情色书屋

THE KNIGHT’S TALE02
书名： 坎特伯雷故事集 作者： （英） 乔叟 本章字数： 21732 更新时间： 2024-06-13 17:43:43

And heareth him come rushing in the greves*,*groves

And breaking both the boughes and the leaves,

Thinketh, “Here comes my mortal enemy,

Withoute fail, he must be dead or I;

For either I must slay him at the gap;

Or he must slay me, if that me mishap:”

So fared they, in changing of their hue

*As far as either of them other knew*. *When they recognised each

There was no good day, and no saluting, other afar off*

But straight, withoute wordes rehearsing,

Evereach of them holp to arm the other,

As friendly, as he were his owen brother.

And after that, with sharpe speares strong

They foined* each at other wonder long. *thrust

Thou mightest weene*, that this Palamon *think

In fighting were as a wood* lion, *ma

And as a cruel tiger was Arcite:

As wilde boars gan they together smite,

That froth as white as foam, *for ire wood*. *mad with anger*

Up to the ancle fought they in their blood.

And in this wise I let them fighting dwell

And forth I will of Theseus you tell.

The Destiny, minister general,

That executeth in the world o’er all

The purveyance*, that God hath seen beforn; *foreordination

So strong it is, that though the world had sworn

The contrary of a thing by yea or nay,

Yet some time it shall fallen on a day

That falleth not eft* in a thousand year. *again

For certainly our appetites here,

Be it of war, or peace, or hate, or love,

All is this ruled by the sight* above. *eye, intelligence, power

This mean I now by mighty Theseus,

That for to hunten is so desirous —

And namely* the greate hart in May — *especially

That in his bed there dawneth him no day

That he n’is clad, and ready for to ride

With hunt and horn, and houndes him beside.

For in his hunting hath he such delight,

That it is all his joy and appetite

To be himself the greate harte’s bane* *destruction

For after Mars he serveth now Diane.

Clear was the day, as I have told ere this,

And Theseus, with alle joy and bliss,

With his Hippolyta, the faire queen,

And Emily, y-clothed all in green,

On hunting be they ridden royally.

And to the grove, that stood there faste by,

In which there was an hart, as men him told,

Duke Theseus the straighte way doth hold,

And to the laund* he rideth him full right, *plain

There was the hart y-wont to have his flight

And over a brook, and so forth on his way.

This Duke will have a course at him or tway

With houndes, such as him lust* to command. *pleased

And when this Duke was come to the laund,

Under the sun he looked, and anon

He was ware of Arcite and Palamon,

That foughte breme*, as it were bulles two. *fiercel

The brighte swordes wente to and fro

So hideously, that with the leaste stroke

It seemed that it woulde fell an oak,

But what they were, nothing yet he wote*. *knew

This Duke his courser with his spurres smote,

*And at a start* he was betwixt them two, *suddenly*

And pulled out a sword and cried, “Ho!

No more, on pain of losing of your head.

By mighty Mars, he shall anon be dead

That smiteth any stroke, that I may see!

But tell to me what mister* men ye be, *manner,kind

That be so hardy for to fighte her

Withoute judge or other officer

As though it were in listes royally.

This Palamon answered hastily,

And saide: “Sir, what needeth wordes mo’?

We have the death deserved bothe two,

Two woful wretches be we, and caitives,

That be accumbered* of our own lives, *burdened

And as thou art a rightful lord and judge,

So give us neither mercy nor refuge.

And slay me first, for sainte charity

But slay my fellow eke as well as me.

Or slay him first; for, though thou know it lite*,*little

This is thy mortal foe, this is Arcite

That from thy land is banisht on his head,

For which he hath deserved to be dead.

For this is he that came unto thy gate

And saide, that he highte Philostrate.

Thus hath he japed* thee full many year, *deceived

And thou hast made of him thy chief esquier;

And this is he, that loveth Emily.

For since the day is come that I shall die

I make pleinly* my confession, *fully, unreservedly

That I am thilke* woful Palamon, *that same

That hath thy prison broken wickedly.

I am thy mortal foe, and it am I

That so hot loveth Emily the bright,

That I would die here present in her sight.

