Geoffrey Chaucer - Geoffrey Chaucer - The Canterbury Tales (English Edition)

A softe pace solemnely they ride.

Nought, trow I, the triumph of Julius

Of which that Lucan maketh such a boast,

Was royaller, or more curious,

Than was th' assembly of this blissful host

But O this scorpion, this wicked ghost,* *spirit

The Soudaness, for all her flattering

Cast* under this full mortally to sting. *contrived

The Soudan came himself soon after this,

So royally, that wonder is to tell,

And welcomed her with all joy and bliss.

And thus in mirth and joy I let them dwell.

The fruit of his matter is that I tell;

When the time came, men thought it for the best

That revel stint,* and men go to their rest. *cease

The time is come that this old Soudaness

Ordained hath the feast of which I told,

And to the feast the Christian folk them dress

In general, yea, bothe young and old.

There may men feast and royalty behold,

And dainties more than I can you devise;

But all too dear they bought it ere they rise.

O sudden woe, that ev'r art successour

To worldly bliss! sprent* is with bitterness *sprinkled

Th' end of our joy, of our worldly labour;

Woe *occupies the fine* of our gladness. *seizes the end*

Hearken this counsel, for thy sickerness*: *security

Upon thy glade days have in thy mind

The unware* woe of harm, that comes behind. *unforeseen

For, shortly for to tell it at a word,

The Soudan and the Christians every one

Were all *to-hewn and sticked* at the board, *cut to pieces*

But it were only Dame Constance alone.

This olde Soudaness, this cursed crone,

Had with her friendes done this cursed deed,

For she herself would all the country lead.

Nor there was Syrian that was converted,

That of the counsel of the Soudan wot*, *knew

That was not all to-hewn, ere he asterted*: *escaped

And Constance have they ta'en anon foot-hot*, *immediately

And in a ship all steereless,* God wot, *without rudder

They have her set, and bid her learn to sail

Out of Syria *again-ward to Itale.* *back to Italy*

A certain treasure that she thither lad,* *took

And, sooth to say, of victual great plenty,

They have her giv'n, and clothes eke she had

And forth she sailed in the salte sea:

O my Constance, full of benignity,

O emperores younge daughter dear,

He that is lord of fortune be thy steer*! *rudder, guide

She bless'd herself, and with full piteous voice

Unto the cross of Christ thus saide she;

"O dear, O wealful* altar, holy cross, *blessed, beneficent

Red of the Lambes blood, full of pity,

That wash'd the world from old iniquity,

Me from the fiend and from his clawes keep,

That day that I shall drenchen* in the deepe. *drown

"Victorious tree, protection of the true,

That only worthy were for to bear

The King of Heaven, with his woundes new,

The white Lamb, that hurt was with a spear;

Flemer* of fiendes out of him and her *banisher, driver out

On which thy limbes faithfully extend,<10>

Me keep, and give me might my life to mend."

Yeares and days floated this creature

Throughout the sea of Greece, unto the strait

Of Maroc*, as it was her a venture: *Morocco; Gibraltar

On many a sorry meal now may she bait,

After her death full often may she wait*, *expect

Ere that the wilde waves will her drive

Unto the place *there as* she shall arrive. *where

Men mighten aske, why she was not slain?

Eke at the feast who might her body save?

And I answer to that demand again,

Who saved Daniel in the horrible cave,

Where every wight, save he, master or knave*, *servant

Was with the lion frett*, ere he astart?** *devoured ** escaped

No wight but God, that he bare in his heart.

God list* to shew his wonderful miracle *it pleased

In her, that we should see his mighty workes:

Christ, which that is to every harm triacle*, *remedy, salve

By certain meanes oft, as knowe clerkes*, *scholars

Doth thing for certain ende, that full derk is

To manne's wit, that for our, ignorance

Ne cannot know his prudent purveyance*. *foresight

Now since she was not at the feast y-slaw,* *slain

Who kepte her from drowning in the sea?

Who kepte Jonas in the fish's maw,

Till he was spouted up at Nineveh?

Well may men know, it was no wight but he

That kept the Hebrew people from drowning,

With drye feet throughout the sea passing.

Who bade the foure spirits of tempest,<11>

That power have t' annoye land and sea,

Both north and south, and also west and east,

Annoye neither sea, nor land, nor tree?

Soothly the commander of that was he

That from the tempest aye this woman kept,

As well when she awoke as when she slept.

Where might this woman meat and drinke have?

Three year and more how lasted her vitaille*? *victuals

Who fed the Egyptian Mary in the cave

Or in desert? no wight but Christ *sans faille.* *without fail*

Five thousand folk it was as great marvaille

With loaves five and fishes two to feed

God sent his foison* at her greate need. *abundance

She drived forth into our ocean

Throughout our wilde sea, till at the last

Under an hold*, that nempnen** I not can, *castle **name

Far in Northumberland, the wave her cast

And in the sand her ship sticked so fast

That thennes would it not in all a tide: <12>

The will of Christ was that she should abide.

The Constable of the castle down did fare* *go

To see this wreck, and all the ship he sought*, *searched

And found this weary woman full of care;

He found also the treasure that she brought:

In her language mercy she besought,

The life out of her body for to twin*, *divide

Her to deliver of woe that she was in.

A manner Latin corrupt <13> was her speech,

But algate* thereby was she understond. *nevertheless

The Constable, when him list no longer seech*, *search

This woeful woman brought he to the lond.

She kneeled down, and thanked *Godde's sond*; *what God had sent*

But what she was she would to no man say

For foul nor fair, although that she should dey.* *die

She said, she was so mazed in the sea,

That she forgot her minde, by her truth.

The Constable had of her so great pity

And eke his wife, that they wept for ruth:* *pity

She was so diligent withoute slouth

To serve and please every one in that place,

That all her lov'd, that looked in her face.

The Constable and Dame Hermegild his wife

Were Pagans, and that country every where;

But Hermegild lov'd Constance as her life;

And Constance had so long sojourned there

In orisons, with many a bitter tear,

Till Jesus had converted through His grace

Dame Hermegild, Constabless of that place.

In all that land no Christians durste rout;* *assemble

All Christian folk had fled from that country

Through Pagans, that conquered all about

The plages* of the North by land and sea. *regions, coasts

To Wales had fled the *Christianity *the Old Britons who

Of olde Britons,* dwelling in this isle; were Christians*

There was their refuge for the meanewhile.

But yet n'ere* Christian Britons so exiled, *there were

That there n'ere* some which in their privity not

Honoured Christ, and heathen folk beguiled;

And nigh the castle such there dwelled three:

And one of them was blind, and might not see,

But* it were with thilk* eyen of his mind, *except **those

With which men maye see when they be blind.

Bright was the sun, as in a summer's day,