languished in
#rison,
201Of whom $ told and shall yet tell,
withal,
202 as 8oined, at base, unto the gardenwall
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203 hereunder %mily went dallying.
204'right was the sun and clear that morn
in s#ring,
205 And 7alamon, the woeful #risoner,
206 As was his wont, by leave of his gaoler,
207as u# and #acing round that chamber
high,
208From which the noble city filled his
eye,
209And, too, the garden full of branches
green,
210 herein bright %mily, fair and serene,
211ent walking and went roving u# and
down.
212 This sorrowing #risoner, this 7alamon,
213'eing in the chamber, #acing to andfro,
214 And to himself com#laining of his woe,
215 1ursing his birth, he often cried Alas6
216 And so it was, by chance or other #ass,
217That through a window, closed by
many a bar
218 Of iron, strong and square as any s#ar,
219 !e cast his eyes u#on %milia,
220
And thereu#on he blenched and cried
out Ah6
221 As if he had been smitten to the heart.
222 And at that cry Arcita did u#)start,
223Asking: 2y cousin, why what ails you
now
224That youve so deathly #allor on your
brow0
225hy did you cry out0 hos offended
you0
226
For *ods love, show some #atience, as
$ do,227 ith #rison, for it may not different be;
228 Fortune has given this adversity.
229 "ome evil dis#osition or as#ect
230 Of "aturn did our horosco#es affect
231To bring us here, though differently
twere sworn;
232'ut so the stars stood when we two
were born;
233
e must endure it; that, in brief, is
#lain.234 This 7alamon re#lied and said again:
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235 1ousin, indeed in this o#inion now
236 4our fancy is but vanity, $ trow.
237 $ts not our #rison that caused me to cry.
238'ut $ was wounded lately through the
eye
239/own to my heart, and that my bane
will be.
240 The beauty of the lady that $ see
241 There in that garden, #acing to and fro,
242 $s cause of all my crying and my woe.
243 $ know not if shes woman or goddess;
244 'ut 3enus she is verily, $ guess.
245And thereu#on down on his knees he
fell,
246 And said: O 3enus, if it be thy will
247 To be transfigured in this garden, thus
248'efore me, sorrowing wretch, oh now
hel# us
249 Out of this #rison to be soon esca#ed.
250 And if it be my destiny is sha#ed,
251 'y fate, to die in durance, in bondage,
252 !ave #ity, then, u#on our lineage
253That has been brought so low by
tyranny.
254 And on that word Arcita looked to see
255 This lady who went roving to and fro.
256And in that look her beauty struck him
so
257 That, if #oor 7alamon is wounded sore,
258 Arcita is as dee#ly hurt, and more.
259 And with a sigh he said then, #iteously:
260 The virgin beauty slays me suddenly
261Of her that wanders yonder in that
#lace;
262
And save $ have her #ity and her grace,263 That $ at least may see her day by day,
264 $ am but dead; there is no more to say.
265This 7alamon, when these words he
had heard,
2667itilessly he watched him, and
answered:
267 /o you say this in earnest or in #lay0
268 ay, quoth Arcita, earnest, now, $ say6
269 *od hel# me, $ am in no mood for #lay6
270 7alamon knit his brows and stood atbay.
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271$t will not #rove, he said, to your
honour
272 After so long a time to turn traitor
273To me, who am your cousin and your
brother,
274"worn as we are, and each unto theother,
275That never, though for death in any
#ain,
276ever, indeed, till death shall #art us
twain,
277 %ither of us in love shall hinder other,
278o, nor in any thing, O my dear
brother;
279
'ut that, instead, you shall so further
me280 As $ shall you. All this we did agree.
281"uch was your oath and such was mine
also.
282 4ou dare not now deny it, well $ know.
283Thus you are of my #arty, beyond
doubt.
284And now you would all falsely go
about
285To love my lady, whom $ love and
serve,
286And shall while life my hearts blood
may #reserve.
287 ay, false Arcita, it shall not be so.
288$ loved her first, and told you all my
woe,
289 As to a brother and to one that swore
290 To further me, as $ have said before.
291For which you are in duty bound, as
knight,
292 To hel# me, if the thing lie in yourmight,
293Or else youre false, $ say, and
downfallen.
294 Then this Arcita #roudly s#oke again:
2954ou shall, he said, be rather false than
$;
296 And that youre so, $ tell you utterly;
297For #ar amour $ loved her first, you
know.
298 hat can you say0 4ou know not, evennow,
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299 hether she is a woman or goddess6
300 4ours is a worshi# as of holiness,
301hile mine is love, as of a mortal
maid;
302 herefore $ told you of it, unafraid,
303 As to my cousin and my brother sworn.
304&et us assume you loved her first, this
morn;
305-now you not well the ancient writers
saw
306 Of ho shall give a lover any law0
307 &ove is a greater law, aye by my #an,
308Than man has ever given to earthly
man.
309
And therefore statute law and such
decrees
310 Are broken daily and in all degrees.
311A man must needs have love, maugre
his head.
312!e cannot flee it though he should be
dead,
313 And be she maid, or widow, or a wife.
314 And yet it is not likely that, in life,
3154oull stand within her graces; nor shall
$;
316 For you are well aware, aye verily,
317That you and $ are doomed to #rison
drear
318 7er#etually; we gain no ransom here.
319e strive but as those dogs did for the
bone;
320They fought all day, and yet their gain
was none.
321Till came a kite while they were still so
wroth
322 And bore the bone away between themboth.
323And therefore, at the kings court, O my
brother,
324$ts each man for himself and not for
other.
325&ove if you like; for $ love and aye
shall;
326 And certainly, dear brother, that is all.
327 !ere in this #rison cell must we remain
328 And each endure whatever fate ordain.329 *reat was the strife, and long, betwi+t
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the two,
330 $f $ had but the time to tell it you,
331 "ave in effect. $t ha##ened on a day
332 9To tell the tale as briefly as $ may,
333 A worthy duke men called 7irithous,
334ho had been friend unto /uke
Theseus
335"ince each had been a little child, a
chit,
336 as come to visit Athens and visit
337 !is #lay)fellow, as he was wont to do,
338For in this whole world he loved no
man so;
339 And Theseus loved him as truly) nay,
340"o well each loved the other, old books
say,
341That when one died 9it is but truth $
tell,
342The other went and sought him down in
!ell;
343 'ut of that tale $ have no wish to write.
344 7irithous loved Arcita, too, that knight,
345!aving known him in Thebes full many
a year;
346 And finally, at his request and #rayer,
347 And that without a coin of ransom #aid,
348/uke Theseus released him out of
shade,
349 Freely to go whereer he wished, and to
350 !is own devices, as $ll now tell you.
351The com#act was, to set it #lainly
down,
352As made between those two of great
renown:
353 That if Arcita, any time, were found,
354 %ver in life, by day or night, on ground
355 Of any country of this Theseus,
356And he were caught, it was concerted
thus,
357That by the sword he straight should
lose his head.
358!e had no choice, so taking leave he
s#ed
359!omeward to Thebes, lest by the
swords shar# edge
360!e forfeit life. !is neck was under
#ledge.
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ordain,
395 hen better is the gift, in any guise,
396Than men may often for themselves
devise0
397 One man desires only that great wealth
398hich may but cause his death or long
ill)health.
399One who from #rison gladly would be
free,
400At home by his own servants slain
might be.
401 $nfinite evils lie therein, tis clear;
402e know not what it is we #ray for
here.
403
e fare as he thats drunken as a
mouse;
404A drunk man knows right well he has a
house,
405'ut he knows not the right way leading
thither;
406And a drunk man is sure to sli# and
slither.
407 And certainly, in this world so fare we;
408 e furiously #ursue felicity,
409 4et we go often wrong before we die.
410 This may we all admit, and s#ecially $,
411ho deemed and held, as $ were under
s#ell,
412 That if $ might esca#e from #rison cell,
413Then would $ find again what might
heal,
414ho now am only e+iled from my
weal.
415 For since $ may not see you, %mily,
416 $ am but dead; there is no remedy.
