Chaucer's Translation of Boethius's "De Consolatione Philosophiae"Boethius
ReligionComparative
Chaucer's Translation of Boethius's "De Consolatione Philosophiae"
Boethius
Happiness; Philosophy and religion
twynkeled first vpon þe wiþ a wykked eye. ¶ Yif þou considere þe
nou{m}bre {and} þe manere of þi blysses. {and} of þi sorwes. þou maist
nat forsake þat þou nart ȝit blysful. For if þou þerfore wenest þi self
nat weleful for þinges þat þo semeden ioyful ben passed. ¶ Þer nis nat
whi þou sholdest wene þi self a wrecche. for þinges þat now semen soory
passen also. ¶ Art þou now comen firste a sodeyne gest in to þe shadowe
or tabernacle of þis lijf. or trowest þou þ{a}t any stedfastnesse be in
mannis þinges. ¶ Whan ofte a swifte houre dissolueþ þe same man. þat is
to seyne whan þe soule dep{ar}tiþ fro þe body. For al þouȝ þat yelde is
þer any feiþ þat fortunous þinges willen dwelle. ȝit naþeles þe last[e]
day of a ma{n}nis lijf is a man{er}e deeþ to fortune. {and} also to
þilke þat haþ dwelt. {and} þerfore what wenist þou þar recche yif þou
forlete hir i{n} dey{n}ge or ellys þ{a}t she fortune forlete þe i{n}
fleenge awey.
CUM PRIMO POLO.
[Sidenote: [The .iij. Met{ur}.]]
++Whan phebus þe sonne bygynneþ to spreden his clerenesse w{i}t{h}
rosene chariettes. þan þe sterre ydimmyd paleþ hir white cheres. by þe
flamus of þe so{n}ne þat ouer comeþ þe sterre lyȝt. ¶ Þis is to seyn
whan þe sonne is risen þe day sterre wexiþ pale {and} lesiþ hir lyȝt for
þe grete bryȝtnesse of þe sonne. ¶ Whan þe wode wexeþ redy of rosene
floures in þe first somer sesou{n} þoruȝ þe breþe of þe wynde Zephirus
þat wexeþ warme. ¶ Yif þe cloudy wynde auster blowe felliche. þan goþ
awey þe fayrnesse of þornes. Ofte þe see is clere {and} calme wiþoute
moeuy{n}g floodes. And ofte þe horrible wynde aq{u}ilon moeueþ boylyng
tempestes {and} ouer whelweþ þe see. ¶ Yif þe forme of þis worlde is so
[ȝeelde] stable. {and} yif it to{ur}niþ by so many entrechau{n}gynges.
wilt þou þa{n} truste{n} in þe trublynge fortunes of me{n}. wilt þou
trowen i{n} flittyng goodes. It is certeyne {and} establissed by lawe
p{er}durable þat no þi{n}g þ{a}t is engendred nys stedfast no stable.
TUNC EGO UERA INQ{UA}M.
[Sidenote: [The ferthe prose.]]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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