Anelida and Arcite

Thou ferse god of armes, Mars the rede,

That in the frosty contre called Trace,

Within thy grisly temple ful of drede

Honoured art as patroun of that place;

With thy Bellona, Pallas, ful of grace,

Be present and my song contynue and guye;

At my begynnyng thus to the I crye.

For hit ful depe is sonken in my mynde,

With pitous hert in Englyssh to endyte

This olde storie, in Latyn which I fynde,

Of quene Anelida and fals Arcite,

That elde, which that al can frete and bite,

As hit hath freten mony a noble storie,

Hath nygh devoured out of oure memorie.

Be favorable eke, thou Polymya,

On Parnaso that with thy sustres glade,

By Elycon, not fer from Cirrea,

Singest with vois memorial in the shade,

Under the laurer which that may not fade,

And do that I my ship to haven wynne.

First folowe I Stace, and after him Corynne.

The Story.

Iamque domos patrias Cithice post aspera gentis

Prelia laurigero subeunte Thesea curru

Letifici plausus missusque ad sidera vulgi

When Theseus with werres longe and grete

The aspre folk of Cithe had overcome,

With laurer corouned, in his char gold-bete,

Hom to his contre-houses is he come,

For which the peple, blisful al and somme,

So cry{:e}den that to the sterres hit wente,

And him to honouren dide al her entente.

Beforn this duk, in signe of victorie,

The trompes come, and in his baner large

The ymage of Mars, and in tokenyng of glorie

Men myghte sen of tresour many a charge,

Many a bright helm, and many a spere and targe,

Many a fresh knyght, and many a blysful route,

On hors, on fote, in al the feld aboute.

Ipolita his wif, the hardy quene

Of Cithia, that he conquered hadde,

With Emelye her yonge suster shene,

Faire in a char of gold he with him ladde,

That al the ground about her char she spradde

With brightnesse of the beaute in her face,

Fulfilled of largesse and of alle grace.

With his tryumphe and laurer-corouned thus,

In al the flour of Fortunes yevynge,

Let I this noble prince Theseus

Toward Athenes in his wey rydinge,

And founde I wol in shortly for to bringe

The slye wey of that I gan to write,

Of quene Anelida and fals Arcite.

Mars, which that through his furious cours of ire,

The olde wrathe of Juno to fulfille,

Hath set the peples hertes bothe on fire

Of Thebes and Grece, everich other to kille

With blody speres, ne rested never stille,

But throng now her, now ther, among hem bothe,

That everych other slough, so were they  wrothe.

For when Amphiorax and Tydeus,

Ipomedon, Parthonope also

Were ded, and slayn proude Campaneus,

And when the wrecched Thebans, bretheren two,

Were slayn, and kyng Adrastus hom ago,

So desolat stod Thebes and so bare

That no wight coude remedie of his fare.

And when the olde Creon gan espye

How that the blood roial was broght a-doun,

He held the cite by his tyrannye

And dyde the gentils of that regioun

To ben his frendes and wonnen in the toun.

So, what for love of him and what for awe,

The noble folk were to the toun idrawe.

Among al these Anelida, the quene

Of Ermony, was in that toun dwellynge,

That fairer was then is the sonne shene.

Thurghout the world so gan her name springe

That her to seen had every wyght likynge,

For, as of trouthe, is ther noon her lyche

Of al the women in this worlde riche.

Yong was this quene, of twenty yer of elde,

Of mydel stature, and of such fairenesse

That Nature had a joye her to behelde;

And for to speken of her stidfastnesse,

She passed hath Penelope and Lucresse;

And shortly, yf she shal be comprehended,

In her ne myghte no thing been amended.

This Theban knyght [Arcite] eke, soth to seyn,

Was yong and therwithal a lusty knyght,

But he was double in love and no thing pleyn,

And subtil in that craft over any wyght,

And with his kunnyng wan this lady bryght;

For so ferforth he gan her trouthe assure

That she him trusted over any creature.

