Chaucer's Works, Volume 1 — Romaunt of the Rose; Minor PoemsChaucer, Geoffrey
General
Chaucer's Works, Volume 1 — Romaunt of the Rose; Minor Poems
Chaucer, Geoffrey
English poetry -- Middle English, 1100-1500
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Mès moult orent ices cinq floiches
Les penons bien fais, et les coiches: 930
Si furent toutes à or pointes,
Fors et tranchans orent les pointes,
Et aguës por bien percier,
Et si n'i ot fer ne acier;
Onc n'i ot riens qui d'or ne fust,
Fors que les penons et le fust:
Car el furent encarrelées
De sajetes d'or barbelées.
La meillore et la plus isnele
De ces floiches, et la plus bele, 940
Et cele où li meillor penon
Furent entés, Biautes ot non.
Une d'eles qui le mains blece,
Ot non, ce m'est avis, Simplece.
Une autre en i ot apelée
Franchise; cele iert empenée
De Valor et de Cortoisie.
La quarte avoit non Compaignie:
En cele ot moult pesant sajete.
Ele n'iert pas d'aler loing preste; 950
Mès qui de près en vosist traire,
Il en péust assez mal faire.
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FAIR-SEMBLAUNT men that arowe calle, FAIR-
The leeste grevous of hem alle; SEMBLAUNT.
Yit can it make a ful gret wounde, 965
But he may hope his sores sounde,
That hurt is with that arowe, y-wis;
His wo the bet bistowed is.
For he may soner have gladnesse,
His langour oughte be the lesse. 970
Fyve arowes were of other gyse,
That been ful foule to devyse;
For shaft and ende, sooth to telle,
Were al-so blak as feend in helle.
The first of hem is called PRYDE; PRYDE. 975
That other arowe next him bisyde,
It was [y]-cleped VILANYE; VILANYE.
That arowe was as with felonye
Envenimed, and with spitous blame.
The thridde of hem was cleped SHAME. SHAME. 980
The fourthe, WANHOPE cleped is, WANHOPE.
The fifte, the NEWE-THOUGHT, y-wis. NEWE-
These arowes that I speke of here, THOUGHT.
Were alle fyve of oon manere,
And alle were they resemblable. 985
To hem was wel sitting and able
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La quinte avoit non Biau-Semblant,
Ce fut toute la mains grévant.
Ne porquant el fait moult grant plaie;
Mès cis atent bonne menaie,
Qui de cele floiche est plaiés,
Ses maus en est mielx emplaiés;
Car il puet tost santé atendre,
S'en doit estre sa dolor mendre. 960
Cinq floiches i ot d'autre guise,
Qui furent lédes à devise:
Li fust estoient et li fer
Plus noirs que déables d'enfer.
La premiere avoit non Orguex,
L'autre qui ne valoit pas miex,
Fu apelée Vilenie;
Icele fu de felonie
Toute tainte et envenimée.
La tierce fu Honte clamée, 970
Et la quarte Desesperance:
Novel-Penser fu sans doutance
Apelée la darreniere.
Ces cinq floiches d'une maniere
Furent, et moult bien resemblables;
Moult par lor estoit convenables
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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