Chaucerian and Other Pieces: Being a Supplement to the Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer
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Chaucerian and Other Pieces: Being a Supplement to the Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer
Chaucer, Geoffrey, -1400
But this necessitè neither
constrayneth ne defendeth any-thing to be or nat to be. Therfore sothly,
if love is put to be, it is said of necessitè to be; or els, for it
is put nat to be, it is affirmed nat to be of necessitè; nat for that
necessitè constrayneth or defendeth love to be or nat to be. For 90
whan I say, if love shal be, of necessitè it shal be, here foloweth
necessitè the thing toforn put; it is as moch to say as if it were thus
pronounced--"that thing shal be." Noon other thing signifyeth
this necessitè but only thus: that shal be, may nat togider be
and nat be. Evenlich also it is soth, love was, and is, and shal 95
be, nat of necessitè; and nede is to have be al that was; and
nedeful is to be al that is; and comming, to al that shal be.
And it is nat the same to saye, love to be passed, and love
passed to be passed; or love present to be present, and love to
be present; or els love to be comminge, and love comminge to be 100
comming. Dyversitè in setting of wordes maketh dyversitè in
understandinge; altho[ugh] in the same sentence they accorden
of significacion; right as it is nat al oon, love swete to be swete,
and love to be swete. For moch love is bitter and sorouful, er
hertes ben esed; and yet it glad[d]eth thilke sorouful herte on 105
suche love to thinke.'
'Forsothe,' quod I, 'outherwhile I have had mokel blisse in
herte of love that stoundmele hath me sorily anoyed. And
certes, lady, for I see my-self thus knit with this Margarite-perle
as by bonde of your service and of no libertè of wil, my herte wil 110
now nat acorde this service to love. I can demin in my-selfe
non otherwise but thorow necessitè am I constrayned in this
service to abyde. But alas! than, if I thorow nedeful compulsioun
maugre me be with-holde, litel thank for al my greet traveil have
I than deserved.' 115
'Now,' quod this lady, 'I saye as I sayde: me lyketh this
mater to declare at the ful, and why: for many men have had
dyvers fantasyes and resons, both on one syde therof and in the
other. Of whiche right sone, I trowe, if thou wolt understonde,
thou shalt conne yeve the sentence to the partie more probable 120
by reson, and in soth knowing, by that I have of this mater
maked an ende.'
'Certes,' quod I, 'of these thinges longe have I had greet lust
to be lerned; for yet, I wene, goddes wil and his prescience
acordeth with my service in lovinge of this precious Margarite-perle. 125
After whom ever, in my herte, with thursting desyre wete,
I do brenne; unwasting, I langour and fade; and the day of my
desteny in dethe or in joye I +onbyde; but yet in th'ende I am
comforted +by my supposaile, in blisse and in joye to determine
after my desyres.' 130
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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