417 And on the other hand, this 7alamon,418 hen that he found Arcita truly gone,
419"uch lamentation made he, that the
tower
420 esounded of his crying, hour by hour.
421 The very fetters on his legs were yet
422 Again with all his bitter salt tears wet.
423 Alas6 said he, Arcita, cousin mine,
424ith all our strife, *od knows, youve
won the wine.
4254oure walking, now, in Theban streets,at large,
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426And all my woe you may from mind
discharge.
4274ou may, too, since youve wisdom and
manhood,
428 Assemble all the #eo#le of our blood
429 And wage a war so shar# on this city
430That by some fortune, or by some
treaty,
4314ou shall yet have that lady to your
wife
432For whom $ now must needs lay down
my life.
433 For surely tis in #ossibility,
434"ince you are now at large, from #rison
free,
435 And are a lord, great is your advantage436 Above my own, who die here in a cage.
437For $ must wee# and wail, the while $
live,
438$n all the grief that #rison cell may
give,
439And now with #ain that love gives me,
also,
440hich doubles all my torment and my
woe.
441 Therewith the fires of 8ealousy u#)start
442ithin his breast and burn him to the
heart
443 "o wildly that he seems one, to behold,
444&ike seared bo+ tree, or ashes, dead and
cold.
445Then said he: O you cruel *ods, that
sway
446This world in bondage of your laws, for
aye,
447 And write u#on the tablets adamant
4484our counsels and the changeless
words you grant,
449hat better view of mankind do you
hold
450Than of the shee# that huddle in the
fold0
451 For man must die like any other beast,
452 Or rot in #rison, under foul arrest,
453 And suffer sickness and misfortune sad,
454 And still be ofttimes guiltless, too, bygad6
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455 hat management is in this #rescience
456That, guiltless, yet torments our
innocence0
457 And this increases all my #ain, as well,
458
That man is bound by law, nor may
rebel,
459For fear of *od, but must re#ress his
will,
460 hereas a beast may all his lust fulfill.
461And when a beast is dead, he feels no
#ain;
462'ut, after death, man yet must wee#
amain,
463Though in this world he had but care
and woe:
464 There is no doubt that it is even so.465 The answer leave $ to divines to tell,
466'ut well $ know this #resent world is
hell.
467 Alas6 $ see a ser#ent or a thief,
468That has brought many a true man unto
grief,
469*oing at large, and where he wills may
turn,
470 'ut $ must lie in gaol, because "aturn,
471 And
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dead;
486 And e+iled 9on the forfeit of his head
487 Arcita must remain abroad, nor see,
488 For evermore, the face of his lady.
4894ou lovers, now $ ask you this
question:
490 ho has the worse, Arcita or 7alamon0
491 The one may see his lady day by day,
492 'ut yet in #rison must he dwell for aye.
493 The other, where he wishes, he may go,
494 'ut never see his lady more, ah no.
495ow answer as you wish, all you that
can.
496 For $ will s#eak right on as $ began.
497 %+#licit #rima #ars.
498 "equitur #ars secunda.
499ow when Arcita unto Thebes was
come,
500!e lay and languished all day in his
home,
501 "ince he his lady nevermore should see,
502 'ut telling of his sorrow brief $ll be.
503 !ad never any man so much torture,
504o, nor shall have while this world may
endure.
505'ereft he was of slee# and meat and
drink,
506That lean he grew and dry as shaft, $
think.
507!is eyes were hollow and ghastly to
behold,
508!is face was sallow, all #ale and ashen)
cold,
509 And solitary ke#t he and alone,
510ailing the whole night long, making
his moan.
511 And if he heard a song or instrument,
512Then he would wee# ungoverned and
lament;
513 "o feeble were his s#irits, and so low,
514And so changed was he, that no man
could know
515!im by his words or voice, whoever
heard.
516
And in this change, for all the world he
fared
517 As if not troubled by malady of love,
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518'ut by that humor dark and grim,
whereof
519"#rings melancholy madness in the
brain,
520 And fantasy unbridled holds its reign.
521And shortly, all was turned quiteu#side)down,
522'oth habits and the tem#er all had
known
523 Of him, this woeful lover, /an Arcite.
524 hy should $ all day of his woe indite0
525hen hed endured all this a year or
two,
526This cruel torment and this #ain and
woe,
527 At Thebes, in his own country, as $said,
528 5#on a night, while slee#ing in his bed,
529!e dreamed of how the winged *od
2ercury
530'efore him stood and bade him ha##ier
be.
531!is slee#)bestowing wand he bore
u#right;
532 A hat he wore u#on his ringlets bright.
533 Arrayed this god was 9noted at a lea#
534As hed been when to Argus he gave
slee#.
535And thus he s#oke: To Athens shall you
wend;
536For all your woe is destined there to
end.
537And on that word Arcita woke and
started.
538 ow truly, howsoever sore $m smarted,
539 "aid he, to Athens right now will $ fare;
540or for the dread of death will $ now
s#are
541 To see my lady, whom $ love and serve;
542$ will not reck of death, with her, nor
swerve.
543And with that word he caught a great
mirror,
544And saw how changed was all his old
colour,
545 And saw his visage altered from itskind.
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546 And right away it ran into his mind
547That since his face was now disfigured
so,
548'y suffering endured 9as well we
know,
549!e might, if he should bear him low intown,
550&ive there in Athens evermore,
unknown,
551 "eeing his lady well)nigh every day.
552 And right anon he altered his array,
553 &ike a #oor labourer in mean attire,
554 And all alone, save only for a squire,
555ho knew his secret heart and all his
case,
556And who was dressed as #oorly as hewas,
557To Athens was he gone the nearest
way.
558 And to the court he went u#on a day,
559 And at the gate he #roffered services
560 To drudge and drag, as any one devises.
561 And to be brief herein, and to be #lain,
562!e found em#loyment with a
chamberlain
563 as serving in the house of %mily;
564For he was shar# and very soon could
see
565hat every servant did who served her
there.
566ight well could he hew wood and
water bear,
567For he was young and mighty, let me
own,
568 And big of muscle, aye and big of bone,
569 To do what any man asked, in a trice.570 A year or two he was in this service,
5717age of the chamber of %mily the
bright;
572!e said 7hilostrates would name him
right.
573 'ut half so well beloved a man as he
574 as never in that court, of his degree;
575 !is gentle nature was so clearly shown,
576
That throughout all the court s#read his
renown.577 They said it were but kindly courtesy
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578 $f Theseus should heighten his degree
579And #ut him in more honourable
service
580 herein he might his virtue e+ercise.
581
And thus, anon, his name was so u#)
s#rung,
582'oth for his deeds and sayings of his
tongue,
583That Theseus had brought him nigh and
nigher
584And of the chamber he had made him
squire,
585And given him gold to maintain
dignity.
586
'esides, men brought him, from his
own country,
587From year to year, clandestinely, his
rent;
588 'ut honestly and slyly it was s#ent,
589And no man wondered how he came by
it.
590And three years thus he lived, with
much #rofit,
591 And bore him so in #eace and so in war
592There was no man that Theseus loved
more.593 And in such bliss $ leave Arcita now,
594And u#on 7alamon some words
bestow.
595$n darksome, horrible, and strong
#rison
596These seven years has now sat
7alamon,
597 asted by woe and by his long distress.
598 ho has a two)fold evil heaviness
599 'ut 7alamon0 whom love yet torturesso
600 That half out of his wits he is for woe;
601 And 8oined thereto he is a #risoner,
602 7er#etually, not only for a year.
603And who could rhyme in %nglish,
#ro#erly,
604 !is martyrdom0 Forsooth, it is not $;
605 And therefore $ #ass lightly on my way.
606 $t fell out in the seventh year, in 2ay,
607 On the third night 9as say the books ofold
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608hich have this story much more fully
told,
609 ere it by chance or were it destiny
6109"ince, when a thing is destined, it must
be,
611 That, shortly after midnight, 7alamon,
612'y hel#ing of a friend, broke from
#rison,
613 And fled the city, fast as he might go;
614For he had given his guard a drink that
so
615as mi+ed of s#ice and honey and
certain wine
616 And Theban o#iate and anodyne,
617
That all that night, although a man
might shake
618This gaoler, he sle#t on, nor could
awake.
