The Canterbury Tales · The Knight’s Tale 277 (6/8)

The prayer stint697 of Arcita the strong,

The ringës on the temple door that hong,

And eke the doorës, clattered full fast,

Of which Arcita somewhat was aghast.

The firës burn’d upon the altar bright,

That it gan all the temple for to light;

A sweetë smell anon the ground up gaf,698

And Arcita anon his hand up haf,699

And more incénse into the fire he cast,

With other ritës more and at the last

The statue of Mars began his hauberk ring;

And with that sound he heard a murmuring

Full low and dim, that saidë thus, “Victóry.”

For which he gave to Mars honour and glory.

And thus with joy, and hopë well to fare,

Arcite anon unto his inn doth fare.

As fain700 as fowl is of the brightë sun.

And right anon such strife there is begun

For thilkë granting,701 in the heav’n above,

Betwixtë Venus the goddéss of love,

And Mars the sternë god armipotent,

That Jupiter was busy it to stent:702

Till that the palë Saturnus the cold,703

That knew so many of adventures old,

Found in his old experience such an art,

That he full soon hath pleased every part.

As sooth is said, eld704 hath great advantage,

In eld is bothë wisdom and uságe:705

Men may the old out-run, but not out-rede.706

Saturn anon, to stint the strife and drede,

Albeit that it is against his kind,

Of all this strife gan a remédy find.

“My dearë daughter Venus,” quoth Saturn,

“My course,707 that hath so widë for to turn,

Hath morë power than wot any man.

Mine is the drowning in the sea so wan;

Mine is the prison in the darkë cote,708

Mine the strangling and hanging by the throat,

The murmur, and the churlish rebelling,

The groyning,709 and the privy poisoning.

I do vengeance and plein710 correctión,

I dwell in the sign of the lión.

Mine is the ruin of the highë halls,

The falling of the towers and the walls

Upon the miner or the carpenter:

I slew Samson in shaking the pillar:

Mine also be the maladiës cold,

The darkë treasons, and the castës711 old:

My looking is the father of pestilence.

Now weep no more, I shall do diligence

That Palamon, that is thine owen knight,

Shall have his lady, as thou hast him hight.712

Though Mars shall help his knight, yet natheless

Betwixtë you there must sometime be peace:

All be ye not of one complexión,

That each day causeth such división,

I am thine ayel,713 ready at thy will;

Weep now no more, I shall thy lust714 fulfil.”

Now will I stenten715 of the gods above,

Of Mars, and of Venus, goddess of love,

And tellë you as plainly as I can

The great effect, for which that I began.

Great was the feast in Athens thilkë716 day;

And eke the lusty season of that May

Made every wight to be in such pleasance,

That all that Monday jousten they and dance,

And spenden it in Venus’ high servíce.

But by the causë that they shouldë rise

Early a-morrow for to see that fight,

Unto their restë wentë they at night.

And on the morrow, when the day gan spring,

Of horse and harness717 noise and clattering

There was in the hostelries all about:

And to the palace rode there many a rout718

Of lordës, upon steedës and palfreys.

There mayst thou see devising of harness

So uncouth719 and so rich, and wrought so weel

Of goldsmithry, of brouding,720 and of steel;

The shieldës bright, the testers,721 and trappures;722

Gold-hewen helmets, hauberks, coat-armures;

Lordës in parements723 on their coursérs,

Knightës of retinue, and eke squiérs,

Nailing the spears, and helmës buckëling,

Gniding724 of shieldës, with lainers725 lacing;

There as need is, they werë nothing idle:

The foamy steeds upon the golden bridle

Gnawing, and fast the armourers also

With file and hammer pricking to and fro;

Yeomen on foot, and knavës726 many one

With shortë stavës, thick as they may gon;727

Pipës, trumpets, nakéres,728 and clariouns,

That in the battle blowë bloody souns;

The palace full of people up and down,

There three, there ten, holding their questioun,729

Divining730 of these Theban knightës two.

Some saiden thus, some said it shall he so;

Some helden with him with the blackë beard,

Some with the ballëd,731 some with the thick-hair’d;

Some said he lookëd grim, and wouldë fight:

He had a sparth732 of twenty pound of weight.

Thus was the hallë full of divining733

Long after that the sunnë gan up spring.

