Chaucer for Children: A Golden Key

by Geoffrey Chaucer

Now wol I torn unto Arcite agayn,turn
That litel wiste how nyh that was his care,know, near
Til that fortune hadde brought him in the snare.
The busy larke, messager of day,
Salueth in hire song the morwe gray;saluteth
And fyry Phebus ryseth up so brighte,
That al the orient laugheth of the lighte,
And with his stremes dryeth in the grevesrays, groves
The silver dropes, hongyng on the leeves.leaves
And Arcite, that is in the court ryalroyal[85]
With Theseus, his squyer principal,squire
Is risen, and loketh on the merye day.
And for to doon his observaunce to May,do, ceremony
Remembryng on the poynt of his desir,
He on his courser, stertyng as the fir,starting, fire
Is riden into the feeldes him to pleyefields, play
Out of the court, were it a myle or tweye.
And to the grove of which that I yow tolde,you
By aventure his wey he gan to holde,chance, began
To maken him a garland of the greves,make
Were it of woodebynde or hawethorn leves,leaves
And lowde he song ayens the sonne scheene:sang, against
O May,[86] with al thy floures and thy greene,
Welcome be thou, wel faire freissche May!
I hope that I som grene gete may.some, may get
And fro his courser, with a lusty herte,heart
Into the grove ful hastily he sterte,started
And in a pathe he romed up and doun,roamed
Ther as by aventure this Palamounwhere, chance
Was in a busche, that no man might him see,
For sore afered of his deth was he.afraid, death
Nothing ne knew he that it was Arcite:
God wot he wolde han trowed it ful lite.knows, guessed, little
For soth is seyd, goon sithen many yeres,truly, gone, since
That feld hath eyen, and the woode hath eeres.eyes, ears
Now will I tell you of Arcite again,
Who little guess’d how nigh him was his care
Until his fortune brought him in the snare.
The busy lark, the messenger of day,
Saluteth in her song the morning grey;
And fiery Phœbus riseth up so bright,
That all the orient laugheth for the light;
And in the woods he drieth with his rays
The silvery drops that hang along the sprays.
Arcite—unknown, yet ever waxing higher
In Theseus’ royal court, now chiefest squire—
Is risen, and looketh on the merry day:
And, fain to offer homage unto May,
He, mindful of the point of his desire,
Upon his courser leapeth, swift as fire,
And rideth to keep joyous holiday
Out in the fields, a mile or two away.
And, as it chanced, he made towards the grove,
All thick with leaves, whereof I spake above,
Eager to weave a garland with a spray
Of woodbine, or the blossoms of the may.
And loud against the sunshine sweet he sings,
“O May, with all thy flowers and thy green things,
Right welcome be thou, fairest, freshest May!
Yield me of all thy tender green to-day!”
Then from his courser merrily he sprang,
And plunged into the thicket as he sang;
Till in a path he chanced to make his way
Nigh to where Palamon in secret lay.
Sore frighted for his life was Palamon:
But Arcite pass’d, unknowing and unknown;
And neither guess’d his brother was hard by;
But Arcite knew not any man was nigh.
So was it said of old, how faithfully,
‘The woods have ears, the empty field can see.’

A man should be prudent, even when he fancies himself safest: for oftentimes come unlooked-for meetings. And little enough thought Arcite that his sworn brother from the tower was at hand, sitting as still as a mouse while he sang.

Whan that Arcite hadde romed al his fill,
And songen al the roundel lustily,
Into a studie he fel sodeynly,reverie
As don thes loveres in here queynte geeres,curious fashions
Now in the croppe,[87] now doun in the breres,briars
Now up, now doun, as boket in a welle.
Now when Arcite long time had roam’d his fill,
And sung all through the rondel lustily,
He fell into dejection suddenly,
As lovers in their strange way often do,
Now in the clouds and now in abject wo,
Now up, now down, as bucket in a well.