Therefore I aske death and my jewise*. *judgement

But slay my fellow eke in the same wise,

For both we have deserved to be slain.”

This worthy Duke answer’d anon again,

And said, “This is a short conclusion.

Your own mouth, by your own confession

Hath damned you, and I will it record;

It needeth not to pain you with the cord;

Ye shall be dead, by mighty Mars the Red.

The queen anon for very womanhead

Began to weep, and so did Emily,

And all the ladies in the company.

Great pity was it as it thought them all,

That ever such a chance should befall,

For gentle men they were, of great estate,

And nothing but for love was this debate

They saw their bloody woundes wide and sore,

And cried all at once, both less and more,

“Have mercy, Lord, upon us women all.”

And on their bare knees adown they fall

And would have kissed his feet there as he stood,

Till at the last *aslaked was his mood* *his anger was

(For pity runneth soon in gentle heart); appeased*

And though at first for ire he quoke and star

He hath consider’d shortly in a clause

The trespass of them both, and eke the cause:

And although that his ire their guilt accused

Yet in his reason he them both excused;

As thus; he thoughte well that every man

Will help himself in love if that he can,

And eke deliver himself out of prison.

Of women, for they wepten ever-in-one:* *continually

And eke his hearte had compassion

And in his gentle heart he thought anon,

And soft unto himself he saide: “Fie

Upon a lord that will have no mercy,

But be a lion both in word and deed,

To them that be in repentance and dread,

As well as-to a proud dispiteous* man *unpitying

That will maintaine what he first began

That lord hath little of discretion,

That in such case *can no division*: *can make no distinction*

But weigheth pride and humbless *after one*.” *alike*

And shortly, when his ire is thus agone,

He gan to look on them with eyen light*, *gentle,lenient*

And spake these same wordes *all on height.**aloud*

“The god of love, ah! benedicite*, *bless ye him

How mighty and how great a lord is he!

Against his might there gaine* none obstacles,*avail, conquer

He may be called a god for his miracles

For he can maken at his owen guise

Of every heart, as that him list devise.

Lo here this Arcite, and this Palamon,

That quietly were out of my prison,

And might have lived in Thebes royally,

And weet* I am their mortal enemy, *knew

And that their death li’th in my might also,

And yet hath love, *maugre their eyen two*, *in spite of their eyes*

Y-brought them hither bothe for to die.

Now look ye, is not this an high folly?

Who may not be a fool, if but he love?

Behold, for Godde’s sake that sits above,

See how they bleed! be they not well array’d?

Thus hath their lord, the god of love, them paid

Their wages and their fees for their service;

And yet they weene for to be full wise,

That serve love, for aught that may befall.

But this is yet the beste game* of all, *joke

That she, for whom they have this jealousy,

Can them therefor as muchel thank as me.

She wot no more of all this *hote fare*, *hot behaviour*

By God, than wot a cuckoo or an hare.

But all must be assayed hot or cold;

A man must be a fool, or young or old;

I wot it by myself *full yore agone*: *long years ago*

For in my time a servant was I one.

And therefore since I know of love’s pain,

And wot how sore it can a man distrain*, *distress

As he that oft hath been caught in his last*, *snare

I you forgive wholly this trespass,

At request of the queen that kneeleth here,

And eke of Emily, my sister dear.

And ye shall both anon unto me swear,

That never more ye shall my country dere* *injure

Nor make war upon me night nor day,

But be my friends in alle that ye may.

I you forgive this trespass *every deal*. *completely*

And they him sware *his asking* fair and well, *what he asked*

And him of lordship and of mercy pray’d,

And he them granted grace, and thus he said:

“To speak of royal lineage and richess,

Though that she were a queen or a princess,

Each of you both is worthy doubteless

To wedde when time is; but natheless

I speak as for my sister Emily,

For whom ye have this strife and jealousy,

Ye wot* yourselves, she may not wed the two *know zhangfangcn copyr-infringement redalert

At once, although ye fight for evermo

But one of you, *all be him loth or lief,* *whether or not he wishes*

He must *go pipe into an ivy leaf*: *”go whistle”*

This is to say, she may not have you both,

All be ye never so jealous, nor so wroth.

