The Canterbury Tales · The Knight’s Tale 277 (5/8)

The day approacheth of their returning,

That evereach an hundred knights should bring,

The battle to darraine596 as I you told;

And to Athens, their covenant to hold,

Hath ev’reach of them brought an hundred knights,

Well armed for the war at allë rights.

And sickerly597 there trowed598 many a man,

That never, sithen599 that the world began,

For to speaken of knighthood of their hand,

As far as God hath maked sea and land,

Was, of so few, so noble a company.600

For every wight that loved chivalry,

And would, his thankës,601 have a passant602 name,

Had prayed, that he might be of that game,

And well was him, that thereto chosen was.

For if there fell to-morrow such a case,

Ye knowë well, that every lusty knight,

That loveth par amour, and hath his might,

Were it in Engleland, or ellëswhere,

They would, their thankës, willen to be there,

T’ fight for a lady; benedicite,

It were a lusty603 sightë for to see.

And right so fared they with Palamon;

With him there wentë knightës many one.

Some will be armed in an habergeon,

And in a breastplate, and in a gipon;604

And some will have a pair of platës605 large;

And some will have a Prussë606 shield, or targe;

Some will be armed on their leggës weel;607

Some have an axe, and some a mace of steel.

There is no newë guise,608 but it was old.

Armed they weren, as I have you told,

Evereach after his opinión.

There may’st thou see coming with Palamon

Licurgus himself, the great king of Thrace:

Black was his beard, and manly was his face.

The circles of his eyen in his head

They glowed betwixtë yellow and red,

And like a griffin looked he about,

With kemped609 hairës on his browës stout;

His limbs were great, his brawns were hard and strong,

His shoulders broad, his armës round and long.

And as the guisë610 was in his country,

Full high upon a car of gold stood he,

With fourë whitë bullës in the trace.

Instead of coat-armour on his harness,

With yellow nails, and bright as any gold,

He had a bearë’s skin, coal-black for old.611

His long hair was y-kempt behind his back,

As any raven’s feather it shone for black.

A wreath of gold arm-great,612 of hugë weight,

Upon his head sate, full of stonës bright,

Of finë rubies and clear diamánts.

About his car there wentë white alauns,613

Twenty and more, as great as any steer,

To hunt the lion or the wildë bear,

And follow’d him, with muzzle fast y-bound,

Collars of gold, and torettes614 filed round.

An hundred lordës had he in his rout,615

Armed full well, with heartës stern and stout.

With Arcita, in stories as men find,

The great Emetrius the king of Ind,

Upon a steedë bay,616 trapped in steel,

Cover’d with cloth of gold diápred617 well,

Came riding like the god of armës, Mars.

His coat-armoúr was of a cloth of Tars,618

Couched619 with pearlës white and round and great.

His saddle was of burnish’d gold new beat;

A mantëlet on his shoulders hanging

Bretful620 of rubies red, as fire sparkling.

His crispë hair like ringës was y-run,621

And that was yellow, glittering as the sun.

His nose was high, his eyen bright citrine,622

His lips were round, his colour was sanguine,

A fewë fracknes in his face y-sprent,623

Betwixt yellow and black somedeal y-ment,624

And as a lion he his looking cast.625

Of five and twenty year his age I cast.626

His beard was well begunnen for to spring;

His voice was as a trumpet thundering.

Upon his head he wore of laurel green

A garland fresh and lusty to be seen;

Upon his hand he bare, for his delight,

An eagle tame, as any lily white.

An hundred lordës had he with him there,

All armed, save their heads, in all their gear,

Full richëly in allë manner things.

For trust ye well, that earlës, dukes, and kings

Were gather’d in this noble company,

For love, and for increase of chivalry.

About this king there ran on every part

Full many a tame lión and leopart.

And in this wise these lordës all and some627

Be on the Sunday to the city come

Aboutë prime,628 and in the town alight.

This Theseus, this Duke, this worthy knight,

When he had brought them into his citý,

And inned629 them, ev’reach at his degree,

He feasteth them, and doth so great laboúr

To easen them,630 and do them all honoúr,

That yet men weenë631 that no mannë’s wit

Of none estatë could amenden632 it.