He sat down and began to make a kind of song of lamentation. “Alas,” he cried, “the day that I was born! How long, O Juno, wilt thou oppress Thebes? All her royal blood is brought to confusion. I myself am of royal lineage, and yet now I am so wretched and brought so low, that I have become slave and squire to my mortal foe. Even my own proud name of Arcite I dare not bear, but pass by the worthless one of Philostrate! Ah, Mars and Juno, save me, and wretched Palamon, martyred by Theseus in prison! For all my pains are for my love’s sake, and Emelye, whom I will serve all my days.”

Ye slen me with youre eyen, Emelye;
Ye ben the cause wherfore that I dye:be
Of al the remenant of myn other careremnant
Ne sette I nought the mountaunce of a tare,amount
So that I couthe don aught to youre pleasaunce!were able to
“You slay me with your eyes, O Emelye!
You are the cause wherefore I daily die.
For, ah, the worth of all my other woes
Is not as e’en the poorest weed that grows,
So that I might do aught to pleasure you!”

Palamon, hearing this, felt as though a cold sword glided through his heart. He was so angry that he flung himself forth like a madman upon Arcite:—

And seyde: False[88] Arcyte—false traitour wikke,wicked
Now art thou hent, that lovest my lady so,
For whom that I have al this peyne and wo,
And art my blood, and to my counseil sworn,counsel
As I ful ofte have told the heere byforn,before now
And hast byjaped here duke Theseus,tricked
And falsly chaunged hast thy name thus;
I wol be deed, or elles thou schalt dye.dead, else
Thou schalt not love my lady Emelye,
But I wil love hire oonly and no mo;more
For I am Palamon, thy mortal fo.foe
And though that I no wepne have in this place,weapon
But out of prisoun am astert by grace,escaped
I drede not, that outher thou schalt dye,fear
Or thou ne schalt not loven Emelye.
Ches which thou wilt, for thou schalt not asterte.escape
This Arcite, with ful dispitous herte,there
Whan he him knew, and hadde his tale herde,
As fers as a lyoun, pulleth out a swerde,fierce
And seide thus: By God that sitteth above,
Nere it that thou art sike and wood for love,were it not
And eek that thou no wepne hast in this place,also
Thou schuldest nevere out of this grove pace,step
That thou ne schuldest deyen of myn hond.die
For I defye the seurté and the bonddefy
Which that thou seyst that I have maad to the;sayest
What, verray fool, thenk wel that love is fre!
And I wol love hire mawgré al thy might.In spite of
But, for thou art a gentil perfight knight,because
And wilnest to dereyne hire by batayle,art willing
Have heere my trouthe, to morwe I nyl not fayle,pledge
Withouten wityng of eny other wight,without knowledge
That heer I wol be founden as a knight,will, found
And bryngen harneys[89] right inough for the;
And ches the best, and lef the worst for me.
And mete and drynke this night wil I brynge
Inough for the, and clothes for thy beddynge.
And if so be that thou my lady wynne,win
And sle me in this wode, ther I am inne,wood
Thou maist wel have thy lady as for me.
This Palamon answerde, I graunt it the.
Crying, “False, wicked traitor! false Arcite!
Now art thou caught, that lov’st my lady so,
For whom I suffer all this pain and wo!
Yet art my blood—bound to me by thy vow,
As I have told thee oftentimes ere now—
And hast so long befool’d Duke Theseus
And falsely hid thy name and nurture thus!
For all this falseness thou or I must die.
Thou shalt not love my lady Emelye—
But I will love her and no man but I,
For I am Palamon, thine enemy!
And tho’ I am unarmed, being but now
Escap’d from out my dungeon, care not thou,
For nought I dread—for either thou shalt die
Now—or thou shalt not love my Emelye.
Choose as thou wilt—thou shalt not else depart.”
But Arcite, with all fury in his heart,
Now that he knew him and his story heard,
Fierce as a lion, snatch’d he forth his sword,
Saying these words: “By Him who rules above,
Were’t not that thou art sick and mad for love,
And hast no weapon—never should’st thou move,
Living or like to live, from out this grove,
But thou shouldest perish by my hand! on oath
I cast thee back the bond and surety, both,
Which thou pretendest I have made to thee.
What? very fool! remember love is free,
And I will love her maugré all thy might!
But since thou art a worthy, noble knight,
And willing to contest her in fair fight,
Have here my troth, to-morrow, at daylight,
Unknown to all, I will not fail nor fear
To meet thee as a knight in combat here,
And I will bring full arms for me and thee;
And choose the best, and leave the worst for me!
And I will bring thee meat and drink to-night,
Enough for thee, and bedding as is right:
And if the victory fall unto thine hand,
To slay me in this forest where I stand,
Thou may’st attain thy lady-love, for me!”
Then Palamon replied—“I grant it thee.”