And therefore I you put in this degree,

That each of you shall have his destiny

As *him is shape*; and hearken in what wise *as is decreed for him*

Lo hear your end of that I shall devise.

My will is this, for plain conclusion

Withouten any replication*, *reply

If that you liketh, take it for the best,

That evereach of you shall go where *him lest*, *he pleases

Freely without ransom or danger;

And this day fifty weekes, *farre ne nerre*, *neither more nor less*

Evereach of you shall bring an hundred knights,

Armed for listes up at alle rights

All ready to darraine* her by bataille, *contend for

And this behete* I you withoute fail *promise

Upon my troth, and as I am a knight,

That whether of you bothe that hath might,

That is to say, that whether he or thou

May with his hundred, as I spake of now,

Slay his contrary, or out of listes drive,

Him shall I given Emily to wive,

To whom that fortune gives so fair a grace.

The listes shall I make here in this place.

*And God so wisly on my soule rue*, *may God as surely have

As I shall even judge be and true. mercy on my soul*

Ye shall none other ende with me maken

Than one of you shalle be dead or taken.

And if you thinketh this is well y-said,

Say your advice*, and hold yourselves apaid**. *opinion **satisfie

This is your end, and your conclusion.”

Who looketh lightly now but Palamon?

Who springeth up for joye but Arcite?

Who could it tell, or who could it indite,

The joye that is maked in the place

When Theseus hath done so fair a grace?

But down on knees went every *manner wight*,*kind of person*

And thanked him with all their heartes’ might,

And namely* these Thebans *ofte sithe*. *especially *oftentimes*

And thus with good hope and with hearte blithe

They take their leave, and homeward gan they ride

To Thebes-ward, with his old walles wide.

I trow men woulde deem it negligence,

If I forgot to telle the dispence* *expenditure

Of Theseus, that went so busily

To maken up the listes royally,

That such a noble theatre as it was,

I dare well say, in all this world there n’as*. *was not

The circuit a mile was about,

Walled of stone, and ditched all without.

*Round was the shape, in manner of compass,

Full of degrees, the height of sixty pas* *see note *

That when a man was set on one degree

He letted* not his fellow for to see. *hindered

Eastward there stood a gate of marble white,

Westward right such another opposite.

And, shortly to conclude, such a place

Was never on earth made in so little space,

For in the land there was no craftes-man,

That geometry or arsmetrike* can**, *arithmetic **knew

Nor pourtrayor*, nor carver of images, *portrait painter

That Theseus ne gave him meat and wages

The theatre to make and to devise.

And for to do his rite and sacrific

He eastward hath upon the gate above,

In worship of Venus, goddess of love,

*Done make* an altar and an oratory; *caused to be made*

And westward, in the mind and in memory

Of Mars, he maked hath right such another,

That coste largely of gold a fother*. *a great amount

And northward, in a turret on the wall,

Of alabaster white and red coral

An oratory riche for to see,

In worship of Diane of chastity,

Hath Theseus done work in noble wise.

But yet had I forgotten to devise* *describe

The noble carving, and the portraitures,

The shape, the countenance of the figure

That weren in there oratories three.

First in the temple of Venus may’st thou see

Wrought on the wall, full piteous to behold,

The broken sleepes, and the sikes* cold, *sighes

The sacred teares, and the waimentings*, *lamentings

The fiery strokes of the desirings

That Love’s servants in this life endure;

The oathes, that their covenants assure.

Pleasance and Hope, Desire, Foolhardiness,

Beauty and Youth, and Bawdry and Richess,

Charms and Sorc’ry, Leasings* and Flattery, *falsehoods

Dispence, Business, and Jealousy,

That wore of yellow goldes* a garland, *sunflowers

And had a cuckoo sitting on her hand,

Feasts, instruments, and caroles and dances,

Lust and array, and all the circumstances

Of Love, which I reckon’d and reckon shall

In order, were painted on the wall,

And more than I can make of mention.