The minstrelsy, the service at the feast,

The greatë giftës to the most and least,

The rich array of Theseus’ paláce,

Nor who sate first or last upon the dais,633

What ladies fairest be, or best dancing,

Or which of them can carol best or sing,

Or who most feelingly speaketh of love;

What hawkës sitten on the perch above,

What houndës liggen634 on the floor adown,

Of all this now make I no mentioun;

But of th’ effect; that thinketh me the best;

Now comes the point, and hearken if you lest.635

The Sunday night, ere day began to spring,

When Palamon the larkë heardë sing,

Although it were not day by hourës two,

Yet sang the lark, and Palamon right tho636

With holy heart, and with an high couráge,

Arose, to wenden637 on his pilgrimage

Unto the blissful Cithera benign,

I meanë Venus, honourable and digne.638

And in her hour639 he walketh forth a pace

Unto the listës, where her temple was,

And down he kneeleth, and with humble cheer640

And heartë sore, he said as ye shall hear.

“Fairest of fair, O lady mine Venus,

Daughter to Jove, and spouse of Vulcanus,

Thou gladder of the mount of Citheron

For thilkë642 love thou haddest to Adon643

Have pity on my bitter tearës’ smart,

And take mine humble prayer to thine heart.

Alas! I havë no languáge to tell

Th’ effectë, nor the torment of mine hell;

Mine heartë may mine harmës not betray;

I am so cónfused, that I cannot say.

But mercy, lady bright, that knowest well

My thought, and seest what harm that I feel.

Consider all this, and rue upon644 my sore,

As wisly645 as I shall for evermore

Enforce my might, thy true servant to be,

And holdë war alway with chastity:

That make I mine avow,646 so ye me help.

I keepë not of armës for to yelp,647

Nor ask I not to-morrow to have victóry,

Nor rénown in this case, nor vainë glory

Of prize of armës,648 blowing up and down,

But I would have fully possessioun

Of Emily, and die in her service;

Find thou the manner how, and in what wise.

I reckë not but649 it may better be

To have vict’ry of them, or they of me,

So that I have my lady in mine arms.

For though so be that Mars is god of arms,

Your virtue is so great in heaven above,

That, if you list, I shall well have my love.

Thy temple will I worship evermo’,

And on thine altar, where I ride or go,

I will do sacrifice, and firës bete.650

And if ye will not so, my lady sweet,

Then pray I you, to-morrow with a spear

That Arcita me through the heartë bear.

Then reck I not, when I have lost my life,

Though that Arcita win her to his wife.

This is th’ effect and end of my prayére⁠—

Give me my love, thou blissful lady dear.”

When th’ orison was done of Palamon,

His sacrifice he did, and that anon,

Full piteously, with allë circumstances,

All tell I not as now651 his observánces.

But at the last the statue of Venus shook,

And made a signë, whereby that he took652

That his prayér accepted was that day.

For though the signë shewed a delay,653

Yet wist he well that granted was his boon;

And with glad heart he went him home full soon.

The third hour unequál654 that Palamon

Began to Venus’ temple for to gon,

Up rose the sun, and up rose Emily,

And to the temple of Dian gan hie.

Her maidens, that she thither with her lad,655

Full readily with them the fire they had,

Th’ incense, the clothës, and the remnant all

That to the sacrifice belongë shall,

The hornës full of mead, as was the guise;

There lacked nought to do her sacrifice.

Smoking656 the temple full of clothës fair,

This Emily with heartë debonnair657

Her body wash’d with water of a well.

But how she did her rite I dare not tell;

But658 it be any thing in general;

And yet it were a game659 to hearen all;

To him that meaneth well it were no charge:

But it is good a man to be at large.660

Her bright hair combed was, untressed all.

A coronet of green oak cerrial661

Upon her head was set full fair and meet.

Two firës on the altar gan she bete,

And did her thingës, as men may behold

In Stace662 of Thebes, and these bookës old.

When kindled was the fire, with piteous cheer

Unto Dian she spake as ye may hear.

“O chastë goddess of the woodës green,

To whom both heav’n and earth and sea is seen,

Queen of the realm of Pluto dark and low,

Goddess of maidens, that mine heart hast know

Full many a year, and wost663 what I desire,

To keep me from the vengeance of thine ire,

That Actaeon aboughtë664 cruelly:

Chastë goddéss, well wottest thou that I

Desire to be a maiden all my life,

Nor never will I be no love nor wife.

I am, thou wost,665 yet of thy company,

A maid, and love hunting and venery,666

And for to walken in the woodës wild,

And not to be a wife, and be with child.