The great Theseus that of his sleep is waked

With minstrelsy, and noisë that was maked,

Held yet the chamber of his palace rich,

Till that the Theban knightës both y-lich734

Honoúred were, and to the palace fet.735

Duke Theseus is at a window set,

Array’d right as he were a god in throne:

The people presseth thitherward full soon

Him for to see, and do him reverence,

And eke to hearken his hest736 and his sentence.737

An herald on a scaffold made an O,738

Till the noise of the people was y-do:739

And when he saw the people of noise all still,

Thus shewed he the mighty Dukë’s will.

“The lord hath of his high discretión

Considered that it were destructión

To gentle blood, to fighten in the guise

Of mortal battle now in this emprise:

Wherefore to shapë740 that they shall not die,

He will his firstë purpose modify.

No man therefore, on pain of loss of life,

No manner741 shot, nor poleaxe, nor short knife

Into the lists shall send, or thither bring.

Nor short sword for to stick with point biting

No man shall draw, nor bear it by his side.

And no man shall unto his fellow ride

But one course, with a sharp y-grounden spear:

Foin742 if him list on foot, himself to wear.743

And he that is at mischief744 shall be take,

And not slain, but be brought unto the stake,

That shall be ordained on either side;

Thither he shall by force, and there abide.

And if so fall745 the chiefëtain be take

On either side, or ellës slay his make,746

No longer then the tourneying shall last.

God speedë you; go forth and lay on fast.

With long sword and with macë fight your fill.

Go now your way; this is the lordës will.”

The voice of the people touched the heaven,

So loudë criëd they with merry steven:747

“God savë such a lord that is so good,

He willeth no destructión of blood.”

Up go the trumpets and the melody,

And to the listës rode the company

By ordinance,748 throughout the city large,

Hanged with cloth of gold, and not with sarge.749

Full like a lord this noble Duke gan ride,

And these two Thebans upon either side:

And after rode the queen and Emily,

And after them another company

Of one and other, after their degree.

And thus they passed thorough that city,

And to the listës camë they by time:

It was not of the day yet fully prime.750

When set was Theseus full rich and high,

Hippolyta the queen, and Emily,

And other ladies in their degrees about,

Unto the seatës presseth all the rout.

And westward, through the gatës under Mart,

Arcite, and eke the hundred of his part,

With banner red, is enter’d right anon;

And in the selvë751 moment Palamon

Is, under Venus, eastward in the place,

With banner white, and hardy cheer752 and face.

In all the world, to seeken up and down

So even753 without variatioún

There were such companiës never tway.

For there was none so wise that couldë say

That any had of other ávantáge

Of worthiness, nor of estate, nor age,

So even were they chosen for to guess.

And in two ranges fairë they them dress.754

When that their namës read were every one,

That in their number guilë755 were there none,

Then were the gatës shut, and cried was loud;

“Do now your dévoir, youngë knights proud!”

The heralds left their pricking756 up and down.

Now ring the trumpet loud and clarioun.

There is no more to say, but east and west

In go the spearës sadly757 in the rest;

In go the sharpë spurs into the side.

There see me who can joust, and who can ride.

There shiver shaftës upon shieldës thick;

He feeleth through the heartë-spoon758 the prick.

Up spring the spearës twenty foot on height;

Out go the swordës as the silver bright.

The helmës they to-hewen, and to-shred;759

Out burst the blood, with sternë streamës red.

With mighty maces the bones they to-brest.760

He through the thickest of the throng gan threst.761

There stumble steedës strong, and down go all.

He rolleth under foot as doth a ball.

He foineth762 on his foe with a trunchoun,

And he him hurtleth with his horse adown.

He through the body hurt is, and sith take,763

Maugré his head, and brought unto the stake,

As forword764 was, right there he must abide.

Another led is on that other side.

And sometime doth765 them Theseus to rest,

Them to refresh, and drinken if them lest.766

Full oft a day have thilkë767 Thebans two

Together met, and wrought each other woe:

Unhorsed hath each other of them tway.768

There is no tiger in the vale of Galaphay,769

When that her whelp is stole, when it is lite,770

So cruel on the hunter, as Arcite

For jealous heart upon this Palamon:

Nor in Belmarie771 there is no fell lión,

That hunted is, or for his hunger wood,772

Or for his prey desireth so the blood,

As Palamon to slay his foe Arcite.

