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

But of his aventures in the see                                      (30)
  Nis nat to purpos for to speke of here,
  For hit acordeth nat to my matere.                                    955
  But, as I seide, of him and of Dido
  Shal be my tale, til that I have do.
    So longe he sailed in the salte see
  Til in Libye unnethe aryved he,
  With shippes seven and with no more navye;                            960
  And glad was he to londe for to hye,
  So was he with the tempest al to-shake.
  And whan that he the haven had y-take,                               (40)
  He had a knight, was called Achates;
  And him of al his felawshippe he chees                                965
  To goon with him, the contre for tespye;
  He took with him no more companye.
  But forth they goon, and lafte his shippes ryde,
  His fere and he, with-outen any gyde.
  So longe he walketh in this wildernesse                               970
  Til, at the laste, he mette an hunteresse.
  A bowe in honde and arwes hadde she,
  Her clothes cutted were unto the knee;                               (50)
  But she was yit the fairest creature
  That ever was y-formed by nature;                                     975
  And Eneas and Achates she grette,
  And thus she to hem spak, whan she hem mette.
  'Sawe ye,' quod she, 'as ye han walked wyde,
  Any of my sustren walke yow besyde,
  With any wilde boor or other beste                                    980
  That they han hunted to, in this foreste,
  Y-tukked up, with arwes in her cas?'
    'Nay, soothly, lady,' quod this Eneas;                             (60)
  'But, by thy beaute, as hit thinketh me,
  Thou mightest never erthely womman be,                                985
  But Phebus suster artow, as I gesse.
  And, if so be that thou be a goddesse,
  Have mercy on our labour and our wo.'
    'I nam no goddes, soothly,' quod she tho;
  'For maidens walken in this contree here,                             990
  With arwes and with bowe, in this manere.
  This is the regne of Libie, ther ye been,
  Of which that Dido lady is and queen'--                              (70)
  And shortly tolde him al the occasioun
  Why Dido com into that regioun,                                       995
  Of which as now me lusteth nat to ryme;
  Hit nedeth nat; hit nere but los of tyme.
  For this is al and som, it was Venus,
  His owne moder, that spak with him thus;
  And to Cartage she bad he sholde him dighte,                         1000
  And vanished anoon out of his sighte.
  I coude folwe, word for word, Virgyle,
  But it wolde lasten al to longe a whyle.                             (80)
    This noble queen, that cleped was Dido,
  That whylom was the wyf of Sitheo,                                   1005
  That fairer was then is the brighte sonne,
  This noble toun of Cartage hath begonne;
  In which she regneth in so greet honour,
  That she was holde of alle quenes flour,

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

But of his aventures in the see                                      (30)
  Nis nat to purpos for to speke of here,
  For hit acordeth nat to my matere.                                    955
  But, as I seide, of him and of Dido
  Shal be my tale, til that I have do.
    So longe he sailed in the salte see
  Til in Libye unnethe aryved he,
  With shippes seven and with no more navye;                            960
  And glad was he to londe for to hye,
  So was he with the tempest al to-shake.
  And whan that he the haven had y-take,                               (40)
  He had a knight, was called Achates;
  And him of al his felawshippe he chees                                965
  To goon with him, the contre for tespye;
  He took with him no more companye.
  But forth they goon, and lafte his shippes ryde,
  His fere and he, with-outen any gyde.
  So longe he walketh in this wildernesse                               970
  Til, at the laste, he mette an hunteresse.
  A bowe in honde and arwes hadde she,
  Her clothes cutted were unto the knee;                               (50)
  But she was yit the fairest creature
  That ever was y-formed by nature;                                     975
  And Eneas and Achates she grette,
  And thus she to hem spak, whan she hem mette.
  'Sawe ye,' quod she, 'as ye han walked wyde,
  Any of my sustren walke yow besyde,
  With any wilde boor or other beste                                    980
  That they han hunted to, in this foreste,
  Y-tukked up, with arwes in her cas?'
    'Nay, soothly, lady,' quod this Eneas;                             (60)
  'But, by thy beaute, as hit thinketh me,
  Thou mightest never erthely womman be,                                985
  But Phebus suster artow, as I gesse.
  And, if so be that thou be a goddesse,
  Have mercy on our labour and our wo.'
    'I nam no goddes, soothly,' quod she tho;
  'For maidens walken in this contree here,                             990
  With arwes and with bowe, in this manere.
  This is the regne of Libie, ther ye been,
  Of which that Dido lady is and queen'--                              (70)
  And shortly tolde him al the occasioun
  Why Dido com into that regioun,                                       995
  Of which as now me lusteth nat to ryme;
  Hit nedeth nat; hit nere but los of tyme.
  For this is al and som, it was Venus,
  His owne moder, that spak with him thus;
  And to Cartage she bad he sholde him dighte,                         1000
  And vanished anoon out of his sighte.
  I coude folwe, word for word, Virgyle,
  But it wolde lasten al to longe a whyle.                             (80)
    This noble queen, that cleped was Dido,
  That whylom was the wyf of Sitheo,                                   1005
  That fairer was then is the brighte sonne,
  This noble toun of Cartage hath begonne;
  In which she regneth in so greet honour,
  That she was holde of alle quenes flour,

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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