What shuld I seyn? She loved Arcite so

That when that he was absent any throwe,

Anon her thoghte her herte brast a-two;

For in her sight to her he bar hym lowe,

So that she wende have al his hert yknowe;

But he was fals; hit nas but feyned chere

As nedeth not to men such craft to lere.

But nevertheles ful mykel besynesse

Had he er that he myghte his lady wynne,

And swor he wolde dyen for distresse

Or from his wit he seyde he wolde twynne.

Alas, the while! For hit was routhe and synne

That she upon his sorowes wolde rewe;

But nothing thinketh the fals as doth the trewe.

Her fredom fond Arcite in such manere

That al was his that she hath, moche or lyte;

Ne to no creature made she chere

Ferther then that hit lyked to Arcite.

Ther nas no lak with which he myghte her wite;

She was so ferforth yeven hym to plese

That al that lyked hym hit dyde her ese.

Ther nas to her no maner lettre sent

That touched love, from any maner wyght,

That she ne shewed hit him er hit was brent;

So pleyn she was and dide her fulle myght

That she nyl hiden nothing from her knyght,

Lest he of any untrouthe her upbreyde.

Withoute bode his heste she obeyde.

And eke he made him jelous over here,

That what that any man had to her seyd

Anoon he wolde preyen her to swere

What was that word or make him evel apaid.

Then wende she out of her wyt have breyd;

But al this nas but sleght and flaterie;

Withoute love he feyned jelousye.

And al this tok she so debonerly

That al his wil her thoghte hit skilful thing,

And ever the lenger she loved him tendirly

And dide him honour as he were a kyng.

Her herte was to him wedded with a ring;

So ferforth upon trouthe is her entente

That wher he gooth her herte with him wente.

When she shal ete, on him is so her thoght

That wel unnethe of mete tok she kep;

And when that she was to her reste broght,

On him she thoghte alwey til that she slep;

When he was absent, prevely she wep:

Thus lyveth feire Anelida the quene

For fals Arcite, that dide her al this tene.

This fals Arcite, of his newfanglenesse,

For she to him so lowly was and trewe,

Tok lesse deynte of her stidfastnesse

And saw another lady, proud and newe,

And ryght anon he cladde him in her hewe—

Wot I not whethir in white, rede, or grene—

And falsed fair Anelida the quene.

But neverthelesse, gret wonder was hit noon

Thogh he were fals, for hit is kynde of man

Sith Lamek was, that is so longe agoon,

To ben in love as fals as evere he can;

He was the firste fader that began

To loven two, and was in bigamye,

And he found tentes first, but yf men lye.

This fals Arcite, sumwhat moste he feyne,

When he wex fals, to covere his traitorie,

Ryght as an hors that can both bite and pleyne,

For he bar her on honde of trecherie,

And swor he coude her doublenesse espie,

And al was falsnes that she to him mente.

Thus swor this thef, and forth his way he wente.

Alas, what herte myght enduren hit,

For routhe and wo, her sorwe for to telle?

Or what man hath the cunnyng or the wit?

Or what man mighte within the chambre dwelle,

Yf I to him rehersen sholde the helle

That suffreth fair Anelida the quene

For fals Arcite, that dide her al this tene.

She wepith, waileth, swowneth pitously;

To grounde ded she falleth as a ston;

Craumpyssheth her lymes crokedly;

She speketh as her wit were al agon;

Other colour then asshen hath she noon;

Non other word speketh she, moche or lyte,

But "Merci, cruel herte myn, Arcite!'

And thus endureth til that she was so mat

That she ne hath foot on which she may sustene,

But forth languisshing evere in this estat,

Of which Arcite hath nouther routhe ne tene.

His herte was elleswhere, newe and grene,

That on her wo ne deyneth him not to thinke;

Him rekketh never wher she flete or synke.