619And thus he flees as fast as ever he
may.
620The night was short and it was nearly
day,
621herefore he needs must find a #lace
to hide;
622And to a grove that grew hard by, with
stride623 Of furtive foot, went fearful 7alamon.
624$n brief, hed formed his #lan, as he
went on,
625That in the grove he would lie fast all
day,
626And when night came, then would he
take his way
627Toward Thebes, and there find friends,
and of them #ray
628 Their hel# on Theseus in wars array;
629And briefly either he would lose his
life,
630 Or else win %mily to be his wife;
631 This is the gist of his intention #lain.
632 ow $ll return to Arcita again,
633ho little knew how near to him was
care
634Till Fortune caught him in her tangling
snare.
635 The busy lark, the herald of the day,636 "alutes now in her song the morning
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#oise;
668For every day unlooked)for chance
annoys.
669 And little knew Arcita of his friend,
670
ho was so near and heard him to the
end,
671here in the bush lie sat now, kee#ing
still.
672Arcita, having roamed and roved his
fill,
673 And having sung his rondel, lustily,
674 $nto a study fell he, suddenly,
675As do these lovers in their strange
desires,
676
ow in the trees, now down among the
briers,
677ow u#, now down, like bucket in a
well.
678 %ven as on a Friday, truth to tell,
679The sun shines now, and now the rain
comes fast,
680 %ven so can fickle 3enus overcast
681 The s#irits of her #eo#le; as her day,
682 $s changeful, so she changes her array.
683
"eldom is Friday quite like all the
week.684 Arcita, having sung, began to s#eak,
685And sat him down, sighing like one
forlorn.
686 Alas, said he, the day that $ was born6
687 !ow long, O
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699And even more does
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secrets store,
728 As $ have often told you heretofore,
729And have befooled the great /uke
Thesues,
730
And falsely changed your name and
station thus:
731 %ither $ shall be dead or you shall die.
732 4ou shall not love my lady %mily,
733 'ut $ will love her, and none other, no;
734 For $ am 7alamon, your mortal foe.
735And though $ have no wea#on in this
#lace,
736 'eing but out of #rison by *ods grace,
737 $ say again, that either you shall die
738 Or else forgo your love for %mily.
7391hoose which you will, for you shall
not de#art.
740 This Arcita, with scornful, angry heart,
741hen he knew him and all the tale had
heard,
742 Fierce as a lion, out he #ulled a sword,
743And answered thus: 'y *od that sits
above6
744ere it not you are sick and mad for
love,
745And that you have no wea#on in this
#lace,
746Out of this grove youd never move a
#ace,
747'ut meet your death right now, and at
my hand.
748 For $ renounce the bond and its demand
749hich you assert that $ have made with
you.
750
hat, arrant fool, loves free to choose
and do,
751And $ will have her, s#ite of all your
might6
752'ut in as much as youre a worthy
knight
753And willing to defend your love, in
mail,
754!ear now this word: tomorrow $ll not
fail
755 9ithout the cogni(ance of any wight
756 To come here armed and harnessed as aknight,
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757And to bring arms for you, too, as youll
see;
758And choose the better and leave the
worse for me.
759
And meat and drink this very night $ll
bring,
760%nough for you, and clothes for your
bedding.
761 And if it be that you my lady win
762And slay me in this wood that now $m
in,
763Then may you have your lady, for all of
me.
764 This 7alamon re#lied: $ do agree.
765
And thus they #arted till the morrow
morn,
766hen each had #ledged his honour to
return.
767 O 1u#ido, that knowst not charity6
768O des#ot, that no #eer will have with
thee6
769Truly, tis said, that love, like all
lordshi#,
770/eclines, with little thanks, a
#artnershi#.
771 ell learned they that, Arcite and7alamon.
772 Arcita rode into the town anon,
773And on the morrow, ere the dawn, he
bore,
774 "ecretly, arms and armour out of store,
775%nough for each, and #ro#er to
maintain
776 A battle in the field between the twain.
777 "o on his horse, alone as he was born,
778 !e carried out that harness as hedsworn;
779And in the grove, at time and #lace
theyd set,
780 Arcita and this 7alamon were met.
781%ach of the two changed colour in the
face.
782 For as the hunter in the realm of Thrace
783"tands at the clearing with his ready
s#ear,
784 hen hunted is the lion, or the bear,785 And through the forest hears him
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rushing fast,
786'reaking the boughs and leaves, and
thinks aghast.
787 !ere comes a#ace my mortal enemy6
788
ow, without fail, he must be slain, or
$;
789 For either $ must kill him ere he #ass,
790 Or he will make of me a dead carcass)
791"o fared these men, in altering their
hue,
792"o far as each the strength of other
knew.
793There was no good)day given, no
saluting,
794
'ut without word, rehearsal, or such
thing,
795%ach of them hel#ing, so they armed
each other
796As dutifully as he were his own
brother;
797And afterward, with their shar# s#ears
and strong,
798They thrust each at the other wondrous
long.
7994ou might have fancied that this
7alamon,800 $n battle, was a furious, mad lion,
801 And that Arcita was a tiger quite:
802 &ike very boars the two began to smite,
803&ike boars that froth for anger in the
wood.
8045# to the ankles fought they in their
blood.
805And leaving them thus fighting fast and
fell,
806 Forthwith of Theseus $ now will tell.807 *reat destiny, minister)general,
808 That e+ecutes in this world, and for all,
809The needs that *od foresaw ere we
were born,
810"o strong it is that, though the world
had sworn
811 The contrary of a thing, by yea or nay,
812 4et sometime it shall fall u#on a day,
813Though not again within a thousand
years.814 For certainly our wishes and our fears,
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815hether of war or #eace, or hate or
love,
816All, all are ruled by that Foresight
above.
817 This show $ now by mighty Theseus,
818 ho to go hunting is so desirous,
819 And s#ecially of the hart of ten, in 2ay,
820That, in his bed, there dawns for him no
day
821That hes not clothed and soon #re#ared
to ride
822ith hound and horn and huntsman at
his side.
823 For in his hunting has he such delight,
824 That it is all his 8oy and a##etite
825To be himself the great harts deadly
bane:
826 For after 2ars, he serves /ianas reign.
8271lear was the day, as $ have told ere
this,
828hen Theseus, com#act of 8oy and
bliss,
829 ith his !i##olyta, the lovely queen,
830 And fair %milia, clothed all in green,
831 A)hunting they went riding royally.
832And to the grove of trees that grew hard
by,
833$n which there was a hart, as men had
told,
834/uke Theseus the shortest way did
hold.
835And to the glade he rode on, straight
and right,
836For there the hart was wont to go in
flight,
837 And over a brook, and so forth on hisway.
838This duke would have a course at him
today,
839ith such hounds as it #leased him to
command.
840And when this duke was come u#on
that land,
841 5nder the slanting sun he looked, anon,
842 And there saw Arcita and 7alamon,
843 ho furiously fought, as two boars do;844 The bright swords went in circles to
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and fro
845 "o terribly, that even their least stroke
846 "eemed #owerful enough to fell an oak;
847'ut who the two were, nothing did he
note.
848This duke his courser with the shar#
s#urs smote,
849And in one bound he was between the
two,
850And lugged his great sword out, and
cried out: !o6
851 o more, $ say, on #ain of losing head6
852'y mighty 2ars, that one shall soon be
dead
853
ho smites another stroke that $ may
see6
854'ut tell me now what manner of men
ye be
855 That are so hardy as to fight out here
856 ithout a 8udge or other officer,
857 As if you)rode in lists right royally0
858 This 7alamon re#lied, then, hastily,
859"aying: O "ire, what need for more
ado0
860
e have deserved our death at hands of
you.
