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 for my sustenance yit wol I swinke,
  Right as yow list, that Minos ne no wight--
  Sin that he saw me never with eyen sight--
  Ne no man elles, shal me conne espye;
  So slyly and so wel I shal me gye,                                   2045
  And me so wel disfigure and so lowe,                                (161)
  That in this world ther shal no man me knowe,
  To han my lyf, and for to han presence
  Of yow, that doon to me this excellence.
  And to my fader shal I senden here                                   2050
  This worthy man, that is now your gaylere,
  And, him to guerdon, that he shal wel be
  Oon of the grettest men of my contree.
  And yif I dorste seyn, my lady bright,
  I am a kinges sone, and eek a knight;                                2055
  As wolde god, yif that hit mighte be                                (171)
  Ye weren in my contree, alle three,
  And I with yow, to bere yow companye,
  Than shulde ye seen yif that I ther-of lye!
  And, if I profre yow in low manere                                   2060
  To ben your page and serven yow right here,
  But I yow serve as lowly in that place,
  I prey to Mars to yive me swiche a grace
  That shames deeth on me ther mote falle,
  And deeth and povert to my frendes alle;                             2065
  And that my spirit by nighte mote go                                (181)
  After my deeth, and walke to and fro;
  That I mote of a traitour have a name,
  For which my spirit go, to do me shame!
  And yif I ever claime other degree,                                  2070
  But-if ye vouche-sauf to yive hit me,
  As I have seid, of shames deeth I deye!
  And mercy, lady! I can nat elles seye!'
    A seemly knight was Theseus to see,
  And yong, but of a twenty yeer and three;                            2075
  But who-so hadde y-seyn his countenaunce,                           (191)
  He wolde have wept, for routhe of his penaunce;
  For which this Adriane in this manere
  Answerde to his profre and to his chere.
    'A kinges sone, and eek a knight,' quod she,                       2080
  'To been my servant in so low degree,
  God shilde hit, for the shame of women alle!
  And leve me never swich a cas befalle!
  But sende yow grace and sleighte of herte also,
  Yow to defende and knightly sleen your fo,                           2085
  And leve herafter that I may yow finde                              (201)
  To me and to my suster here so kinde,
  That I repente nat to give yow lyf!
  Yit were hit better that I were your wyf,
  Sin that ye been as gentil born as I,                                2090
  And have a rëaume, nat but faste by,
  Then that I suffred giltles yow to sterve,
  Or that I let yow as a page serve;
  Hit is not profit, as unto your kinrede;
  But what is that that man nil do for drede?                          2095
  And to my suster, sin that hit is so                                (211)
  That she mot goon with me, if that I go,

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 for my sustenance yit wol I swinke,
  Right as yow list, that Minos ne no wight--
  Sin that he saw me never with eyen sight--
  Ne no man elles, shal me conne espye;
  So slyly and so wel I shal me gye,                                   2045
  And me so wel disfigure and so lowe,                                (161)
  That in this world ther shal no man me knowe,
  To han my lyf, and for to han presence
  Of yow, that doon to me this excellence.
  And to my fader shal I senden here                                   2050
  This worthy man, that is now your gaylere,
  And, him to guerdon, that he shal wel be
  Oon of the grettest men of my contree.
  And yif I dorste seyn, my lady bright,
  I am a kinges sone, and eek a knight;                                2055
  As wolde god, yif that hit mighte be                                (171)
  Ye weren in my contree, alle three,
  And I with yow, to bere yow companye,
  Than shulde ye seen yif that I ther-of lye!
  And, if I profre yow in low manere                                   2060
  To ben your page and serven yow right here,
  But I yow serve as lowly in that place,
  I prey to Mars to yive me swiche a grace
  That shames deeth on me ther mote falle,
  And deeth and povert to my frendes alle;                             2065
  And that my spirit by nighte mote go                                (181)
  After my deeth, and walke to and fro;
  That I mote of a traitour have a name,
  For which my spirit go, to do me shame!
  And yif I ever claime other degree,                                  2070
  But-if ye vouche-sauf to yive hit me,
  As I have seid, of shames deeth I deye!
  And mercy, lady! I can nat elles seye!'
    A seemly knight was Theseus to see,
  And yong, but of a twenty yeer and three;                            2075
  But who-so hadde y-seyn his countenaunce,                           (191)
  He wolde have wept, for routhe of his penaunce;
  For which this Adriane in this manere
  Answerde to his profre and to his chere.
    'A kinges sone, and eek a knight,' quod she,                       2080
  'To been my servant in so low degree,
  God shilde hit, for the shame of women alle!
  And leve me never swich a cas befalle!
  But sende yow grace and sleighte of herte also,
  Yow to defende and knightly sleen your fo,                           2085
  And leve herafter that I may yow finde                              (201)
  To me and to my suster here so kinde,
  That I repente nat to give yow lyf!
  Yit were hit better that I were your wyf,
  Sin that ye been as gentil born as I,                                2090
  And have a rëaume, nat but faste by,
  Then that I suffred giltles yow to sterve,
  Or that I let yow as a page serve;
  Hit is not profit, as unto your kinrede;
  But what is that that man nil do for drede?                          2095
  And to my suster, sin that hit is so                                (211)
  That she mot goon with me, if that I go,

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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