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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

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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

Yif him to drinke, whan he goth to reste,
  And he shal slepe as longe as ever thee leste,
  The narcotiks and opies been so stronge:                             2670
  And go thy wey, lest that him thinke longe.'                        (110)
    Out comth the bryd, and with ful sober chere,
  As is of maidens ofte the manere,
  To chambre is broght with revel and with songe,
  And shortly, lest this tale be to longe,                             2675
  This Lino and she ben sone broght to bedde;
  And every wight out at the dore him spedde.
    The night is wasted, and he fel a-slepe;
  Ful tenderly beginneth she to wepe.
  She rist her up, and dredfully she quaketh,                          2680
  As doth the braunche that Zephirus shaketh,                         (120)
  And husht were alle in Argon that citee.
  As cold as any frost now wexeth she;
  For pite by the herte her streyneth so,
  And dreed of death doth her so moche wo,                             2685
  That thryes doun she fil in swiche a were.
  She rist her up, and stakereth heer and there,
  And on her handes faste loketh she.
  'Allas! and shul my handes blody be?
  I am a maid, and, as by my nature,                                   2690
  And by my semblant and by my vesture,                               (130)
  Myn handes been nat shapen for a knyf,
  As for to reve no man fro his lyf.
  What devil have I with the knyf to do?
  And shal I have my throte corve a-two?                               2695
  Than shal I blede, allas! and me beshende;
  And nedes cost this thing mot have an ende;
  Or he or I mot nedes lese our lyf.
  Now certes,' quod she, 'sin I am his wyf,
  And hath my feith, yit is it bet for me                              2700
  For to be deed in wyfly honestee                                    (140)
  Than be a traitour living in my shame.
  Be as be may, for ernest or for game,
  He shal awake, and ryse and go his way
  Out at this goter, or that hit be day!'--                            2705
  And weep ful tenderly upon his face,
  And in her armes gan him to embrace,
  And him she roggeth and awaketh softe;
  And at the window leep he fro the lofte
  Whan she hath warned him, and doon him bote.                         2710
    This Lino swifte was, and light of fote,                          (150)
  And from his wyf he ran a ful good pas.
  This sely woman is so wayk, allas!
  And helples so, that, or that she fer wente,
  Her cruel fader dide her for to hente.                               2715
  Allas! Lino! why art thou so unkinde?
  Why ne haddest thou remembred in thy minde
  To taken her, and lad her forth with thee?
  For, whan she saw that goon awey was he,
  And that she mighte nat so faste go,                                 2720
  Ne folwen him, she sette her doun right tho,                        (160)
  Til she was caught and fetered in prisoun.
    This tale is seid for this conclusioun....

      [_Unfinished._]

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

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