confessio amantis-第127章
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Wherof a tale in remembrance;
Which is a long process to hiere;
I thenke forto tellen hiere。 270
Of a Cronique in daies gon;
The which is cleped Pantheon;
In loves cause I rede thus;
Hou that the grete Antiochus;
Of whom that Antioche tok
His ferste name; as seith the bok;
Was coupled to a noble queene;
And hadde a dowhter hem betwene:
Bot such fortune cam to honde;
That deth; which no king mai withstonde; 280
Bot every lif it mote obeie;
This worthi queene tok aweie。
The king; which made mochel mone;
Tho stod; as who seith; al him one
Withoute wif; bot natheles
His doghter; which was piereles
Of beaute; duelte aboute him stille。
Bot whanne a man hath welthe at wille;
The fleissh is frele and falleth ofte;
And that this maide tendre and softe; 290
Which in hire fadres chambres duelte;
Withinne a time wiste and felte:
For likinge and concupiscence
Withoute insihte of conscience
The fader so with lustes blente;
That he caste al his hole entente
His oghne doghter forto spille。
This king hath leisir at his wille
With strengthe; and whanne he time sih;
This yonge maiden he forlih: 300
And sche was tendre and full of drede;
Sche couthe noght hir Maidenhede
Defende; and thus sche hath forlore
The flour which she hath longe bore。
It helpeth noght althogh sche wepe;
For thei that scholde hir bodi kepe
Of wommen were absent as thanne;
And thus this maiden goth to manne;
The wylde fader thus devoureth
His oghne fleissh; which non socoureth; 310
And that was cause of mochel care。
Bot after this unkinde fare
Out of the chambre goth the king;
And sche lay stille; and of this thing;
Withinne hirself such sorghe made;
Ther was no wiht that mihte hir glade;
For feere of thilke horrible vice。
With that cam inne the Norrice
Which fro childhode hire hadde kept;
And axeth if sche hadde slept; 320
And why hire chiere was unglad。
Bot sche; which hath ben overlad
Of that sche myhte noght be wreke;
For schame couthe unethes speke;
And natheles mercy sche preide
With wepende yhe and thus sche seide:
〃Helas; mi Soster; waileway;
That evere I sih this ilke day!
Thing which mi bodi ferst begat
Into this world; onliche that 330
Mi worldes worschipe hath bereft。〃
With that sche swouneth now and eft;
And evere wissheth after deth;
So that welnyh hire lacketh breth。
That other; which hire wordes herde;
In confortinge of hire ansuerde;
To lette hire fadres fol desir
Sche wiste no recoverir:
Whan thing is do; ther is no bote;
So suffren thei that suffre mote; 340
Ther was non other which it wiste。
Thus hath this king al that him liste
Of his likinge and his plesance;
And laste in such continuance;
And such delit he tok therinne;
Him thoghte that it was no Sinne;
And sche dorste him nothing withseie。
Bot fame; which goth every weie;
To sondry regnes al aboute
The grete beaute telleth oute 350
Of such a maide of hih parage:
So that for love of mariage
The worthi Princes come and sende;
As thei the whiche al honour wende;
And knewe nothing hou it stod。
The fader; whanne he understod;
That thei his dowhter thus besoghte;
With al his wit he caste and thoghte
Hou that he myhte finde a lette;
And such a Statut thanne he sette; 360
And in this wise his lawe he taxeth;
That what man that his doghter axeth;
Bot if he couthe his question
Assoile upon suggestion
Of certein thinges that befelle;
The whiche he wolde unto him telle;
He scholde in certein lese his hed。
And thus ther weren manye ded;
Here hevedes stondende on the gate;
Till ate laste longe and late; 370
For lacke of ansuere in the wise;
The remenant that weren wise
Eschuieden to make assay。
Til it befell upon a day
Appolinus the Prince of Tyr;
Which hath to love a gret desir;
As he which in his hihe mod
Was likende of his hote blod;
A yong; a freissh; a lusti knyht;
As he lai musende on a nyht 380
Of the tidinges whiche he herde;
He thoghte assaie hou that it ferde。
He was with worthi compainie
Arraied; and with good navie
To schipe he goth; the wynd him dryveth;