For soothly all the mount of Citheron,

Where Venus hath her principal dwelling,

Was showed on the wall in pourtraying,

With all the garden, and the lustiness*. *pleasantness

Nor was forgot the porter Idleness,

Nor Narcissus the fair of *yore agone*, *olden times*

Nor yet the folly of King Solomon,

Nor yet the greate strength of Hercules,

Th’ enchantments of Medea and Circes,

Nor of Turnus the hardy fierce courage

The rich Croesus *caitif in servage.* *abased into slavery*

Thus may ye see, that wisdom nor richess,

Beauty, nor sleight, nor strength, nor hardiness

Ne may with Venus holde champartie*, *divided possession

For as her liste the world may she gie*. *guide

Lo, all these folk so caught were in her las* *snare

Till they for woe full often said, Alas!

Suffice these ensamples one or two

Although I could reckon a thousand mo’.

The statue of Venus, glorious to see

Was naked floating in the large sea

And from the navel down all cover’d was

With waves green, and bright as any glass.

A citole in her right hand hadde she,

And on her head, full seemly for to see,

A rose garland fresh, and well smelling,

Above her head her doves flickerin

Before her stood her sone Cupido,

Upon his shoulders winges had he two;

And blind he was, as it is often seen;

A bow he bare, and arrows bright and keen.

Why should I not as well eke tell you all

The portraiture, that was upon the wall

Within the temple of mighty Mars the Red?

All painted was the wall in length and brede**breadth

Like to the estres* of the grisly place *interior chambers

That hight the great temple of Mars in Thrace,

In thilke* cold and frosty region, *that

There as Mars hath his sovereign mansion.

In which there dwelled neither man nor beast,

With knotty gnarry* barren trees old *gnarled

Of stubbes sharp and hideous to behold;

In which there ran a rumble and a sough*, *groaning noise

As though a storm should bursten every bough:

And downward from an hill under a bent* *slope

There stood the temple of Mars Armipotent,

Wrought all of burnish’d steel, of which th’ entry

Was long and strait, and ghastly for to see.

And thereout came *a rage and such a vise*, *such a furious voice*

That it made all the gates for to rise.

The northern light in at the doore shone,

For window on the walle was there none

Through which men mighten any light discern.

The doors were all of adamant etern,

Y-clenched *overthwart and ende-long* *crossways and lengthways*

With iron tough, and, for to make it strong,

Every pillar the temple to sustain

Was tunne-great*, of iron bright and sheen. *thick as a tun (barrel)

There saw I first the dark imaginin

Of felony, and all the compassing;

The cruel ire, as red as any glede*, *live coal

The picke-purse, and eke the pale dread;

The smiler with the knife under the cloak,

The shepen* burning with the blacke smoke *stable

The treason of the murd’ring in the bed,

The open war, with woundes all be-bled;

Conteke* with bloody knife, and sharp menace. *contention, discord

All full of chirking* was that sorry place. *creaking, jarring noise

The slayer of himself eke saw I there,

His hearte-blood had bathed all his hair:

The nail y-driven in the shode* at night, *hair of the head

The colde death, with mouth gaping upright.

Amiddes of the temple sat Mischance,

With discomfort and sorry countenance;

Eke saw I Woodness* laughing in his rage, *Madness

Armed Complaint, Outhees*, and fierce Outrage;

*Outcry

The carrain* in the bush, with throat y-corve**, *corpse **slashed

A thousand slain, and not *of qualm y-storve*; *dead of sickness*

The tyrant, with the prey by force y-reft;

The town destroy’d, that there was nothing left.

Yet saw I brent* the shippes hoppesteres, *burnt

The hunter strangled with the wilde bears:

The sow freting* the child right in the cradle; *devouring

The cook scalded, for all his longe ladle.

Nor was forgot, *by th’infortune of Mart* *through the misfortune

The carter overridden with his cart; of war*

Under the wheel full low he lay adown.

There were also of Mars’ division,

The armourer, the bowyer*, and the smith, *maker of bows

That forgeth sharp swordes on his stith*. *anvil

And all above depainted in a tower

Saw I Conquest, sitting in great honour,

With thilke* sharpe sword over his head *that

Hanging by a subtle y-twined thread.

Painted the slaughter was of Julius,

Of cruel Nero, and Antonius:

Although at that time they were yet unborn,

Yet was their death depainted there beforn,

By menacing of Mars, right by figure

So was it showed in that portraiture,

As is depainted in the stars above,

Who shall be slain, or elles dead for love.

Sufficeth one ensample in stories old

I may not reckon them all, though I wo’ld.