Then these, who had once been friends, parted till the morrow.

O Cupide, out of alle charite!all
O regne that wolt no felaw have with the!kingdom
Ful soth is seyd, that love ne lordschipetruly, nor
Wol not, thonkes, have no felaschipe.willingly, fellowship
Wel fynden that Arcite and Palamoun.find
Arcite is riden anon unto the toun
And on the morwe, or it were dayes light,before
Ful prively two harneys hath he dight,prepared
Bothe suffisaunt and mete to darreynesufficient
The batayl in the feeld betwix hem tweyne.field, them, two
And on his hors alone as he was born,carried
He caryed al this harneys him byforn;before
And in the grove, at tyme and place i-sette,
This Arcite and this Palamon ben mette.be
Tho chaungen gan here colour in here face,then, their
Right as the honter in the regne of Tracekingdom
That stondeth in the gappe with a spere,
Whan honted is the lyoun or the bere,
And hereth him come ruschyng in the greves,groves
And breketh bothe the bowes and the leves,breaking
And thenketh, Here cometh my mortel enemy,
Withoute faile, he mot be deed or I;without
For eyther I mot slen him at the gappe,
Or he moot slee me, if it me myshappe:
So ferden they, in chaungyng of here hew,their hue
As fer as eyther of hem other knewe.far, them
Ther nas no good day, ne no saluyng;was not, saluting
But streyt withouten wordes rehersyng,
Everich of hem helpeth to armen other,each, helped
As frendly, as he were his owen brother;own
And thanne with here scharpe speres stronge
They foyneden ech at other wonder longe,foined
Tho it semede that this Palamonthen, seemed
In his fightyng were as a wood lyoun,mad
And as a cruel tygre was Arcite:[90]
As wilde boores gonne they to smyte,began
That frothen white as fome, for ire wood,their madness
Up to the ancle faught they in here blood.[91]their
And in this wise I lete hem fightyng dwelle;
And forth I wol of Theseus yow telle.you
O god of love, that hast no charity!
O realm, that wilt not bear a rival nigh!
Truly ’tis said, that love and lordship ne’er
Will be contented only with a share.
Arcite and Palamon have found it so.
Arcite is ridden soon the town unto:
And, on the morrow, ere the sun was high,
Two harness hath he brought forth privily,
Meet and sufficing for the lonely fight
Out in the battle-field mid daisies white.
And riding onward solitarily
All this good armour on his horse bore he:
And at the time and place which they had set
Ere long Arcite and Palamon are met.
To change began the colour of each face—
Ev’n as the hunter’s, in the land of Thrace,
When at a gap he standeth with a spear,
In the wild hunt of lion or of bear,
And heareth him come rushing through the wood,
Crashing the branches in his madden’d mood,
And think’th, “Here com’th my mortal enemy,
Now without fail or he or I must die;
For either I must slay him at the gap,
Or he must slay me if there be mishap.”
So fared the knights so far as either knew,
When, seeing each, each deepen’d in his hue.
There was no greeting—there was no ‘Good day,’
But mute, without a single word, straightway
Each one in arming turn’d to help the other,
As like a friend as though he were his brother.
And after that, with lances sharp and strong,
They dash’d upon each other—lief and long.
You might have fancied that this Palamon,
Fighting so blindly, were a mad liòn,
And like a cruel tiger was Arcite.
As two wild boars did they together smite,
That froth as white as foam for rage—they stood
And fought until their feet were red with blood.
Thus far awhile I leave them to their fight.
And now what Theseus did I will recite.

Then something happened that neither of them expected.