Nought will I know the company of man.

Now help me, lady, since ye may and can,

For those three formës667 that thou hast in thee.

And Palamon, that hath such love to me,

And eke Arcite, that loveth me so sore,

This grace I prayë thee withoutë more,

As sendë love and peace betwixt them two:

And from me turn away their heartës so,

That all their hotë love, and their desire,

And all their busy torment, and their fire,

Be queint,668 or turn’d into another place.

And if so be thou wilt do me no grace,

Or if my destiny be shapen so

That I shall needës have one of them two,

So send me him that most desireth me.

Behold, goddess of cleanë chastity,

The bitter tears that on my cheekës fall.

Since thou art maid, and keeper of us all,

My maidenhead thou keep and well conserve,

And, while I live, a maid I will thee serve.”

The firës burn upon the altar clear,

While Emily was thus in her prayére:

But suddenly she saw a sightë quaint.669

For right anon one of the firës queint

And quick’d670 again, and after that anon

That other fire was queint, and all agone:

And as it queint, it made a whisteling,

As doth a brandë wet in its burning.

And at the brandës end outran anon

As it were bloody droppës many one:

For which so sore aghast was Emily,

That she was well-nigh mad, and gan to cry,

For she ne wistë what it signified;

But onëly for fearë thus she cried,

And wept, that it was pity for to hear.

And therewithal Diana gan appear

With bow in hand, right as an hunteress,

And saidë; “Daughter, stint671 thine heaviness.

Among the goddës high it is affirm’d,

And by eternal word writ and confirm’d,

Thou shalt be wedded unto one of tho672

That have for thee so muchë care and woe:

But unto which of them I may not tell.

Farewell, for here I may no longer dwell.

The firës which that on mine altar brenn,673

Shall thee declaren, ere that thou go henne,674

Thine áventure of love, as in this case.”

And with that word, the arrows in the case675

Of the goddess did clatter fast and ring,

And forth she went, and made a vanishing,

For which this Emily astonied was,

And saidë; “What amounteth this,676 alas!

I put me under thy protectión,

Diane, and in thy dispositión.”

And home she went anon the nextë677 way.

This is th’ effect, there is no more to say.

The nextë hour of Mars follówing this

Arcite to the temple walked is

Of fiercë Mars, to do his sacrifice

With all the ritës of his pagan guise.

With piteous678 heart and high devotión.

Right thus to Mars he said his orison.

“O strongë god, that in the regnës679 cold

Of Thracë honoured art, and lord y-hold,680

And hast in every regne, and every land

Of armës all the bridle in thine hand,

And them fortúnest as thee list devise,681

Accept of me my piteous sacrifice.

If so be that my youthë may deserve,

And that my might be worthy for to serve

Thy godhead, that I may be one of thine,

Then pray I thee to rue upon my pine,682

For thilkë683 pain, and thilkë hotë fire,

In which thou whilom burned’st for desire

Whennë that thou usedest684 the beauty

Of fairë youngë Venus, fresh and free,

And haddest her in armës at thy will:

And though thee onës on a time misfill,685

When Vulcanus had caught thee in his las,686

And found thee ligging687 by his wife, alas!

For thilkë sorrow that was in thine heart,

Have ruth688 as well upon my painë’s smart.

I am young and unconning,689 as thou know’st,

And, as I trow,690 with love offended most,

That e’er was any living creature:

For she, that doth691 me all this woe endure,

Ne recketh ne’er whether I sink or fleet.692

And well I wot, ere she me mercy hete,693

I must with strengthë win her in the place:

And well I wot, withoutë help or grace

Of thee, ne may my strengthë not avail:

Then help me, lord, to-morr’w in my bataille,

For thilkë fire that whilom burned thee,

As well as this fire that now burneth me;

And do694 that I to-morr’w may have victóry.

Mine be the travail, all thine be the glory.

Thy sovereign temple will I most honoúr

Of any place, and alway most laboúr

In thy pleasance and in thy craftës strong.

And in thy temple I will my banner hong,695

And all the armës of my company,

And evermore, until that day I die,

Eternal fire I will before thee find.

And eke to this my vow I will me bind:

My beard, my hair that hangeth long adown,

That never yet hath felt offensión696

Of razor nor of shears, I will thee give,

And be thy truë servant while I live.

Now, lord, have ruth upon my sorrows sore,

Give me the victory, I ask no more.”