861Two woeful wretches are we, two
ca#tives
862That are encumbered by our own sad
lives;
863And as you are a righteous lord and
8udge,
864 *ive us not either mercy or refuge,
865 'ut slay me first, for sacred charity;
866
'ut slay my fellow here, as well, with
me.
867Or slay him first; for though you learn
it late,
868 This is your mortal foe, Arcita) wait6)
869That from the land was banished, on his
head.
870 And for the which he merits to be dead.
871 For this is he who came unto your gate,
872 1alling himself 7hilostrates) nay, wait6)
873
Thus has he fooled you well this many
a year,874 And you have made him your chief
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squire, $ hear:
875 And this is he that loves fair %mily.
876For since the day is come when $ must
die,
877 $ make confession #lainly and say on,
878 That $ am that same woeful 7alamon
879 ho has your #rison broken, viciously.
880 $ am your mortal foe, and it is $
881 ho love so hotly %mily the bright
882 That $ll die gladly here within her sigh6
883 Therefore do $ ask death as #enalty,
884'ut slay my fellow with the same
mercy,
885 For both of us deserve but to be slain.
886This worthy duke #resently s#oke
again,
887"aying: This 8udgment needs but a
short session:
8884our own mouth, aye, and by your own
confession,
889!as doomed and damned you, as $ shall
record.
890There is no need for torture, on my
word.
891
'ut you shall die, by mighty 2ars the
red6
892'ut then the queen, whose heart for #ity
bled,
893 'egan to wee#, and so did %mily
894 And all the ladies in the com#any.
895*reat #ity must it be, so thought they
all,
896That ever such misfortune should
befall:
897
For these were gentlemen, of great
estate,
898And for no thing, save love, was their
debate.
899They saw their bloody wounds, so sore
and wide,
900And all cried out) greater and less, they
cried:
901 !ave mercy, lord, u#on us women all6
902And down u#on their bare knees did
they fall,
903 And would have kissed his feet therewhere he stood,
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904Till at the last assuaged was his high
mood;
905For soon will #ity flow through gentle
heart.
906
And though he first for ire did shake
and start,
907!e soon considered, to state the case in
brief,
908hat cause they had for fighting, what
for grief;
909And though his anger still their guilt
accused,
9104et in his reason he held them both
e+cused;
911$n such wise: he thought well that every
man912 ill hel# himself in love, if he but can,
913 And will himself deliver from #rison;
914And, too, at heart he had com#assion
on
915Those women, for they cried and we#t
as one,
916 And in his gentle heart he thought anon,
917 And softly to himself he said then: Fie
918 5#on a lord that will have no mercy,
919 'ut acts the lion, both in word anddeed,
920 To those re#entant and in fear and need,
921 As well as to the #roud and #itiless man
922That still would do the thing that he
began6
923 That lord must surely in discretion lack
924ho, in such case, can no distinction
make,
925'ut weighs both #roud and humble in
one scale.
926And shortly, when his ire was thus
grown #ale,
927!e looked u# to the sky, with eyes
alight,
928And s#oke these words, as he would
#romise #light:
929 The god of love, ah benedicite6
930 !ow mighty and how great a lord is he6
931Against his might may stand no
obstacles,932 A true god is he by his miracles;
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933For he can manage, in his own sweet
wise,
934 The heart of anyone as he devise.
935 &o, here, Arcita and this 7alamon,
936 That were delivered out of my #rison,
937And might have lived in Thebes right
royally,
938 -nowing me for their mortal enemy,
939 And also that their lives lay in my hand;
940And yet their love has wiled them to
this land,
941Against all sense, and brought them
here to die6
942 &ook you now, is not that a folly high0
943
ho can be called a fool, e+ce#t he
love0
944And see, for sake of *od who sits
above,
945"ee how they bleed6 Are they not well
arrayed0
946Thus has their lord, the god of love,
re#aid
947Their wages and their fees for their
service6
948
And yet they are su##osed to be full
wise
949ho serve love well, whatever may
befall6
950 'ut this is yet the best 8est of them all,
951 That she for whom they have this 8ollity
9521an thank them for it quite as much as
me;
953"he knows no more of all this fervent
fare,
954'y *od6 than knows a cuckoo or a
hare.
955'ut all must be essayed, both hot and
cold,
956A man must #lay the fool, when young
or old;
957$ know it of myself from years long
gone:
958For of loves servants $ve been
numbered one.
959And therefore, since $ know well all
loves #ain,960 And know how sorely it can man
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constrain,
961 As one that has been taken in the net,
962 $ will forgive your tres#ass, and forget,
963At instance of my sweet queen,
kneeling here,
964 Aye, and of %mily, my sister dear.
965And you shall #resently consent to
swear
966That nevermore will you my #ower
dare,
967or wage war on me, either night or
day,
968'ut will be friends to me in all you
may;
969 $ do forgive this tres#ass, full and fair.
970And then they swore what he demandedthere,
971And, of his might, they of his mercy
#rayed,
972And he e+tended grace, and thus he
said:
973 To s#eak for royaltys inheritress,
974 Although she be a queen or a #rincess,
975 %ach of you both is worthy, $ confess,
976
hen comes the time to wed: but
nonetheless,977 $ s#eak now of my sister %mily,
978 The cause of all this strife and 8ealousy)
9794ou know yourselves she may not
marry two,
980At once, although you fight or what you
do:
981One of you, then, and be he loath or
lief,
982 2ust #i#e his sorrows in an ivy leaf.
983 That is to say, she cannot have youboth,
984 !owever 8ealous one may be, or wroth.
985 Therefore $ #ut you both in this decree,
986 That each of you shall learn his destiny
987As it is cast; and hear, now, in what
wise
988The word of fate shall s#eak through
my device.
989 2y will is this, to draw conclusion flat,
990 ithout re#ly, or #lea, or caveat991 9$n any case, acce#t it for the best,
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992That each of you shall follow his own
quest,
993 Free of all ransom or of fear from me;
994And this day, fifty weeks hence, both
shall be
995!ere once again, each with a hundredknights,
996Armed for the lists, who stoutly for
your rights
997 ill ready be to battle, to maintain
9984our claim to love. $ #romise you,
again,
999 5#on my word, and as $ am a knight,
1000 That whichsoever of you wins the fight,
1001 That is to say, whichever of you two
10022ay with his hundred, whom $ s#okeof, do
1003!is foe to death, or out of boundary
drive,
1004 Then he shall have %milia to wive
1005 To whom Fortune gives so fair a grace.
1006 The lists shall be erected in this #lace.
1007 And *od so truly on my soul have ruth
1008As $ shall #rove an honest 8udge, in
truth.
10094ou shall no other 8udgment in mewaken
1010Than that the one shall die or else be
taken.
1011And if you think the sentence is well
said,
1012"#eak your o#inion, that youre well
re#aid.
1013 This is the end, and $ conclude hereon.
1014
ho looks u# lightly now but
7alamon0
1015ho lea#s for you but Arcita the
knight0
1016And who could tell, or who could ever
write
1017 The 8ubilation made within that #lace
1018here Theseus has shown so fair a
grace0
1019'ut down on knee went each one for
delight
1020 And thanked him there with all hisheart and might,
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1021And s#ecially those Thebans did their
#art.
1022And thus, with high ho#es, being blithe
of heart,
1023
They took their leave; and homeward
did they ride
1024To Thebes that sits within her old walls
wide.
1025 %+#licit secunda #ars.
1026 "equitur #ars tercia.
1027$ think that men would deem it
negligence
1028 $f $ forgot to tell of the e+#ense
1029 Of Theseus, who went so busily
1030 To work u#on the lists, right royally;
1031 For such an am#hitheatre he made,
1032 $ts equal never yet on earth was laid.
1033The circuit, rising, hemmed a mile
about,
1034alled all of stone and moated dee#
without.
1035ound was the sha#e as com#ass ever
traces,
1036And built in tiers, the height of si+ty
#aces,
1037 That those who sat in one tier, ordegree,
1038"hould hinder not the folk behind to
see.
1039%astward there stood a gate of marble
white.
