Opening the text

Chaucer's Works, Volume 3 — The House of Fame; The Legend of Good Women; The Treatise on the Astrolabe; The Sources of the Canterbury TalesChaucer, Geoffrey

General

Chaucer's Works, Volume 3 — The House of Fame; The Legend of Good Women; The Treatise on the Astrolabe; The Sources of the Canterbury Tales

Name: Chaucer's Works, Volume 3 — The House of Fame; The Legend of Good Women; The Treatise on the Astrolabe; The Sources of the Canterbury Tales
Author: Chaucer, Geoffrey

Chaucer, Geoffrey

English poetry -- Middle English, 1100-1500

And with his blood her-selven gan she peynte;                         875
  How clippeth she the dede cors, allas?                              (171)
  How doth this woful Tisbe in this cas!
  How kisseth she his frosty mouth so cold!
  'Who hath doon this, and who hath been so bold
  To sleen my leef? O spek, my Piramus!                                 880
  I am thy Tisbe, that thee calleth thus!'
  And therwith-al she lifteth up his heed.
    This woful man, that was nat fully deed,
  Whan that he herde the name of Tisbe cryen,
  On her he caste his hevy deedly yën                                   885
  And doun again, and yeldeth up the gost.                            (181)
    Tisbe rist up, withouten noise or bost,
  And seigh her wimpel and his empty shethe,
  And eek his swerd, that him hath doon to dethe;
  Than spak she thus: 'My woful hand,' quod she,                        890
  'Is strong y-nogh in swiche a werk to me;
  For love shal yive me strengthe and hardinesse
  To make my wounde large y-nogh, I gesse.
  I wol thee folwen deed, and I wol be
  Felawe and cause eek of thy deeth,' quod she.                         895
  'And thogh that nothing save the deeth only                         (191)
  Mighte thee fro me departe trewely,
  Thou shalt no more departe now fro me
  Than fro the deeth, for I wol go with thee!
    'And now, ye wrecched Ielous fadres oure,                           900
  We, that weren whylom children youre,
  We prayen yow, withouten more envye,
  That in o grave y-fere we moten lye,
  Sin love hath brought us to this pitous ende!
  And rightwis god to every lover sende,                                905
  That loveth trewely, more prosperitee                               (201)
  Than ever hadde Piramus and Tisbe!
  And lat no gentil woman her assure
  To putten her in swiche an aventure.
  But god forbede but a woman can                                       910
  Been as trewe and loving as a man!
  And, for my part, I shal anoon it kythe!'
  And, with that worde, his swerd she took as swythe,
  That warm was of her loves blood and hoot,
  And to the herte she her-selven smoot.                                915
    And thus ar Tisbe and Piramus ago.                                (211)
  Of trewe men I finde but fewe mo
  In alle my bokes, save this Piramus,
  And therfor have I spoken of him thus.
  For hit is deyntee to us men to finde                                 920
  A man that can in love be trewe and kinde.
  Heer may ye seen, what lover so he be,
  A woman dar and can as wel as he.

EXPLICIT LEGENDA TESBE.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Opening the text

Chaucer's Works, Volume 3 — The House of Fame; The Legend of Good Women; The Treatise on the Astrolabe; The Sources of the Canterbury TalesChaucer, Geoffrey

General

Chaucer's Works, Volume 3 — The House of Fame; The Legend of Good Women; The Treatise on the Astrolabe; The Sources of the Canterbury Tales

Chaucer, Geoffrey

English poetry -- Middle English, 1100-1500

And with his blood her-selven gan she peynte;                         875
  How clippeth she the dede cors, allas?                              (171)
  How doth this woful Tisbe in this cas!
  How kisseth she his frosty mouth so cold!
  'Who hath doon this, and who hath been so bold
  To sleen my leef? O spek, my Piramus!                                 880
  I am thy Tisbe, that thee calleth thus!'
  And therwith-al she lifteth up his heed.
    This woful man, that was nat fully deed,
  Whan that he herde the name of Tisbe cryen,
  On her he caste his hevy deedly yën                                   885
  And doun again, and yeldeth up the gost.                            (181)
    Tisbe rist up, withouten noise or bost,
  And seigh her wimpel and his empty shethe,
  And eek his swerd, that him hath doon to dethe;
  Than spak she thus: 'My woful hand,' quod she,                        890
  'Is strong y-nogh in swiche a werk to me;
  For love shal yive me strengthe and hardinesse
  To make my wounde large y-nogh, I gesse.
  I wol thee folwen deed, and I wol be
  Felawe and cause eek of thy deeth,' quod she.                         895
  'And thogh that nothing save the deeth only                         (191)
  Mighte thee fro me departe trewely,
  Thou shalt no more departe now fro me
  Than fro the deeth, for I wol go with thee!
    'And now, ye wrecched Ielous fadres oure,                           900
  We, that weren whylom children youre,
  We prayen yow, withouten more envye,
  That in o grave y-fere we moten lye,
  Sin love hath brought us to this pitous ende!
  And rightwis god to every lover sende,                                905
  That loveth trewely, more prosperitee                               (201)
  Than ever hadde Piramus and Tisbe!
  And lat no gentil woman her assure
  To putten her in swiche an aventure.
  But god forbede but a woman can                                       910
  Been as trewe and loving as a man!
  And, for my part, I shal anoon it kythe!'
  And, with that worde, his swerd she took as swythe,
  That warm was of her loves blood and hoot,
  And to the herte she her-selven smoot.                                915
    And thus ar Tisbe and Piramus ago.                                (211)
  Of trewe men I finde but fewe mo
  In alle my bokes, save this Piramus,
  And therfor have I spoken of him thus.
  For hit is deyntee to us men to finde                                 920
  A man that can in love be trewe and kinde.
  Heer may ye seen, what lover so he be,
  A woman dar and can as wel as he.

EXPLICIT LEGENDA TESBE.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Chaucer's Works, Volume 3 — The House of Fame; The Legend of Good Women; The Treatise on the Astrolabe; The Sources of the Canterbury Tales

Chaucer's Works, Volume 3 — The House of Fame; The Legend of Good Women; The Treatise on the Astrolabe; The Sources of the Canterbury Tales

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