confessio amantis-第35章
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On me that sche miscaste hire yhe; 110
Or that sche liste noght to loke;
And I therof good hiede toke;
Anon into my ferste astat
I torne; and am with al so mat;
That evere it is aliche wicke。
And thus myn hand ayein the pricke
I hurte and have do many day;
And go so forth as I go may;
Fulofte bitinge on my lippe;
And make unto miself a whippe。 120
With which in many a chele and hete
Mi wofull herte is so tobete;
That all my wittes ben unsofte
And I am wroth; I not how ofte;
And al it is Malencolie;
Which groweth of the fantasie
Of love; that me wol noght loute:
So bere I forth an angri snoute
Ful manye times in a yer。
Bot; fader; now ye sitten hier 130
In loves stede; I yow beseche;
That som ensample ye me teche;
Wherof I mai miself appese。
Mi Sone; for thin hertes ese
I schal fulfille thi preiere;
So that thou miht the betre lere
What mischief that this vice stereth;
Which in his Anger noght forbereth;
Wherof that after him forthenketh;
Whan he is sobre and that he thenketh 140
Upon the folie of his dede;
And of this point a tale I rede。
Ther was a king which Eolus
Was hote; and it befell him thus;
That he tuo children hadde faire;
The Sone cleped was Machaire;
The dowhter ek Canace hihte。
Be daie bothe and ek be nyhte;
Whil thei be yonge; of comun wone
In chambre thei togedre wone; 150
And as thei scholden pleide hem ofte;
Til thei be growen up alofte
Into the youthe of lusti age;
Whan kinde assaileth the corage
With love and doth him forto bowe;
That he no reson can allowe;
Bot halt the lawes of nature:
For whom that love hath under cure;
As he is blind himself; riht so
He makth his client blind also。 160
In such manere as I you telle
As thei al day togedre duelle;
This brother mihte it noght asterte
That he with al his hole herte
His love upon his Soster caste:
And so it fell hem ate laste;
That this Machaire with Canace
Whan thei were in a prive place;
Cupide bad hem ferst to kesse;
And after sche which is Maistresse 170
In kinde and techeth every lif
Withoute lawe positif;
Of which sche takth nomaner charge;
Bot kepth hire lawes al at large;
Nature; tok hem into lore
And tawht hem so; that overmore
Sche hath hem in such wise daunted;
That thei were; as who seith; enchaunted。
And as the blinde an other ledeth
And til thei falle nothing dredeth; 180
Riht so thei hadde non insihte;
Bot as the bridd which wole alihte
And seth the mete and noght the net;
Which in deceipte of him is set;
This yonge folk no peril sihe;
Bot that was likinge in here yhe;
So that thei felle upon the chance
Where witt hath lore his remembrance。
So longe thei togedre assemble;
The wombe aros; and sche gan tremble; 190
And hield hire in hire chambre clos
For drede it scholde be disclos
And come to hire fader Ere:
Wherof the Sone hadde also fere;
And feigneth cause forto ryde;
For longe dorste he noght abyde;
In aunter if men wolde sein
That he his Soster hath forlein:
For yit sche hadde it noght beknowe
Whos was the child at thilke throwe。 200
Machaire goth; Canace abit;
The which was noght delivered yit;
Bot riht sone after that sche was。
Now lest and herkne a woful cas。
The sothe; which mai noght ben hid;
Was ate laste knowe and kid
Unto the king; how that it stod。
And whan that he it understod;
Anon into Malencolie;
As thogh it were a frenesie; 210
He fell; as he which nothing cowthe
How maistrefull love is in yowthe:
And for he was to love strange;
He wolde noght his herte change
To be benigne and favorable
To love; bot unmerciable
Betwen the wawe of wod and wroth
Into his dowhtres chambre he goth;
And sih the child was late bore;
Wherof he hath hise othes swore 220
That sche it schal ful sore abye。
And sche began merci to crie;
Upon hire bare knes and preide;
And to hire fader thus sche seide:
〃Ha mercy! fader; thenk I am
Thi child; and of thi blod I cam。
That I misdede yowthe it made;
And in the flodes bad me wade;
Wher that I sih no peril tho:
Bot now it is befalle so; 230
Merci; my fader; do no wreche!〃