1040 And westward such another, o##osite.
1041$n brief, no #lace on earth, and so
sublime,
1042as ever made in so small s#ace of
time;
1043For in the land there was no craftsman
quick
1044 At #lane geometry or arithmetic,
1045o #ainter and no scul#tor of hard
stone,
1046'ut Theseus #ressed meat and wage
u#on
1047 To build that am#hitheatre and devise.
1048 And to observe all rites and sacrifice,
1049 Over the eastern gate, and high above,1050 For worshi# of =ueen 3enus, god of
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love,
1051 !e built an altar and an oratory;
1052And westward, being mindful of the
glory
1053
Of 2ars, he straightway builded such
another
1054As cost a deal of gold and many a
bother.
1055 And northward, in a turret on the wall,
1056 Of alabaster white and red coral,
1057 An oratory s#lendid as could be,
1058 $n honour of /ianas chastity,
1059/uke Theseus wrought out in noble
wise.
1060 'ut yet have forgot to advertise
1061 The noble carvings and the #ortraitures,
1062The sha#es, the countenances, the
figures
1063 That all were in these oratories three.
1064First, in the fane of 3enus, one might
see,
1065rought on the wall, and #iteous to
behold,
1066The broken slumbers and the sighing
cold,
1067 The sacred tears and the lamenting dire,
1068 The fiery throbbing of the strong desire,
1069That all loves servants in this life
endure;
1070 The vows that all their #romises assure;
10717leasure and ho#e, desire,
foolhardiness,
1072'eauty, youth, bawdiness, and riches,
yes,
1073
1harms, and all force, and lies, and
flattery,1074 %+#ense, and labour; aye, and
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all
1114 The #ortraiture that was u#on the wall
1115ithin the fane of mighty 2ars the
red0
1116
$n length and breadth the whole wall
was #ainted
1117 &ike the interior of that grisly #lace,
1118The mighty tem#le of great 2ars in
Thrace,
1119$n that same cold and frosty region
where
11202ars to his su#reme mansion may
re#air.
1121First, on the wall was limned a vast
forest
1122 herein there dwelt no man nor anybeast,
1123ith knotted, gnarled, and leafless
trees, so old
1124The shar#ened stum#s were dreadful to
behold;
1125Through which there ran a rumbling,
even now,
1126As if a storm were breaking every
bough;
1127 And down a hill, beneath a shar#descent,
1128 The tem#le stood of 2ars armi#otent,
1129rought all of burnished steel, whereof
the gate
1130as grim like death to see, and long,
and strait.
1131And therefrom raged a wind that
seemed to shake
1132The very ground, and made the great
doors quake.
1133The northern light in at those same
doors shone,
1134For window in that massive wall was
none
1135Through which a man might any light
discern.
1136 The doors were all of adamant eterne,
1137 ivetted on both sides, and all along,
1138ith toughest iron; and to make it
strong,1139 %ach #illar that sustained this tem#le
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grim
1140as thick as tun, of iron bright and
trim.
1141 There saw $ first the dark imagining
1142 Of felony, and all the com#assing;
1143 And cruel anger, red as burning coal;
11447ick#urses, and the dread that eats the
soul;
1145The smiling villain, hiding knife in
cloak;
1146The farm barns burning, and the thick
black smoke;
1147 The treachery of murder done in bed;
1148The o#en battle, with the wounds that
bled;
11491ontest, with bloody knife and shar#menace;
1150And loud with creaking was that dismal
#lace.
1151 The slayer of himself, too, saw $ there,
1152!is very hearts blood matted in his
hair;
1153The nail thats driven in the skull by
night;
1154
The cold #lague)cor#se, with ga#ing
mouth u#right1155 $n middle of the tem#le sat 2ischance,
1156ith gloomy, grimly woeful
countenance.
1157And saw $ 2adness laughing in his
rage;
1158Armed risings, and outcries, and fierce
outrage;
1159The carrion in the bush, with throat
wide carved;
1160 A thousand slain, nor one by #lague,nor starved.
1161The tyrant, with the s#oils of violent
theft;
1162The town destroyed, in ruins, nothing
left.
1163And saw $ burnt the shi#s that dance by
#hares,
1164The hunter strangled by the fierce wild
bears;
1165 The sow chewing the child right in thecradle;
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1166The cook well scalded, s#ite of his long
ladle.
1167 othing was lacking of 2ars evil #art:
1168 The carter over)driven by his cart,
1169 5nder a wheel he lay low in the dust.
1170There were likewise in 2ars house, as
needs must,
1171The surgeon, and the butcher, and the
smith
1172ho forges shar# swords and great ills
therewith.
1173 And over all, de#icted in a tower,
1174"at 1onquest, high in honour and in
#ower,
1175
4et with a shar# sword hanging oer his
head1176 'ut by the tenuous twisting of a thread.
1177 /e#icted was the death of
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story
1196 $n reverence of 2ars and of his glory.
1197 ow to the tem#le of /iana chaste,
1198 As briefly as $ can, $ll #ass in haste,
1199 To lay before you its descri#tion well.
1200$n #ictures, u# and down, the wall
could tell
1201 Of hunting and of modest chastity.
1202There saw $ how 1allisto fared when
she
1203 9/iana being much aggrieved with her
1204as changed from woman into a she)
bear,
1205 And after, made into the lone 7ole "tar;
1206There was it; $ cant tell how such
things are.
1207 !er son, too, is a star, as men may see.
1208 There saw $ /a#hne turned into a tree
1209 9$ do not mean /iana, no, but she,
12107eneus daughter, who was called
/a#hne
1211 $ saw Actaeon made a hart all rude
1212 For #unishment of seeing /iana nude;
1213$ saw, too, how his fifty hounds had
caught
1214And him were eating, since they knew
him not.
1215 And #ainted farther on, $ saw before
1216 !ow Atalanta hunted the wild boar;
1217 And 2eleager, and many another there,
1218For which /iana wrought him woe and
care.
1219There saw $ many another wondrous
tale
1220From which $ will not now draw
memorys veil.
1221This goddess on an antlered hart was
set,
1222ith little hounds about her feet, and
yet
1223'eneath her #erfect feet there was a
moon,
1224a+ing it was, but it should wane full
soon.
1225
$n robes of yellowish green her statue
was,1226 "hed bow in hand and arrows in a case.
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1227!er eyes were downcast, looking at the
ground.
1228here 7luto in his dark realm may be
found.
1229 'efore her was a woman travailing,
1230ho was so long in giving birth, #oorthing,
1231 That #itifully &ucina did she call,
12327raying, Oh hel#, for thou mayst best
of all6
1233ell could he #aint, who had this
#icture wrought,
1234ith many a florin hed his colours
bought,
1235
'ut now the lists were done, and
Theseus,1236 ho at so great cost had a##ointed thus
1237 The tem#les and the circus, as $ tell,
1238hen all was done, he liked it
wondrous well.
1239 'ut hold $ will from Theseus, and on
1240 To s#eak of Arcita and 7alamon.
1241 The day of their return is forthcoming,
1242hen each of them a hundred knights
must bring
1243 The combat to su##ort, as $ have told;1244 And into Athens, covenant to u#hold,
1245!as each one ridden with his hundred
knights,
1246ell armed for war, at all #oints, in
their mights.
1247And certainly, twas thought by many a
man
1248That never, since the day this world
began,
1249 "#eaking of good knights hardy of theirhands,
1250 herever *od created seas and lands,
1251 as, of so few, so noble com#any.
1252 For every man that loved all chivalry,
1253 And eager was to win sur#assing fame,
1254!ad #rayed to #lay a #art in that great
game;
1255And all was well with him who chosen
was.
