Troilus and Crisyde | Page 9

maystow be,?That certayn, for to deyen in the peyne,?That I shal never-mo discoveren thee; 675?Ne, by my trouthe, I kepe nat restreyne?Thee fro thy love, thogh that it were Eleyne,?That is thy brotheres wif, if ich it wiste;?Be what she be, and love hir as thee liste.
`Therfore, as freend fullich in me assure, 680?And tel me plat what is thyn enchesoun,?And final cause of wo that ye endure;?For douteth no-thing, myn entencioun?Nis nought to yow of reprehencioun,?To speke as now, for no wight may bireve 685?A man to love, til that him list to leve.
`And witeth wel, that bothe two ben vyces,?Mistrusten alle, or elles alle leve;?But wel I woot, the mene of it no vyce is,?For to trusten sum wight is a preve 690?Of trouthe, and for-thy wolde I fayn remeve?Thy wrong conseyte, and do thee som wight triste,?Thy wo to telle; and tel me, if thee liste.
`The wyse seyth, "Wo him that is allone,?For, and he falle, he hath noon help to ryse;" 695?And sith thou hast a felawe, tel thy mone;?For this nis not, certeyn, the nexte wyse?To winnen love, as techen us the wyse,?To walwe and wepe as Niobe the quene,?Whos teres yet in marbel been y-sene. 700
`Lat be thy weping and thi drerinesse,?And lat us lissen wo with other speche;?So may thy woful tyme seme lesse.?Delyte not in wo thy wo to seche,?As doon thise foles that hir sorwes eche 705?With sorwe, whan they han misaventure,?And listen nought to seche hem other cure.
`Men seyn, "To wrecche is consolacioun?To have an-other felawe in his peyne;"?That oughte wel ben our opinioun, 710?For, bothe thou and I, of love we pleyne;?So ful of sorwe am I, soth for to seyne,?That certeynly no more harde grace?May sitte on me, for-why ther is no space.?`If god wole thou art not agast of me, 715?Lest I wolde of thy lady thee bigyle,?Thow wost thy-self whom that I love, pardee,?As I best can, gon sithen longe whyle.?And sith thou wost I do it for no wyle,?And sith I am he that thou tristest most, 720?Tel me sumwhat, sin al my wo thou wost.'
Yet Troilus, for al this, no word seyde,?But longe he ley as stille as he ded were;?And after this with sykinge he abreyde,?And to Pandarus voys he lente his ere, 725?And up his eyen caste he, that in fere?Was Pandarus, lest that in frenesye?He sholde falle, or elles sone dye;
And cryde `A-wake' ful wonderly and sharpe;?`What? Slombrestow as in a lytargye? 730?Or artow lyk an asse to the harpe,?That hereth soun, whan men the strenges plye,?But in his minde of that no melodye?May sinken, him to glade, for that he?So dul is of his bestialitee?' 735
And with that, Pandare of his wordes stente;?And Troilus yet him no word answerde,?For-why to telle nas not his entente?To never no man, for whom that he so ferde.?For it is seyd, `Man maketh ofte a yerde 740?With which the maker is him-self y-beten?In sondry maner,' as thise wyse treten,
And namely, in his counseyl tellinge?That toucheth love that oughte be secree;?For of him-self it wolde y-nough out-springe, 745?But-if that it the bet governed be.?Eek som-tyme it is craft to seme flee?Fro thing which in effect men hunte faste;?Al this gan Troilus in his herte caste.
But nathelees, whan he had herd him crye 750?`Awake!' he gan to syke wonder sore,?And seyde, `Freend, though that I stille lye,?I am not deef; now pees, and cry no more;?For I have herd thy wordes and thy lore;?But suffre me my mischef to biwayle, 755?For thy proverbes may me nought avayle.
`Nor other cure canstow noon for me.?Eek I nil not be cured, I wol deye;?What knowe I of the quene Niobe??Lat be thyne olde ensaumples, I thee preye.' 760?`No,' quod tho Pandarus, `therfore I seye,?Swich is delyt of foles to biwepe?Hir wo, but seken bote they ne kepe.?`Now knowe I that ther reson in the fayleth.?But tel me, if I wiste what she were 765?For whom that thee al this misaunter ayleth??Dorstestow that I tolde hir in hir ere?Thy wo, sith thou darst not thy-self for fere,?And hir bisoughte on thee to han som routhe?'?`Why, nay,' quod he, `by god and by my trouthe!' 770
`What, Not as bisily,' quod Pandarus,?`As though myn owene lyf lay on this nede?'?`No, certes, brother,' quod this Troilus,?`And why?' -- `For that thou sholdest never spede.'?`Wostow that wel?' -- `Ye, that is out of drede,' 775?Quod Troilus, `for al that ever ye conne,?She nil to noon swich wrecche as I be wonne.'
Quod Pandarus, `Allas! What may this be,?That thou dispeyred art thus causelees??What? Liveth not thy lady? Benedicite! 780?How wostow so that thou art gracelees??Swich yvel is nat alwey botelees.?Why, put not impossible thus thy cure,?Sin thing to come is ofte in aventure.
`I graunte wel that thou endurest wo 785?As sharp as doth he, Ticius,