Geoffrey Chaucer - The Canterbury Tales

1970

Al peynted was the wal, in lengthe and brede,

Lyk to the estres of the grisly place,

That highte the grete temple of Mars in Trace,

In thilke colde frosty regioun,

Ther-as Mars hath his sovereyn mansioun.

1975

First on the wal was peynted a foreste,

In which ther dwelleth neither man ne beste,

With knotty knarry bareyn treës olde

(1120)

Of stubbes sharpe and hidous to biholde;

In which ther ran a rumbel and a swough,

1980

As though a storm sholde bresten every bough:

And downward from an hille, under a bente,

Ther stood the temple of Mars armipotente,

Wroght al of burned steel, of which thentree

Was long and streit, and gastly for to see.

1985

And ther-out cam a rage and such a vese,

That it made al the gates for to rese.

The northren light in at the dores shoon,

(1130)

For windowe on the wal ne was ther noon,

Thurgh which men mighten any light discerne.

1990

The dores were alle of adamant eterne,

Y-clenched overthwart and endelong

With iren tough; and, for to make it strong,

Every piler, the temple to sustene,

Was tonne-greet, of iren bright and shene.

1975. Hl. foreste; E. forest. 1976. Hl. beste; E. best. 1977. E. Hn. Cm. Cp. bareyne. 1979. E. rumbel; Cm. ru m bil; Hn. rombul; Cp. Ln. rombel; Hl. swymbul. E. Pt. and; rest in. 1980. Ln. berste; Hl. berst. 1981. Hn. Hl. on ( for from). 1983. E. Hn. the entree. 1985. Cp. vese; Cm. wese; E. Hn. Ln. veze; Hl. prise. 1986. E. Hn. Cm. gate. Hl. rise. 1990. E. Hn. Pt. dore was.

1995

Ther saugh I first the derke imagining

[58: T. 1998-2033.]

Of felonye, and al the compassing;

The cruel ire, reed as any glede;

(1140)

The pykepurs, and eek the pale drede;

The smyler with the knyf under the cloke;

2000

The shepne brenning with the blake smoke;

The treson of the mordring in the bedde;

The open werre, with woundes al bi-bledde;

Contek, with blody knyf and sharp manace;

Al ful of chirking was that sory place.

2005

The sleere of him-self yet saugh I ther,

His herte-blood hath bathed al his heer;

The nayl y-driven in the shode a-night;

(1150)

The colde deeth, with mouth gaping up-right.

Amiddes of the temple sat meschaunce,

2010

With disconfort and sory contenaunce.

Yet saugh I woodnesse laughing in his rage;

Armed compleint, out-hees, and fiers outrage.

The careyne in the bush, with throte y-corve:

A thousand slayn, and nat of qualm y-storve;

2015

The tiraunt, with the prey by force y-raft;

The toun destroyed, ther was no-thing laft.

Yet saugh I brent the shippes hoppesteres;

(1160)

The hunte strangled with the wilde beres:

The sowe freten the child right in the cradel;

2020

The cook y-scalded, for al his longe ladel.

Noght was foryeten by the infortune of Marte;

The carter over-riden with his carte,

Under the wheel ful lowe he lay adoun.

Ther were also, of Martes divisioun,

2025

The barbour, and the bocher, and the smith

That forgeth sharpe swerdes on his stith.

And al above, depeynted in a tour,

(1170)

Saw I conquest sittinge in greet honour,

With the sharpe swerde over his heed

2030

Hanginge by a sotil twynes threed.

Depeynted was the slaughtre of Iulius,

[59: T. 2034-2069.]

Of grete Nero, and of Antonius;

Al be that thilke tyme they were unborn,

Yet was hir deeth depeynted ther-biforn,

2035

By manasinge of Mars, right by figure;

So was it shewed in that portreiture

As is depeynted in the sterres above,

(1180)

Who shal be slayn or elles deed for love.

Suffyceth oon ensample in stories olde,

2040

I may not rekne hem alle, thogh I wolde.

