The Canterbury Tales, and Other Poems
If so thou do, thy wit is well bewared;
By its contrary is everything declared.
“For how might ever sweetness have been know
To him that never tasted bitterness?
And no man knows what gladness is, I trow,
That never was in sorrow or distress:
Eke white by black, by shame eke worthiness,
Each set by other, *more for other seemeth,* *its quality is made
As men may see; and so the wise man deemeth.” more obvious by the contrast*
Troilus, however, still begs his friend to leave him to mourn in
peace, for all his proverbs can avail nothing. But Pandarus
insists on plying the lover with wise saws, arguments,
reproaches; hints that, if he should die of love, his lady may
impute his death to fear of the Greeks; and finally induces
Troilus to admit that the well of all his woe, his sweetest foe, is
called Cressida. Pandarus breaks into praises of the lady, and
congratulations of his friend for so well fixing his heart; he
makes Troilus utter a formal confession of his sin in jesting at
lovers and bids him think well that she of whom rises all his
woe, hereafter may his comfort be also.
“For thilke* ground, that bears the weedes wick’ *that same
Bears eke the wholesome herbes, and full oft
Next to the foule nettle, rough and thick,
The lily waxeth,* white, and smooth, and soft; *grows
And next the valley is the hill aloft,
And next the darke night is the glad morrow,
And also joy is next the fine* of sorrow.” *end, border
Pandarus holds out to Troilus good hope of achieving his
desire; and tells him that, since he has been converted from his
wicked rebellion against Love, he shall be made the best post of
all Love’s law, and most grieve Love’s enemies. Troilus gives
utterance to a hint of fear; but he is silenced by Pandarus with
another proverb — “Thou hast full great care, lest that the carl
should fall out of the moon.” Then the lovesick youth breaks
into a joyous boast that some of the Greeks shall smart; he
mounts his horse, and plays the lion in the field; while Pandarus
retires to consider how he may best recommend to his niece the
suit of Troilus.
THE SECOND BOOK.
IN the Proem to the Second Book, the poet hails the clear
weather that enables him to sail out of those black waves in
which his boat so laboured that he could scarcely steer — that is,
“the tempestuous matter of despair, that Troilus was in; but
now of hope the kalendes begin.” He invokes the aid of Clio;
excuses himself to every lover for what may be found amiss in a
book which he only translates; and, obviating any lover’s
objection to the way in which Troilus obtained his lady’s grace -
- through Pandarus’ mediation — says it seems to him no
wonderful thing:
“For ev’ry wighte that to Rome went
Held not one path, nor alway one mannere;
Eke in some lands were all the game y-shent
If that men far’d in love as men do here,
As thus, in open dealing and in cheer,
In visiting, in form, or saying their saws;* *speeches
For thus men say: Each country hath its laws.
“Eke scarcely be there in this place three
That have in love done or said *like in all;”* *alike in all respects*
And so that which the poem relates may not please the reader —
but it actually was done, or it shall yet be done. The Book sets
out with the visit of Pandarus to Cressida:—
In May, that mother is of monthes glade,* *glad
When all the freshe flowers, green and red,
Be quick* again, that winter deade made, *alive
And full of balm is floating ev’ry mead;
When Phoebus doth his brighte beames spread
Right in the white Bull, so it betid* *happened
As I shall sing, on Maye’s day the thrid, <11>
That Pandarus, for all his wise speech,
Felt eke his part of Love’s shottes keen,
That, could he ne’er so well of Love preach,
It made yet his hue all day full green;* *pale
So *shope it,* that him fell that day a teen* *it happened* *access
In love, for which full woe to bed he went,
And made ere it were day full many a went.* *turning <12>
The swallow Progne, <13> with a sorrowful lay,
When morrow came, gan make her waimenting,* *lamenting
Why she foshapen* was; and ever lay *transformed
Pandare a-bed, half in a slumbering,
Till she so nigh him made her chittering,
How Tereus gan forth her sister take,
That with the noise of her he did awake,
And gan to call, and dress* him to arise, *prepare
Rememb’ring him his errand was to do’n
From Troilus, and eke his great emprise;
And cast, and knew in *good plight* was the Moon *favourable aspect*
To do voyage, and took his way full soon
Unto his niece’s palace there beside
Now Janus, god of entry, thou him guide!
Pandarus finds his niece, with two other ladies, in a paved
parlour, listening to a maiden who reads aloud the story of the
Siege of Thebes. Greeting the company, he is welcomed by
Cressida, who tells him that for three nights she has dreamed of
him. After some lively talk about the book they had been
reading, Pandarus asks his niece to do away her hood, to show
her face bare, to lay aside the book, to rise up and dance, “and
let us do to May some observance.” Cressida cries out, “God
forbid!” and asks if he is mad — if that is a widow’s life, whom it
better becomes to sit in a cave and read of holy saints’ lives.
Pandarus intimates that he could tell her something which could
make her merry; but he refuses to gratify her curiosity; and, by
way of the siege and of Hector, “that was the towne’s wall, and
Greekes’ yerd” or scourging-rod, the conversation is brought
round to Troilus, whom Pandarus highly extols as “the wise
worthy Hector the second.” She has, she says, already heard
Troilus praised for his bravery “of them that her were liefest
praised be” [by whom it would be most welcome to her to be
praised].