1256 For if there came tomorrow such a case,1257 4ou know right well that every lusty
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knight
1258ho loves the ladies fair and kee#s his
might,
1259 'e it in %ngland, aye or otherwhere,
1260
ould wish of all things to be #resent
there
1261 To fight for some fair lady. 'encite6
1262Twould be a #leasant goodly sight to
see6
1263 And so it was with those with 7alamon.
1264ith him there rode of good knights
many a one;
1265"ome would be armoured in a
habergeon
1266 And in a breast#late, under light 8u#on;
1267And some wore breast)and back)#latesthick and large;
1268And some would have a 7russian
shield, or targe;
1269"ome on their very legs were armoured
well,
1270And carried a+e, and some a mace of
steel.
1271There is no new thing, now, that is not
old.
1272 And so they all were armed, as $ havetold,
1273 To his own liking and design, each one.
1274There might you see, riding with
7alamon,
1275&ycurgus self, the mighty king of
Thrace;
1276'lack was his beard and manly was his
face.
1277 The eyeballs in the sockets of his head,
1278 They glowed between a yellow and ared.
1279And like a griffon glared he round
about
1280From under bushy eyebrows thick and
stout.
1281!is limbs were large, his muscles hard
and strong.
1282!is shoulders broad, his arms both big
and long,
1283 And, as the fashion was in his country,1284 !igh in a chariot of gold stood he,
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1285ith four white bulls in traces, to
#rogress.
1286 $nstead of coat)of)arms above harness,
1287ith yellow claws #reserved and bright
as gold,
1288!e wore a bear)skin, black and veryold.
1289!is long combed hair was hanging
down his back,
1290 As any ravens feather it was black:
1291A wreath of gold, arm)thick, of heavy
weight,
1292as on his head, and set with 8ewels
great,
1293 Of rubies fine and #erfect diamonds.
1294 About his car there circled huge whitehounds,
1295 Twenty or more, as large as any steer,
1296 To hunt the lion or the antlered deer;
1297And so they followed him, with
mu((les bound,
1298earing gold collars with smooth rings
and round.
1299 A hundred lords came riding in his rout,
1300
All armed at #oint, with hearts both
stern and stout1301 ith Arcita, in tales men call to mind,
1302 The great %metreus, a king of $nd,
1303 5#on a bay steed harnessed all in steel,
13041overed with cloth of gold, all dia#ered
well,
13051ame riding like the god of arms, great
2ars.
1306!is coat)of)arms was cloth of the
Tartars,
1307 'egemmed with #earls, all white andround and great.
1308Of beaten gold his saddle, burnished
late;
1309A mantle from his shoulders hung, the
thing
13101lose)set with rubies red, like fire
bla(ing.
1311!is cris# hair all in bright ringlets was
run,
1312 4ellow as gold and gleaming as thesun.
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1313!is nose was high, his eyes a bright
citrine,
1314!is li#s were full, his colouring
sanguine.
1315
And a few freckles on his face were
seen,
1316one either black or yellow, but the
mean;
1317 And like a lion he his glances cast.
1318ot more than five)and)twenty years
hed #ast.
1319!is beard was well beginning, now, to
s#ring;
1320 !is voice was as a trum#et thundering.
1321
5#on his brows he wore, of laurel
green,
1322A garland, fresh and #leasing to be
seen.
1323 5#on his wrist he bore, for his delight,
1324 An eagle tame, as any lily white.
1325A hundred lords came riding with him
there,
1326All armed, e+ce#t their heads, in all
their gear,
1327 And wealthily a##ointed in all things.
1328 For, trust me well, that dukes and earlsand kings
1329 ere gathered in this noble com#any
1330 For love and for increase of chivalry.
1331About this king there ran, on every
side,
13322any tame lions and leo#ards in their
#ride.
1333And in such wise these mighty lords, in
sum,
1334 ere, of a "unday, to the city come
1335About the #rime, and in the town did
light.
1336This Theseus, this duke, this noble
knight,
1337 hen hed conducted them to his city,
1338And quartered them, according to
degree,
1339!e feasted them, and was at so much
#ains
1340 To give them ease and honour, of hisgains,
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1341That men yet hold that never human
wit,
1342 Of high or low estate, could better it.
1343 The minstrelsy, the service at the feast,
1344
The great gifts to the highest and the
least,
1345 The furnishings of Theseus, rich #alace,
1346 ho highest sat or lowest on the dais,
1347hat ladies fairest were or best
dandling,
1348Or which of them could dance the best,
or sing,
1349Or who could s#eak most feelingly of
love,
1350
Or what hawks sat u#on the #erch
above,
1351Or what great hounds were lying on the
floor)
1352Of all these $ will make no mention
more;
1353 'ut tell my tale, for that, $ think, is best;
1354ow comes the #oint, and listen if
youve (est.
1355That "unday night, ere day began to
s#ring,
1356 hen 7alamon the earliest lark heardsing,
1357Although it lacked two hours of being
day,
13584et the lark sang, and 7alamon sang a
lay.
1359ith #ious heart and with a high
courage
1360 !e rose, to go u#on a #ilgrimage
1361 5nto the blessed 1ythereas shrine
1362 9$ mean =ueen 3enus, worthy andbenign.
1363And at her hour he then walked forth
a#ace
1364 Out to the lists wherein her tem#le was,
1365 And down he knelt in manner to revere,
1366And from a full heart s#oke as you shall
hear.
1367 Fairest of fair, O lady mine, 3enus,
1368/aughter of
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1itheron,
1370 'y that great love thou borest to Adon,
1371 !ave #ity on my bitter tears that smart
1372And hear my humble #rayer within thy
heart.
1373 Alas6 $ have no words in which to tell
1374The effect of all the torments of my
hell;
1375 2y heavy heart its evils cant bewray;
1376$m so confused $ can find naught to
say.
1377'ut mercy, lady bright, that knowest
well
1378 2y heart, and seest all the ills $ feel,
1379 1onsider and have ruth u#on my sore
1380 As truly as $ shall, for evermore,
1381 ell as $ may, thy one true servant be,
1382 And wage a war henceforth on chastity.
1383$f thou wilt hel#, thus do $ make my
vow,
1384To boast of knightly skill $ care not
now,
1385 or do $ ask tomorrows victory,
1386 or any such renown, nor vain glory
1387Of #ri(e of arms, blown before lord and
churl,
1388'ut $ would have #ossession of one
girl,
1389 Of %mily, and die in thy service;
1390Find thou the manner how, and in what
wise.
1391 For $ care not, unless it better be,
1392hether $ vanquish them or they do
me,
1393 "o $ may have my lady in my arms.
1394For though 2ars is the god of wars
alarms,
1395 Thy #ower is so great in !eaven above,
1396 That, if it be thy will, $ll have my love.
1397 $n thy fane will $ worshi# always, so
1398That on thine altar, whereer $ ride or
go,
1399 $ will lay sacrifice and thy fires feed.
1400 And if thou wilt not so, O lady, cede,
1401 $ #ray thee, that tomorrow, with a s#ear,
1402Arcita bear me through the heart, 8ust
here.
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1403For $ll care naught, when $ have lost
my life,
1404 That Arcita may win her for his wife.
1405This the effect and end of all my
#rayer,
1406*ive me my love, thou blissful ladyfair.
1407 ow when hed finished all the orison,
1408 !is sacrifice he made, this 7alamon,
1409ight #iously, with all the
circumstance,
1410 Albeit $ tell not now his observance.
1411 'ut at the last the form of 3enus shook
1412 And gave a sign, and thereu#on he took
1413
This as acce#tance of his #rayer that
day.
1414For though the augury showed some
delay,
14154et he knew well that granted was his
boon;
1416And with glad heart he got him home
right soon.
1417 Three hours unequal after 7alamon
1418 To 3enus tem#le at the lists had gone,
1419 5# rose the sun and u# rose %mily,
1420 And to /ianas tem#le did she hie.
1421!er maidens led she thither, and with
them
1422They carefully took fire and each
emblem,
1423And incense, robes, and the remainder
all
1424 Of things for sacrifice ceremonial.
1425There was not one thing lacking; $ll but
add
1426 The horns of mead, as was a way theyhad.
1427$n smoking tem#le, full of dra#eries
fair,
1428This %mily with young heart
debonnaire,
1429 !er body washed in water from a well;
1430 'ut how she did the rite $ dare not tell,
1431 %+ce#t it be at large, in general;
1432
And yet it was a thing worth hearing
all;1433 hen ones well meaning, there is no
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transgression;
1434'ut it is best to s#eak at ones
discretion.