1995. E. Hn. dirke. 1996. E. Cm. on. al. 1998. E. Cm. om. eek. 2012. Cm. outes. 2013. E. Cp. Ln. busk; Cm. bosch; Hn. Pt. bussh. 2014. E. ins. oon after nat. 2021. Hl. om. by. 2025. E. Cm. laborer; rest barbour. 2029. Pt. Ln. swerde; rest swerd. 2030. E. soutil; Hn. Cp. Ln. subtil. 2037. Hl. sterres; E. Pt. certres; rest sertres.

The statue of Mars up-on a carte stood,

Armed, and loked grim as he were wood;

And over his he'ed ther shynen two figures

Of sterres, that been cleped in scriptures,

2045

That oon Puella, that other Rubeus.

This god of armes was arrayed thus:—

A wolf ther stood biforn him at his feet

(1190)

With eyen rede, and of a man he eet;

With sotil pencel was depeynt this storie,

2050

In redoutinge of Mars and of his glorie.

2049. Cm. sotyl; E. soutil. All depeynted ( badly ); see C. 950.

Now to the temple of Diane the chaste

As shortly as I can I wol me haste,

To telle yow al the descripcioun.

Depeynted been the walles up and doun

2055

Of hunting and of shamfast chastitee.

Ther saugh I how woful Calistopee,

Whan that Diane agreved was with here,

(1200)

Was turned from a womman til a bere,

And after was she maad the lode-sterre;

2060

Thus was it peynt, I can say yow no ferre;

Hir sone is eek a sterre, as men may see.

Ther saugh I Dane, y-turned til a tree,

I mene nat the goddesse Diane,

But Penneus doughter, which that highte Dane.

2065

Ther saugh I Attheon an hert y-maked,

For vengeaunce that he saugh Diane al naked;

I saugh how that his houndes have him caught,

[60: T. 2070-2106.]

(1210)

And freten him, for that they knewe him naught.

Yet peynted was a litel forther-moor,

2070

How Atthalante hunted the wilde boor,

And Meleagre, and many another mo,

For which Diane wroghte him care and wo.

Ther saugh I many another wonder storie,

The whiche me list nat drawen to memorie.

2075

This goddesse on an hert ful hye seet,

With smale houndes al aboute hir feet;

And undernethe hir feet she hadde a mone,

(1220)

Wexing it was, and sholde wanie sone.

In gaude grene hir statue clothed was,

2080

With bowe in honde, and arwes in a cas.

Hir eyen caste she ful lowe adoun,

Ther Pluto hath his derke regioun.

A womman travailinge was hir biforn,

But, for hir child so longe was unborn,

2085

Ful pitously Lucyna gan she calle,

And seyde, 'help, for thou mayst best of alle.'

Wel couthe he peynten lyfly that it wroghte,

(1230)

With many a florin he the hewes boghte.

2058. E. Pt. Ln. Hl. to; rest til; see l. 2062. 2060. All peynted; see l. 2049. Hl. om. yow. 2062. Hl. Cp. Pt. Ln. turned. 2067. E. Hn. hise; Cm. hese. 2069. E. om. was. 2071. E. Hn. Meleagree. 2075. E. Cp. Pt. ins. wel after ful.

Now been thise listes maad, and Theseus,

2090

That at his grete cost arrayed thus

The temples and the theatre every del,

Whan it was doon, him lyked wonder wel.

But stinte I wol of Theseus a lyte,

And speke of Palamon and of Arcite.

2089. thise] E. the.

2095

The day approcheth of hir retourninge,

That everich sholde an hundred knightes bringe,

The bataille to darreyne, as I yow tolde;

(1240)

And til Athenes, hir covenant for to holde,

Hath everich of hem broght an hundred knightes

2100

Wel armed for the werre at alle rightes.

And sikerly, ther trowed many a man

That never, sithen that the world bigan,

As for to speke of knighthod of hir hond,