The jealous strokes upon their helmets bite;

Out runneth blood on both their sidës red,

Sometime an end there is of every deed.

For ere the sun unto the restë went,

The strongë king Emetrius gan hent773

This Palamon, as he fought with Arcite,

And made his sword deep in his flesh to bite,

And by the force of twenty is he take,

Unyielding, and is drawn unto the stake.

And in the rescue of this Palamon

The strongë king Licurgus is borne down:

And king Emetrius for all his strength

Is borne out of his saddle a sword’s length,

So hit him Palamon ere he were take:

But all for nought; he was brought to the stake:

His hardy heartë might him helpë naught,

He must abidë, when that he was caught,

By force, and eke by compositión.774

Who sorroweth now but woful Palamon

That must no morë go again to fight?

And when that Theseus had seen that sight,

Unto the folk that foughtë thus each one,

He cried, “Ho! no more, for it is done!

I will be truë judge, and not party.

Arcite of Thebes shall have Emily,

That by his fortune hath her fairly won.”

Anon there is a noise of people gone,

For joy of this, so loud and high withal,

It seemed that the listës shouldë fall.

What can now fairë Venus do above?

What saith she now? what doth this queen of love?

But weepeth so, for wanting of her will,

Till that her tearës in the listës fill:775

She said: “I am ashamed doubtëless.”

Saturnus saidë: “Daughter, hold thy peace.

Mars hath his will, his knight hath all his boon,

And by mine head thou shalt be eased776 soon.”

The trumpeters with the loud minstrelsy,

The heralds, that full loudë yell and cry,

Be in their joy for weal of Dan777 Arcite.

But hearken me, and stintë noise a lite,778

What a mirácle there befell anon.

This fierce Arcite hath off his helm y-done,

And on a courser for to shew his face

He pricketh endëlong779 the largë place,

Looking upward upon this Emily;

And she again him cast a friendly eye

(For women, as to speaken in commúne,780

They follow all the favour of fortúne),

And was all his in cheer,781 as his in heart.

Out of the ground a fire infernal start,

From Pluto sent, at réquest of Saturn,

For which his horse for fear began to turn,

And leap aside, and founder782 as he leap:

And ere that Arcite may take any keep,783

He pight him on the pummel784 of his head,

That in the place he lay as he were dead,

His breast to-bursten with his saddle-bow.

As black he lay as any coal or crow,

So was the blood y-run into his face.

Anon he was y-borne out of the place

With heartë sore, to Theseus’ palace.

Then was he carven785 out of his harnéss.

And in a bed y-brought full fair and blive,786

For he was yet in mem’ry and alive,

And always crying after Emily.

Duke Theseus, with all his company,

Is comë home to Athens his city,

With allë bliss and great solemnity.

Albeit that this áventure was fall,787

He wouldë not discómfortë788 them all.

Men said eke, that Arcite should not die,

He should be healed of his malady.

And of another thing they were as fain,789

That of them allë was there no one slain,

All790 were they sorely hurt, and namely791 one,

That with a spear was thirled792 his breast-bone.

To other woundës, and to broken arms,

Some hadden salvës, and some hadden charms:

And pharmacies of herbs, and ekë save793

They dranken, for they would their livës have.

For which this noble Duke, as he well can,

Comfórteth and honoúreth every man,

And madë revel all the longë night,

Unto the strangë lordës, as was right.

Nor there was holden no discomforting,

But as at jousts or at a tourneying;

For soothly there was no discomfiture,

For falling is not but an áventure.794

Nor to be led by force unto a stake

Unyielding, and with twenty knights y-take

One person all alone, withouten mo’,

And harried795 forth by armës, foot, and toe,

And eke his steedë driven forth with staves,

With footmen, bothë yeomen and eke knaves,796

It was aretted797 him no villainy:

There may no man clepen it cowardy.798

For which anon Duke Theseus let cry⁠—799

To stenten800 allë rancour and envy⁠—

The gree801 as well on one side as the other,

And either side alike as other’s brother:

And gave them giftës after their degree,

And held a feastë fully dayës three:

And conveyed the kingës worthily

Out of his town a journée802 largëly.

And home went every man the rightë way,

There was no more but “Farewell, Have good day.”

Of this batáille I will no more indite,

But speak of Palamon and of Arcite.