And seileth; til that he arryveth:
Sauf in the port of Antioche
He londeth; and goth to aproche
The kinges Court and his presence。
Of every naturel science; 390
Which eny clerk him couthe teche;
He couthe ynowh; and in his speche
Of wordes he was eloquent;
And whanne he sih the king present;
He preith he moste his dowhter have。
The king ayein began to crave;
And tolde him the condicion;
Hou ferst unto his question
He mote ansuere and faile noght;
Or with his heved it schal be boght: 400
And he him axeth what it was。
The king declareth him the cas
With sturne lok and sturdi chiere;
To him and seide in this manere:
〃With felonie I am upbore;
I ete and have it noght forbore
Mi modres fleissh; whos housebonde
Mi fader forto seche I fonde;
Which is the Sone ek of my wif。
Hierof I am inquisitif; 410
And who that can mi tale save;
Al quyt he schal my doghter have;
Of his ansuere and if he faile;
He schal be ded withoute faile。
Forthi my Sone;〃 quod the king;
〃Be wel avised of this thing;
Which hath thi lif in jeupartie。〃
Appolinus for his partie;
Whan he this question hath herd;
Unto the king he hath ansuerd 420
And hath rehersed on and on
The pointz; and seide therupon:
〃The question which thou hast spoke;
If thou wolt that it be unloke;
It toucheth al the privete
Betwen thin oghne child and thee;
And stant al hol upon you tuo。〃
The king was wonder sory tho;
And thoghte; if that he seide it oute;
Than were he schamed al aboute。 430
With slihe wordes and with felle
He seith; 〃Mi Sone; I schal thee telle;
Though that thou be of litel wit;
It is no gret merveile as yit;
Thin age mai it noght suffise:
Bot loke wel thou noght despise
Thin oghne lif; for of my grace
Of thretty daies fulle a space
I grante thee; to ben avised。〃
And thus with leve and time assised 440
This yonge Prince forth he wente;
And understod wel what it mente;
Withinne his herte as he was lered;
That forto maken him afered
The king his time hath so deslaied。
Wherof he dradde and was esmaied;
Of treson that he deie scholde;
For he the king his sothe tolde;
And sodeinly the nyhtes tyde;
That more wolde he noght abide; 450
Al prively his barge he hente
And hom ayein to Tyr he wente:
And in his oghne wit he seide
For drede; if he the king bewreide;
He knew so wel the kinges herte;
That deth ne scholde he noght asterte;
The king him wolde so poursuie。
Bot he; that wolde his deth eschuie;
And knew al this tofor the hond;
Forsake he thoghte his oghne lond; 460
That there wolde he noght abyde;
For wel he knew that on som syde
This tirant of his felonie
Be som manere of tricherie
To grieve his bodi wol noght leve。
Forthi withoute take leve;
Als priveliche as evere he myhte;
He goth him to the See be nyhte
In Schipes that be whete laden:
Here takel redy tho thei maden 470
And hale up Seil and forth thei fare。
Bot forto tellen of the care
That thei of Tyr begonne tho;
Whan that thei wiste he was ago;
It is a Pite forto hiere。
They losten lust; they losten chiere;
Thei toke upon hem such penaunce;
Ther was no song; ther was no daunce;
Bot every merthe and melodie
To hem was thanne a maladie; 480
For unlust of that aventure
Ther was noman which tok tonsure;
In doelful clothes thei hem clothe;
The bathes and the Stwes bothe
Thei schetten in be every weie;
There was no lif which leste pleie
Ne take of eny joie kepe;
Bot for here liege lord to wepe;
And every wyht seide as he couthe;
〃Helas; the lusti flour of youthe; 490
Our Prince; oure heved; our governour;
Thurgh whom we stoden in honour;
Withoute the comun assent
Thus sodeinliche is fro ous went!〃
Such was the clamour of hem alle。
Bot se we now what is befalle
Upon the ferste tale plein;
And torne we therto ayein。
Antiochus the grete Sire;
Which full of rancour and of ire 500
His herte berth; so as ye herde;
Of that this Prince of Tyr ansuerde;
He hadde a feloun bacheler;
Which was his prive consailer;
And Taliart be name he hihte:
The king a strong puison him dihte
Withinne a buiste and gold therto;
In alle haste and bad him go
Strawht unto Tyr; and for no cost
Ne spare h