And with that word sche loste speche
And fell doun swounende at his fot;
As sche for sorwe nedes mot。
Bot his horrible crualte
Ther mihte attempre no pite:
Out of hire chambre forth he wente
Al full of wraththe in his entente;
And tok the conseil in his herte
That sche schal noght the deth asterte; 240
As he which Malencolien
Of pacience hath no lien;
Wherof the wraththe he mai restreigne。
And in this wilde wode peine;
Whanne al his resoun was untame;
A kniht he clepeth be his name;
And tok him as be weie of sonde
A naked swerd to bere on honde;
And seide him that he scholde go
And telle unto his dowhter so 250
In the manere as he him bad;
How sche that scharpe swerdes blad
Receive scholde and do withal
So as sche wot wherto it schal。
Forth in message goth this kniht
Unto this wofull yonge wiht;
This scharpe swerd to hire he tok:
Wherof that al hire bodi qwok;
For wel sche wiste what it mente;
And that it was to thilke entente 260
That sche hireselven scholde slee。
And to the kniht sche seide: 〃Yee;
Now that I wot my fadres wille;
That I schal in this wise spille;
I wole obeie me therto;
And as he wole it schal be do。
Bot now this thing mai be non other;
I wole a lettre unto mi brother;
So as my fieble hand may wryte;
With al my wofull herte endite。〃 270
Sche tok a Penne on honde tho;
Fro point to point and al the wo;
Als ferforth as hireself it wot;
Unto hire dedly frend sche wrot;
And tolde how that hire fader grace
Sche mihte for nothing pourchace;
And overthat; as thou schalt hiere;
Sche wrot and seide in this manere:
〃O thou my sorwe and my gladnesse;
O thou myn hele and my siknesse; 280
O my wanhope and al my trust;
O my desese and al my lust;
O thou my wele; o thou my wo;
O thou my frend; o thou my fo;
O thou my love; o thou myn hate;
For thee mot I be ded algate。
Thilke ende may I noght asterte;
And yit with al myn hole herte;
Whil that me lasteth eny breth;
I wol the love into my deth。 290
Bot of o thing I schal thee preie;
If that my litel Sone deie;
Let him be beried in my grave
Beside me; so schalt thou have
Upon ous bothe remembrance。
For thus it stant of my grevance;
Now at this time; as thou schalt wite;
With teres and with enke write
This lettre I have in cares colde:
In my riht hond my Penne I holde; 300
And in my left the swerd I kepe;
And in my barm ther lith to wepe
Thi child and myn; which sobbeth faste。
Now am I come unto my laste:
Fare wel; for I schal sone deie;
And thenk how I thi love abeie。〃
The pomel of the swerd to grounde
Sche sette; and with the point a wounde
Thurghout hire herte anon sche made;
And forth with that al pale and fade 310
Sche fell doun ded fro ther sche stod。
The child lay bathende in hire blod
Out rolled fro the moder barm;
And for the blod was hot and warm;
He basketh him aboute thrinne。
Ther was no bote forto winne;
For he; which can no pite knowe;
The king cam in the same throwe;
And sih how that his dowhter dieth
And how this Babe al blody crieth; 320
Bot al that mihte him noght suffise;
That he ne bad to do juise
Upon the child; and bere him oute;
And seche in the Forest aboute
Som wilde place; what it were;
To caste him out of honde there;
So that som best him mai devoure;
Where as noman him schal socoure。
Al that he bad was don in dede:
Ha; who herde evere singe or rede 330
Of such a thing as that was do?
Bot he which ladde his wraththe so
Hath knowe of love bot a lite;
Bot for al that he was to wyte;
Thurgh his sodein Malencolie
To do so gret a felonie。
Forthi; my Sone; how so it stonde;
Be this cas thou miht understonde
That if thou evere in cause of love
Schalt deme; and thou be so above 340
That thou miht lede it at thi wille;
Let nevere thurgh thi Wraththe spille
Which every kinde scholde save。
For it sit every man to have
Reward to love and to his miht;
Ayein whos strengthe mai no wiht:
And siththe an herte is so constreigned;
The reddour oghte be restreigned
To him that mai no bet aweie;
Whan he mot to nature obeie。 350
For it is seid thus overal;
That nedes mot that nede schal
Of that a lif d