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

Whan hit is caught and caried to the brimme.
  This honourable Phillis doth him chere,
  Her lyketh wel his port and his manere.                              (60)
  But for I am agroted heer-biforn
  To wryte of hem that been in love forsworn,                          2455
  And eek to haste me in my legende,
  Which to performe god me grace sende,
  Therfor I passe shortly in this wyse;
  Ye han wel herd of Theseus devyse
  In the betraising of fair Adriane,                                   2460
  That of her pite kepte him from his bane.
  At shorte wordes, right so Demophon
  The same wey, the same path hath gon                                 (70)
  That dide his false fader Theseus.
  For unto Phillis hath he sworen thus,                                2465
  To wedden her, and her his trouthe plighte,
  And piked of her al the good he mighte,
  Whan he was hool and sound and hadde his reste;
  And doth with Phillis what so that him leste.
  And wel coude I, yif that me leste so,                               2470
  Tellen al his doing to and fro.
    He seide, unto his contree moste he saile,
  For ther he wolde her wedding apparaile                              (80)
  As fil to her honour and his also.
  And openly he took his leve tho,                                     2475
  And hath her sworn, he wolde nat soiorne,
  But in a month he wolde again retorne.
  And in that lond let make his ordinaunce
  As verray lord, and took the obeisaunce
  Wel and hoomly, and let his shippes dighte,                          2480
  And hoom he goth the nexte wey he mighte;
  For unto Phillis yit ne com he noght.
  And that hath she so harde and sore aboght,                          (90)
  Allas! that, as the stories us recorde,
  She was her owne deeth right with a corde,                           2485
  Whan that she saw that Demophon her trayed.
    But to him first she wroot and faste him prayed
  He wolde come, and her deliver of peyne,
  As I reherse shal a word or tweyne.
  Me list nat vouche-sauf on him to swinke,                            2490
  Ne spende on him a penne ful of inke,
  For fals in love was he, right as his syre;
  The devil sette hir soules bothe a-fyre!                            (100)
  But of the lettre of Phillis wol I wryte
  A word or tweyne, al-thogh hit be but lyte.                          2495
    'Thyn hostesse,' quod she, 'O Demophon,
  Thy Phillis, which that is so wo begon,
  Of Rodopeye, upon yow moot compleyne,
  Over the terme set betwix us tweyne,
  That ye ne holden forward, as ye seyde;                              2500
  Your anker, which ye in our haven leyde,
  Highte us, that ye wolde comen, out of doute,
  Or that the mone ones wente aboute.                                 (110)
  But tymes foure the mone hath hid her face
  Sin thilke day ye wente fro this place,                              2505
  And foure tymes light the world again.
  But for al that, yif I shal soothly sain,

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

Whan hit is caught and caried to the brimme.
  This honourable Phillis doth him chere,
  Her lyketh wel his port and his manere.                              (60)
  But for I am agroted heer-biforn
  To wryte of hem that been in love forsworn,                          2455
  And eek to haste me in my legende,
  Which to performe god me grace sende,
  Therfor I passe shortly in this wyse;
  Ye han wel herd of Theseus devyse
  In the betraising of fair Adriane,                                   2460
  That of her pite kepte him from his bane.
  At shorte wordes, right so Demophon
  The same wey, the same path hath gon                                 (70)
  That dide his false fader Theseus.
  For unto Phillis hath he sworen thus,                                2465
  To wedden her, and her his trouthe plighte,
  And piked of her al the good he mighte,
  Whan he was hool and sound and hadde his reste;
  And doth with Phillis what so that him leste.
  And wel coude I, yif that me leste so,                               2470
  Tellen al his doing to and fro.
    He seide, unto his contree moste he saile,
  For ther he wolde her wedding apparaile                              (80)
  As fil to her honour and his also.
  And openly he took his leve tho,                                     2475
  And hath her sworn, he wolde nat soiorne,
  But in a month he wolde again retorne.
  And in that lond let make his ordinaunce
  As verray lord, and took the obeisaunce
  Wel and hoomly, and let his shippes dighte,                          2480
  And hoom he goth the nexte wey he mighte;
  For unto Phillis yit ne com he noght.
  And that hath she so harde and sore aboght,                          (90)
  Allas! that, as the stories us recorde,
  She was her owne deeth right with a corde,                           2485
  Whan that she saw that Demophon her trayed.
    But to him first she wroot and faste him prayed
  He wolde come, and her deliver of peyne,
  As I reherse shal a word or tweyne.
  Me list nat vouche-sauf on him to swinke,                            2490
  Ne spende on him a penne ful of inke,
  For fals in love was he, right as his syre;
  The devil sette hir soules bothe a-fyre!                            (100)
  But of the lettre of Phillis wol I wryte
  A word or tweyne, al-thogh hit be but lyte.                          2495
    'Thyn hostesse,' quod she, 'O Demophon,
  Thy Phillis, which that is so wo begon,
  Of Rodopeye, upon yow moot compleyne,
  Over the terme set betwix us tweyne,
  That ye ne holden forward, as ye seyde;                              2500
  Your anker, which ye in our haven leyde,
  Highte us, that ye wolde comen, out of doute,
  Or that the mone ones wente aboute.                                 (110)
  But tymes foure the mone hath hid her face
  Sin thilke day ye wente fro this place,                              2505
  And foure tymes light the world again.
  But for al that, yif I shal soothly sain,

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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