“Ye say right sooth, y-wis,” quoth Pandarus;
For yesterday, who so had with him been,
Might have wonder’d upon Troilus;
For never yet so thick a swarm of been* *bees
Ne flew, as did of Greekes from him flee’n;
And through the field, in ev’ry wighte’s ear,
There was no cry but ‘Troilus is here.’
“Now here, now there, he hunted them so fast,
There was but Greekes’ blood; and Troilus
Now him he hurt, now him adown he cast;
Ay where he went it was arrayed thus:
He was their death, and shield of life for us,
That as that day there durst him none withstand,
While that he held his bloody sword in hand.”
Pandarus makes now a show of taking leave, but Cressida
detains him, to speak of her affairs; then, the business talked
over, he would again go, but first again asks his niece to arise
and dance, and cast her widow’s garments to mischance,
because of the glad fortune that has befallen her. More curious
than ever, she seeks to find out Pandarus’ secret; but he still
parries her curiosity, skilfully hinting all the time at her good
fortune, and the wisdom of seizing on it when offered. In the
end he tells her that the noble Troilus so loves her, that with her
it lies to make him live or die — but if Troilus dies, Pandarus
shall die with him; and then she will have “fished fair.” <14> He
beseeches mercy for his friend:
“*Woe worth* the faire gemme virtueless! <15> *evil befall!*
Woe worth the herb also that *doth no boot!* *has no remedial power*
Woe worth the beauty that is rutheless!* *merciless
Woe worth that wight that treads each under foot!
And ye that be of beauty *crop and root* *perfection <16>
If therewithal in you there be no ruth,* *pity
Then is it harm ye live, by my truth!”
Pandarus makes only the slight request that she will show
Troilus somewhat better cheer, and receive visits from him, that
his life may be saved; urging that, although a man be soon going
to the temple, nobody will think that he eats the images; and
that “such love of friends reigneth in all this town.”
Cressida, which that heard him in this wise,
Thought: “I shall feele* what he means, y-wis;” *test
“Now, eme* quoth she, “what would ye me devise? *uncle
What is your rede* that I should do of this?” *counsel, opinion
“That is well said,” quoth he;” certain best it is
That ye him love again for his loving,
As love for love is *skilful guerdoning.* *reasonable recompense*
“Think eke how elde* wasteth ev’ry hour *age
In each of you a part of your beauty;
And therefore, ere that age do you devour,
Go love, for, old, there will no wight love thee
Let this proverb a lore* unto you be: *lesson
‘“Too late I was ware,” quoth beauty when it past;
And *elde daunteth danger* at the last.’ *old age overcomes disdain*
“The kinge’s fool is wont to cry aloud,
When that he thinks a woman bears her high,
‘So longe may ye liven, and all proud,
Till crowes’ feet be wox* under your eye! *grown
And send you then a mirror *in to pry* *to look in*
In which ye may your face see a-morrow!* *in the morning
*I keep then wishe you no more sorrow.’”* *I care to wish you nothing worse*
Weeping, Cressida reproaches her uncle for giving her such
counsel; whereupon Pandarus, starting up, threatens to kill
himself, and would fain depart, but that his niece detains him,
and, with much reluctance, promises to “make Troilus good
cheer in honour.” Invited by Cressida to tell how first he know
her lover’s woe, Pandarus then relates two soliloquies which he
had accidentally overheard, and in which Troilus had poured
out all the sorrow of his passion.
With this he took his leave, and home he went
Ah! Lord, so was he glad and well-begone!* *happy
Cresside arose, no longer would she stent,* *stay
But straight into her chamber went anon,
And sat her down, as still as any stone,
And ev’ry word gan up and down to wind
That he had said, as it came to her mind.
And wax’d somedeal astonish’d in her thought,
Right for the newe case; but when that she
*Was full advised,* then she found right naught *had fully considered*
Of peril, why she should afeared be:
For a man may love, of possibility,
A woman so, that his heart may to-brest,* *break utterly
And she not love again, *but if her lest.* *unless it so please her*
But as she sat alone, and thoughte thus,
In field arose a skirmish all without;
And men cried in the street then:”
Troilus hath right now put to flight the Greekes’ rout.”* *host
With that gan all the meinie* for to shout: *(Cressida’s) household
“Ah! go we see, cast up the lattice wide,
For through this street he must to palace ride;
“For other way is from the gates none,
Of Dardanus,<18> where open is the chain.” <19>
With that came he, and all his folk anon,
An easy pace riding, in *routes twain,* *two troops*
Right as his *happy day* was, sooth to sayn: *good fortune <20>*
For which men say may not disturbed be
What shall betiden* of necessity. *happen
This Troilus sat upon his bay steed
All armed, save his head, full richely,
And wounded was his horse, and gan to bleed,
For which he rode a pace full softely
But such a knightly sighte* truly *aspect
As was on him, was not, withoute fail,
To look on Mars, that god is of Battaile.
So like a man of armes, and a knight,
He was to see, full fill’d of high prowess;
For both he had a body, and a might