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

Gan of her fader grace to beseke                                     2285
  To seen her suster, that her longeth so;
  And him embraceth with her armes two.                                (60)
  And therwith-al so yong and fair was she
  That, whan that Terëus saw her beautee,
  And of array that ther was noon her liche,                           2290
  And yit of bountee was she two so riche,
  He caste his fyry herte upon her so
  That he wol have her, how so that hit go,
  And with his wyles kneled and so preyde,
  Til at the laste Pandion thus seyde:--                               2295
    'Now, sone,' quod he, 'that art to me so dere,
  I thee betake my yonge doghter here,                                 (70)
  That bereth the key of al my hertes lyf.
  And grete wel my doghter and thy wyf,
  And yive her leve somtyme for to pleye,                              2300
  That she may seen me ones er I deye.'
  And soothly, he hath mad him riche feste,
  And to his folk, the moste and eek the leste,
  That with him com; and yaf him yiftes grete,
  And him conveyeth through the maister-strete                         2305
  Of Athenes, and to the see him broghte,
  And turneth hoom; no malice he ne thoghte.                           (80)
    The ores pulleth forth the vessel faste,
  And into Trace arriveth at the laste,
  And up into a forest he her ledde,                                   2310
  And to a cave privily him spedde;
  And, in this derke cave, yif her leste,
  Or leste noght, he bad her for to reste;
  Of whiche her herte agroos, and seyde thus,
  'Wher is my suster, brother Tereus?'                                 2315
  And therwith-al she wepte tenderly,
  And quook for fere, pale and pitously,                               (90)
  Right as the lamb that of the wolf is biten;
  Or as the colver, that of the egle is smiten,
  And is out of his clawes forth escaped,                              2320
  Yet hit is afered and awhaped
  Lest hit be hent eft-sones, so sat she.
  But utterly hit may non other be.
  By force hath he, this traitour, doon that dede,
  That he hath reft her of her maydenhede,                             2325
  Maugree her heed, by strengthe and by his might.
  Lo! here a dede of men, and that a right!                           (100)
  She cryeth 'suster!' with ful loude stevene,
  And 'fader dere!' and 'help me, god in hevene!'
  Al helpeth nat; and yet this false theef                             2330
  Hath doon this lady yet a more mischeef,
  For fere lest she sholde his shame crye,
  And doon him openly a vilanye,
  And with his swerd her tong of kerveth he,
  And in a castel made her for to be                                   2335
  Ful privily in prison evermore,
  And kepte her to his usage and his store,                           (110)
  So that she mighte him nevermore asterte.
  O sely Philomene! wo is thyn herte;
  God wreke thee, and sende thee thy bone!                             2340

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

Gan of her fader grace to beseke                                     2285
  To seen her suster, that her longeth so;
  And him embraceth with her armes two.                                (60)
  And therwith-al so yong and fair was she
  That, whan that Terëus saw her beautee,
  And of array that ther was noon her liche,                           2290
  And yit of bountee was she two so riche,
  He caste his fyry herte upon her so
  That he wol have her, how so that hit go,
  And with his wyles kneled and so preyde,
  Til at the laste Pandion thus seyde:--                               2295
    'Now, sone,' quod he, 'that art to me so dere,
  I thee betake my yonge doghter here,                                 (70)
  That bereth the key of al my hertes lyf.
  And grete wel my doghter and thy wyf,
  And yive her leve somtyme for to pleye,                              2300
  That she may seen me ones er I deye.'
  And soothly, he hath mad him riche feste,
  And to his folk, the moste and eek the leste,
  That with him com; and yaf him yiftes grete,
  And him conveyeth through the maister-strete                         2305
  Of Athenes, and to the see him broghte,
  And turneth hoom; no malice he ne thoghte.                           (80)
    The ores pulleth forth the vessel faste,
  And into Trace arriveth at the laste,
  And up into a forest he her ledde,                                   2310
  And to a cave privily him spedde;
  And, in this derke cave, yif her leste,
  Or leste noght, he bad her for to reste;
  Of whiche her herte agroos, and seyde thus,
  'Wher is my suster, brother Tereus?'                                 2315
  And therwith-al she wepte tenderly,
  And quook for fere, pale and pitously,                               (90)
  Right as the lamb that of the wolf is biten;
  Or as the colver, that of the egle is smiten,
  And is out of his clawes forth escaped,                              2320
  Yet hit is afered and awhaped
  Lest hit be hent eft-sones, so sat she.
  But utterly hit may non other be.
  By force hath he, this traitour, doon that dede,
  That he hath reft her of her maydenhede,                             2325
  Maugree her heed, by strengthe and by his might.
  Lo! here a dede of men, and that a right!                           (100)
  She cryeth 'suster!' with ful loude stevene,
  And 'fader dere!' and 'help me, god in hevene!'
  Al helpeth nat; and yet this false theef                             2330
  Hath doon this lady yet a more mischeef,
  For fere lest she sholde his shame crye,
  And doon him openly a vilanye,
  And with his swerd her tong of kerveth he,
  And in a castel made her for to be                                   2335
  Ful privily in prison evermore,
  And kepte her to his usage and his store,                           (110)
  So that she mighte him nevermore asterte.
  O sely Philomene! wo is thyn herte;
  God wreke thee, and sende thee thy bone!                             2340

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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