1435!er bright hair was unbound, but
combed withal;
1436 "he wore of green oak leaves a coronal
1437 5#on her lovely head. Then she began
1438 Two fires u#on the altar stone to fan,
1439 And did her ceremonies as were told
1440 $n "tatius Thebaid and books as old.
1441hen kindled was the fire, with sober
face
1442 5nto /iana s#oke she in that #lace.
1443O thou chaste goddess of the wildwood
green,
1444'y whom all heaven and earth and sea
are seen,
1445=ueen of the realm of 7luto, dark and
low,
1446*oddess of maidens, that my heart dost
know
1447For all my years, and knowest what $
desire,
1448Oh, save me from thy vengeance and
thine ire
1449 That on Actaeon fell so cruelly.
14501haste goddess, well indeed thou
knowest that $
1451 /esire to be a virgin all my life,
1452 or ever wish to be mans love or wife.
1453 $ am, thou knowst, yet of thy com#any,
1454 A maid, who loves the hunt and venery,
1455And to go rambling in the greenwood
wild,
1456 And not to be a wife and be with child.
1457 $ do not crave the com#any of man.
1458ow hel# me, lady, since thou mayst
and can,
1459'y the three beings who are one in
thee.
1460For 7alamon, who bears such love to
me,
1461 And for Arcita, loving me so sore,
1462This grace $ #ray thee, without one
thing more,
1463 To send down love and #eace betweenthose two,
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1464And turn their hearts away from me: so
do
1465That all their furious love and their
desire,
1466
And all their ceaseless torment and
their fire
1467'e quenched or turned into another
#lace;
1468And if it be thou wilt not show this
grace,
1469 Or if my destiny be moulded so
1470That $ must needs have one of these
same two,
1471Then send me him that most desires
me.
1472 'ehold, O goddess of utter chastity,
1473The bitter tears that down my two
cheeks fall.
1474"ince thou art maid and kee#er of us
all,
14752y maidenhead kee# thou, and still
#reserve,
1476And while $ live a maid, thee will $
serve.
1477The fires bla(ed high u#on the altar
there,
1478hile %mily was saying thus her
#rayer,
1479'ut suddenly she saw a sight most
quaint,
1480For there, before her eyes, one fire went
faint,
1481 Then bla(ed again; and after that, anon,
1482The other fire was quenched, and so
was gone.
1483 And as it died it made a whistlingsound,
1484As do wet branches burning on the
ground,
1485And from the brands ends there ran
out, anon,
1486hat looked like dro#s of blood, and
many a one;
1487 At which so much aghast was %mily
1488That she was near da(ed, and began to
cry,
1489 For she knew naught of what it
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signified;
1490 'ut only out of terror thus she cried
1491 And we#t, till it was #itiful to hear.
1492 'ut thereu#on /iana did a##ear,
1493ith bow in hand, like any right
huntress,
1494And said: 2y daughter, leave this
heaviness.
1495Among the high gods it has been
affirmed,
1496 And by eternal written word confirmed,
1497That you shall be the wife of one of
those
1498ho bear for you so many cares and
woes;
1499 'ut unto which of them may not tell.
1500 $ can no longer tarry, so farewell.
1501 The fires that on my altar burn incense
1502"hould tell you everything, ere you go
hence,
1503Of what must come of love in this your
case.
1504And with that word the arrows of the
chase
1505
The goddess carried clattered and did
ring,1506 And forth she went in mystic vanishing;
1507 At which this %mily astonished was,
1508And said she then: Ah, what means
this, alas6
1509 $ #ut myself in thy #rotection here,
1510 /iana, and at thy dis#osal dear.
1511And home she wended, then, the
nearest way.
1512
This is the #ur#ort; theres no more to
say.
1513At the ne+t hour of 2ars, and following
this,
1514 Arcita to the tem#le walked, that is
1515 /evoted to fierce 2ars, to sacrifice
1516 ith all the ceremonies, #agan)wise.
1517ith sobered heart and high devotion,
on
1518 This wise, right thus he said his orison.
1519 O mighty god that in the regions cold
1520Of Thrace art honoured, where thylordshi#s hold,
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1521 And hast in every realm and every land
1522 The reins of battle in thy guiding hand,
1523 And givest fortune as thou dost devise,
1524 Acce#t of me my #ious sacrifice.
1525 $f so it be that my youth may deserve,
1526And that my strength be worthy found
to serve
1527Thy godhead, and be numbered one of
thine,
1528Then #ray $ thee for ruth on #ain thats
mine.
1529For that same #ain and even that hot
fire
1530herein thou once didst burn with
dee# desire,
1531hen thou didst use the marvelous
beauty
1532Of fair young wanton 3enus, fresh and
free,
1533And hadst her in thine arms and at thy
will
15349!owbeit with thee, once, all the
chance fell ill,
1535And 3ulcan caught thee in his net,
whenas
1536 !e found thee lying with his wife,alas6)
1537For that same sorrow that was in thy
heart,
1538!ave #ity, now, u#on my #ains that
smart.
1539$m young, and little skilled, as knowest
thou,
1540ith love more hurt and much more
broken now
1541 Than ever living creature was, $m sure;
1542For she who makes me all this woe
endure,
1543 hether $ float or sink cares not at all,
1544And ere shell hear with mercy when $
call,
1545 $ must by #rowess win her in this #lace;
1546And well $ know, too, without hel# and
grace
1547Of thee, my human strength shall not
avail1548 Then hel# me, lord, tomorrow not to
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fail,
1549For sake of that same fire that once
burned thee,
1550The which consuming fire so now
burns me;
1551 And grant, tomorrow, $ have victory.
15522ine be the toil, and thine the whole
glory6
1553Thy sovereign tem#le will $ honour
most
1554 Of any s#ot, and toil and count no cost
1555To #leasure thee and in thy craft have
grace,
1556 And in thy fane my banner will $ #lace,
1557 And all the wea#ons of my com#any;
1558 And evermore, until the day $ die,
1559 %ternal fire shalt thou before thee find.
1560 2oreover, to this vow myself $ bind:
15612y beard, my hair that ri##les down so
long,
1562That never yet has felt the slightest
wrong
1563 Of ra(or or of shears, to thee $ll give,
1564 And be thy loyal servant while $ live.
1565
ow, lord, have #ity on my sorrows
sore;
1566 *ive me the victory. $ ask no more.
1567 ith ended #rayer of Arcita the young,
1568The rings that on the tem#le door were
hung,
1569And even the doors themselves, rattled
so fast
1570 That this Arcita found himself aghast.
1571The fires bla(ed high u#on the altar
bright,
1572 5ntil the entire tem#le shone with light;
1573And a sweet odour rose u# from the
ground;
1574And Arcita whirled then his arm
around,
1575And yet more incense on the fire he
cast,
1576 And did still further rites; and at the last
1577 The armour of *od 2ars began to ring,
1578
And with that sound there came a
murmuring,1579 &ow and uncertain, saying: 3ictory6
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1580For which he gave 2ars honour and
glory.
1581And thus in 8oy and ho#e, which all
might dare,
1582 Arcita to his lodging then did fare,
1583 Fain of the fight as fowl is of the sun.
1584'ut thereu#on such quarrelling was
begun,
1585From this same granting, in the heaven
above,
1586Twi+t lovely 3enus, goddess of all
love,
1587 And 2ars, the iron god armi#otent,
1588That
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1610And tumbling down of towers and of
walls
1611 5#on the miner and the car#enter.
1612$ struck down "amson, that #illar
shaker;
1613 And mine are all the maladies so cold,
1614The treasons dark, the machinations
old;
1615 2y glance is father of all #estilence.
1616ow wee# no more. $ll see, with
diligence,
1617That 7alamon, who is your own true
knight,
1618 "hall have his lady, as you hold is right.
