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

Now is hit tyme I make an ende sone.
    This Tereus is to his wyf y-come,
  And in his armes hath his wyf y-nome,
  And pitously he weep, and shook his heed,
  And swor her that he fond her suster deed;                           2345
  For which this sely Progne hath swich wo,
  That ny her sorweful herte brak a-two;                              (120)
  And thus in teres lete I Progne dwelle,
  And of her suster forth I wol yow telle.
    This woful lady lerned had in youthe                               2350
  So that she werken and enbrouden couthe,
  And weven in her stole the radevore
  As hit of women hath be woned yore.
  And, shortly for to seyn, she hath her fille
  Of mete and drink, and clothing at her wille,                        2355
  And coude eek rede, and wel y-nogh endyte,
  But with a penne coude she nat wryte;                               (130)
  But lettres can she weven to and fro,
  So that, by that the yeer was al a-go,
  She had y-woven in a stamin large                                    2360
  How she was broght from Athenes in a barge,
  And in cave how that she was broght;
  And al the thing that Tereus hath wroght,
  She waf hit wel, and wroot the story above,
  How she was served for her suster love;                              2365
  And to a knave a ring she yaf anoon,
  And prayed him, by signes, for to goon                              (140)
  Unto the quene, and beren her that clooth,
  And by signes swor him many an ooth,
  She sholde him yeve what she geten mighte.                           2370
    This knave anoon unto the quene him dighte,
  And took hit her, and al the maner tolde.
  And, whan that Progne hath this thing beholde,
  No word she spak, for sorwe and eek for rage;
  But feyned her to goon on pilgrimage                                 2375
  To Bachus temple; and, in a litel stounde,
  Her dombe suster sitting hath she founde,                           (150)
  Weping in the castel her aloon.
  Allas! the wo, the compleint, and the moon
  That Progne upon her dombe suster maketh!                            2380
  In armes everich of hem other taketh,
  And thus I lete hem in hir sorwe dwelle.
    The remenant is no charge for to telle,
  For this is al and som, thus was she served,
  That never harm a-gilte ne deserved                                  2385
  Unto this cruel man, that she of wiste.
  Ye may be war of men, yif that yow liste.                           (160)
  For, al be that he wol nat, for his shame,
  Doon so as Tereus, to lese his name,
  Ne serve yow as a mordrour or a knave,                               2390
  Ful litel whyle shul ye trewe him have,
  That wol I seyn, al were he now my brother,
  But hit so be that he may have non other.                           (166)

EXPLICIT LEGENDA PHILOMENE.

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

Now is hit tyme I make an ende sone.
    This Tereus is to his wyf y-come,
  And in his armes hath his wyf y-nome,
  And pitously he weep, and shook his heed,
  And swor her that he fond her suster deed;                           2345
  For which this sely Progne hath swich wo,
  That ny her sorweful herte brak a-two;                              (120)
  And thus in teres lete I Progne dwelle,
  And of her suster forth I wol yow telle.
    This woful lady lerned had in youthe                               2350
  So that she werken and enbrouden couthe,
  And weven in her stole the radevore
  As hit of women hath be woned yore.
  And, shortly for to seyn, she hath her fille
  Of mete and drink, and clothing at her wille,                        2355
  And coude eek rede, and wel y-nogh endyte,
  But with a penne coude she nat wryte;                               (130)
  But lettres can she weven to and fro,
  So that, by that the yeer was al a-go,
  She had y-woven in a stamin large                                    2360
  How she was broght from Athenes in a barge,
  And in cave how that she was broght;
  And al the thing that Tereus hath wroght,
  She waf hit wel, and wroot the story above,
  How she was served for her suster love;                              2365
  And to a knave a ring she yaf anoon,
  And prayed him, by signes, for to goon                              (140)
  Unto the quene, and beren her that clooth,
  And by signes swor him many an ooth,
  She sholde him yeve what she geten mighte.                           2370
    This knave anoon unto the quene him dighte,
  And took hit her, and al the maner tolde.
  And, whan that Progne hath this thing beholde,
  No word she spak, for sorwe and eek for rage;
  But feyned her to goon on pilgrimage                                 2375
  To Bachus temple; and, in a litel stounde,
  Her dombe suster sitting hath she founde,                           (150)
  Weping in the castel her aloon.
  Allas! the wo, the compleint, and the moon
  That Progne upon her dombe suster maketh!                            2380
  In armes everich of hem other taketh,
  And thus I lete hem in hir sorwe dwelle.
    The remenant is no charge for to telle,
  For this is al and som, thus was she served,
  That never harm a-gilte ne deserved                                  2385
  Unto this cruel man, that she of wiste.
  Ye may be war of men, yif that yow liste.                           (160)
  For, al be that he wol nat, for his shame,
  Doon so as Tereus, to lese his name,
  Ne serve yow as a mordrour or a knave,                               2390
  Ful litel whyle shul ye trewe him have,
  That wol I seyn, al were he now my brother,
  But hit so be that he may have non other.                           (166)

EXPLICIT LEGENDA PHILOMENE.

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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