The statue of Mars upon a carte* stood *chariot

Armed, and looked grim as he were wood*, *mad

And over his head there shone two figure

Of starres, that be cleped in scriptures,

That one Puella, that other Rubeus.

This god of armes was arrayed thus:

A wolf there stood before him at his feet

With eyen red, and of a man he eat:

With subtle pencil painted was this story,

In redouting* of Mars and of his glory. *reverance,fear

Now to the temple of Dian the chaste

As shortly as I can I will me haste,

To telle you all the descriptioun.

Depainted be the walles up and down

Of hunting and of shamefast chastity.

There saw I how woful Calistope,

When that Dian aggrieved was with her,

Was turned from a woman to a bear,

And after was she made the lodestar*: *pole star

Thus was it painted, I can say no far*; *farther

Her son is eke a star as men may see.

There saw I Dane turn’d into a tree,

I meane not the goddess Diane,

But Peneus’ daughter, which that hight Dane.

There saw I Actaeon an hart y-maked*, *made

For vengeance that he saw Dian all naked:

I saw how that his houndes have him caught,

And freten* him, for that they knew him not. *devour

Yet painted was, a little farthermore

How Atalanta hunted the wild boar;

And Meleager, and many other mo’,

For which Diana wrought them care and woe.

There saw I many another wondrous story,

The which me list not drawen to memory.

This goddess on an hart full high was set*, *seated

With smalle houndes all about her feet,

And underneath her feet she had a moon,

Waxing it was, and shoulde wane soon.

In gaudy green her statue clothed was,

With bow in hand, and arrows in a case*. *quiver

Her eyen caste she full low adown,

Where Pluto hath his darke regioun.

A woman travailing was her beforn,

But, for her child so longe was unborn,

Full piteously Lucina gan she call,

And saide; “Help, for thou may’st best of all.”

Well could he painte lifelike that it wrought;

With many a florin he the hues had bought

Now be these listes made, and Theseus,

That at his greate cost arrayed thus

The temples, and the theatre every deal*, *part

When it was done, him liked wonder well.

But stint* I will of Theseus a lite**, *cease speaking**little

And speak of Palamon and of Arcite.

The day approacheth of their returning,

That evereach an hundred knights should bring,

The battle to darraine* as I you told; *contest

And to Athens, their covenant to hold,

Hath ev’reach of them brought an hundred knights,

Well-armed for the war at alle rights.

And sickerly* there trowed** many a man, *surely **believed

That never, sithen* that the world began, *since

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.

For every wight that loved chivalry,

And would, *his thankes, have a passant name*,*thanks to his own

Had prayed, that he might be of that game, efforts,have a

And well was him, that thereto chosen was. surpassing name*

For if there fell to-morrow such a case,

Ye knowe well, that every lusty knight,

That loveth par amour, and hath his might

Were it in Engleland, or elleswhere,

They would, their thankes, willen to be there,

T’ fight for a lady; Benedicite

It were a lusty* sighte for to see. *pleasing

And right so fared they with Palamon;

With him there wente knightes many one.

Some will be armed in an habergeon,

And in a breast-plate, and in a gipon*; *short doublet.

And some will have *a pair of plates* large; *back and front armour*

And some will have a Prusse* shield, or targe; *Prussian

Some will be armed on their legges weel;

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

There is no newe guise*, but it was old. *fashion

Armed they weren, as I have you told,

Evereach after his opinion.

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 betwixte yellow and red,

And like a griffin looked he about

With kemped* haires on his browes stout; *combed

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

His shoulders broad, his armes round and long.

And as the guise* was in his country, *fashion

Full high upon a car of gold stood he,

With foure white bulles in the trace.

Instead of coat-armour on his harness,

With yellow nails, and bright as any gold,

He had a beare’s skin, coal-black for old*. *age

His long hair was y-kempt behind his back,

As any raven’s feather it shone for black.

A wreath of gold *arm-great*, of huge weight,*thick as a man’s arm*

Upon his head sate, full of stones bright,

Of fine rubies and clear diamants

About his car there wente white alauns*, *greyhounds

Twenty and more, as great as any steer,

To hunt the lion or the wilde bear,

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

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