1619
Though 2ars may hel# his man, yet
none the less
1620'etween you two there must come
sometime #eace,
1621And though you be not of one
tem#erament,
1622 1ausing each day such violent dissent,
1623 $ am your grandsire and obey your will;
1624ee# then no more, your #leasure $ll
fulfill.
1625
ow will $ cease to s#eak of gods
above,
1626Of 2ars and 3enus, goddess of all
love,
1627 And tell you now, as #lainly as $ can,
1628 The great result, for which $ first began.
1629 %+#licit tercia #ars.
1630 "equitur #ars quarta.
1631*reat was the fete in Athens on that
day,
1632 And too, the merry season of the 2ay
1633 *ave everyone such 8oy and such#leasance
1634That all that 2onday theyd but 8oust
and dance,
1635Or s#end the time in 3enus high
service.
1636 'ut for the reason that they must arise
1637 'etimes, to see the heralded great fight,
1638 All they retired to early rest that night.
1639
And on the morrow, when that day did
s#ring,1640 Of horse and harness, noise and
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clattering,
1641 There was enough in hostelries about.
1642 And to the #alace rode full many a rout
1643Of lords, bestriding steeds and on
#alfreys.
1644There could you see ad8usting of
harness,
1645"o curious and so rich, and wrought so
well
1646Of goldsmiths work, embroidery, and
of steel;
1647The shields, the helmets bright, the gay
tra##ings,
1648The gold)hewn casques, the coats)of)
arms, the rings,
1649 The lords in vestments rich, on theircoursers,
1650-nights with their retinues and also
squires;
1651The rivetting of s#ears, the helm)
buckling,
1652The stra##ing of the shields, and.
thong)lacing)
1653$n their great need, not one of them was
idle;
1654 The frothing steeds, cham#ing thegolden bridle,
1655And the quick smiths, and armourers
also,
1656ith file and hammer s#urring to and
fro;
16574eoman, and #easants with short staves
were out,
16581rowding as thick as they could move
about;
1659 7i#es, trum#ets, kettledrums, andclarions,
1660That in the battle sound such grim
summons;
1661 The #alace full of #eo#le, u# and down,
1662!ere three, there ten, debating the
renown
1663And questioning about these Theban
knights,
1664"ome #ut it thus, some said, $ts so by
rights.
1665 "ome held with him who had the great
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black beard,
1666"ome with the bald)heads, some with
the thick haired;
1667"ome said, !e looks grim, and hell
fight like hate;
1668!e has an a+e of twenty #ound inweight.
1669 And thus the hall was full of gossi#ing
1670&ong after the bright sun began to
s#ring.
1671The mighty Theseus, from slee#
awakened
1672'y songs and all the noise that never
slackened,
1673
-e#t yet the chamber of this rich
#alace,
1674Till the two Theban knights, with equal
grace
1675And honour, were ushered in with
flourish fitting.
1676 /uke Theseus was at a window sitting,
1677 Arrayed as he were god u#on a throne.
1678Then #ressed the #eo#le thitherward
full soon,
1679 To see him and to do him reverence,
1680 Aye, and to hear commands ofsa#ience.
1681 A herald on a scaffold cried out !o6
1682Till all the #eo#les noise was stilled;
and so,
1683hen he observed that all were fallen
still,
1684!e then #roclaimed the mighty rulers
will.
1685The duke our lord, full wise and full
discreet,
1686!olds that it were but wanton waste to
meet
1687And fight, these gentle folk, all in the
guise
1688 Of mortal battle in this enter#rise.
1689herefore, in order that no man may
die,
1690 !e does his earlier #ur#ose modify.
1691o man, therefore, on #ain of loss of
life,1692 "hall any arrow, #ole)a+e, or short
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knife
1693 "end into lists in any wise, or bring;
1694or any shortened sword, for #oint)
thrusting,
1695 "hall a man draw, or bear it by his side.
1696 or shall knight against o##onent ride,
1697"ave one full course, with any shar#)
ground s#ear;
16985nhorsed, a man may thrust with any
gear.
1699And he thats overcome, should this
occur,
1700"hall not be slain, but brought to
barrier,
1701
hereof there shall be one on either
side;1702 &et him be forced to go there and abide.
1703And if by chance the leader there must
go,
1704 Of either side, or slay his equal foe,
1705o longer, then, shall tourneying
endure.
1706*od s#eed you; go forth now, and lay
on sure.
1707
ith long sword and with maces fight
your fill.
1708*o now your ways; this is the lord
dukes will.
1709 The voices of the #eo#le rent the skies,
1710"uch was the u#roar of their merry
cries:
1711ow *od save such a lord, who is so
good
1712!e will not have destruction of mens
blood6
1713 5# start the trum#ets and make melody.1714 And to the lists rode forth the com#any,
1715$n marshalled ranks, throughout the city
large,
1716All hung with cloth of gold, and not
with serge.
1717 Full like a lord this noble duke did ride,
1718ith the two Theban knights on either
side;
1719And, following, rode the queen and
%mily,1720 And, after, came another com#any
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1721 Of one and other, each in his degree.
1722And thus they went throughout the
whole city,
1723And to the lists they came, all in good
time.
1724The day was not yet fully come to
#rime
1725hen throned was Theseus full rich
and high,
1726 And =ueen !i##olyta and %mily,
1727 hile other ladies sat in tiers about.
1728$nto the seats then #ressed the lesser
rout.
1729And westward, through the gate of
2ars, right hearty,
1730 Arcita and the hundred of his #arty1731 ith banner red is entering anon;
1732And in that self)same moment,
7alamon
1733 $s under 3enus, eastward in that #lace,
1734 ith banner white, and resolute of face.
1735$n all the world, searching it u# and
down,
1736"o equal were they all, from heel to
crown,
1737 There were no two such bands in anyway.
1738For there was no man wise enough to
say
1739 !ow either had of other advantage
1740 $n high re#ute, or in estate, or age,
1741 "o even were they chosen, as $ guess.
1742And in two goodly ranks, they did then
dress.
1743
And when the name was called of every
one,
1744That cheating in their number might be
none,
1745Then were the gates closed, and the cry
rang loud:
1746ow do your devoir, all you young
knights #roud6
1747The heralds cease their s#urring u# and
down;
1748ow ring the trum#ets as the charge is
blown;1749 And theres no more to say, for east and
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west
1750Two hundred s#ears are firmly laid in
rest;
1751And the shar# s#urs are thrust, now,
into side.
1752ow see men who can 8oust and whocan ride6
1753ow shivered are the shafts on bucklers
thick;
1754One feels through very breast)bone the
s#ears #rick;
1755&ances are flung full twenty feet in
height;
1756Out flash the swords like silver
burnished bright.
1757 !elmets are hewed, the lacings ri##edand shred;
1758Out bursts the blood, gushing in stern
streams red.
1759ith mighty maces bones are crushed
in 8oust.
1760One through the thickest throng begins
to thrust.
1761There strong steeds stumble now, and
down goes all.
1762 One rolls beneath their feet as rolls aball.
1763One flails about with club, being
overthrown,
1764Another, on a mailed horse, rides him
down.
1765One through the bodys hurt, and haled,
for aid.
1766 "#ite of his struggles, to the barricade,
1767As com#act was, and there he must
abide;1768 Anothers ca#tured by the other side.
1769At times /uke Theseus orders them to
rest,
1770To eat a bite and drink what each likes
best.
1771And many times that day those Thebans
two
17722et in the fight and wrought each other
woe;
17735nhorsed each has the other on that
day.
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1774 o tigress in the vale of *algo#hey,
1775 hose little whel# is stolen in the light,
1776 $s cruel to the hunter as Arcite
1777 For 8ealousy is cruel to 7alamon;
1778 or in 'elmarie, when the hunt is on
1779 $s there a lion, wild for want of food,
1780That of his #rey desires so much the
blood
1781 As 7alamon the death of Arcite there.
1782Their 8ealous blows fall on their
helmets fair;
1783Out lea#s the blood and makes their
two sides red.
1784'ut sometime com