His newe lady holdeth him so narowe

Up by the bridil, at the staves ende,

That every word he dredeth as an arowe;

Her daunger made him bothe bowe and bende,

And as her liste, made him turne or wende,

For she ne graunted him in her lyvynge

No grace whi that he hath lust to singe,

But drof hym forth. Unnethe liste her knowe

That he was servaunt unto her ladishippe;

But lest that he were proud, she held him lowe.

Thus serveth he withoute fee or shipe;

She sent him now to londe, now to shippe;

And for she yaf him daunger al his fille,

Therfor she hadde him at her owne wille.

Ensample of this, ye thrifty wymmen alle,

Take her of Anelida and Arcite,

That for her liste him "dere herte' calle

And was so meke, therfor he loved her lyte.

The kynde of mannes herte is to delyte

In thing that straunge is, also God me save!

For what he may not gete, that wolde he have.

Now turne we to Anelida ageyn,

That pyneth day be day in langwisshinge,

But when she saw that her ne gat no geyn,

Upon a day, ful sorowfully wepinge,

She caste her for to make a compleynynge,

And of her owne hond she gan hit write,

And sente hit to her Theban knyght, Arcite.

The compleynt of Anelida the quene upon fals Arcite.

Proem

So thirleth with the poynt of remembraunce

The swerd of sorowe, ywhet with fals plesaunce,

Myn herte, bare of blis and blak of hewe,

That turned is in quakyng al my daunce,

My surete in awhaped countenaunce,

Sith hit availeth not for to ben trewe;

For whoso trewest is, hit shal hir rewe

That serveth love and doth her observaunce

Alwey til oon, and chaungeth for no newe.

Strophe

I wot myself as wel as any wight,

For I loved oon with al myn herte and myght,

More then myself an hundred thousand sithe,

And called him myn hertes lif, my knyght,

And was al his, as fer as hit was ryght;

And when that he was glad, then was I blithe,

And his disese was my deth as swithe;

And he ayein his trouthe hath me plyght

For evermore, his lady me to kythe.

Now is he fals, alas, and causeles,

And of my wo he is so routheles

That with a word him list not ones deyne

To bringe ayen my sorowful herte in pes,

For he is caught up in another les.

Ryght as him list, he laugheth at my peyne,

And I ne can myn herte not restreyne

For to love him alwey neveretheles;

And of al this I not to whom me pleyne.

And shal I pleyne—alas, the harde stounde!—

Unto my foo that yaf myn herte a wounde

And yet desireth that myn harm be more?

Nay, certis, ferther wol I never founde

Non other helpe, my sores for to sounde.

My destinee hath shapen hit so ful yore;

I wil non other medecyne ne lore;

I wil ben ay ther I was ones bounde.

That I have seid, be seid for evermore!

Alas! Wher is become your gentilesse,

Youre wordes ful of plesaunce and humblesse,

Youre observaunces in so low manere,

And your awayting and your besynesse

Upon me, that ye calden your maistresse,

Your sovereyne lady in this world here?

Alas! Is ther now nother word ne chere

Ye vouchen sauf upon myn hevynesse?

Alas! Youre love, I bye hit al to dere.

Now, certis, swete, thogh that ye

Thus causeles the cause be

Of my dedly adversyte,

Your manly resoun oghte hit to respite

To slen your frend, and namely me,

That never yet in no degre

Offended yow, as wisly He

That al wot, out of wo my soule quyte!

But for I shewed yow, Arcite,

Al that men wolde to me write,

And was so besy yow to delyte—

Myn honor save—meke,kynde,and fre,

Therfor ye put on me this wite,

And of me rekke not a myte,

Thogh that the swerd of sorwe byte

My woful herte through your cruelte.

My swete foo, why do ye so, for shame?

And thenke ye that furthered be your name

To love a newe, and ben untrewe? Nay!

And putte yow in sclaunder now and blame,

And do to me adversite and grame,

That love yow most—God, wel thou wost—alway?

Yet come ayein, and yet be pleyn som day,

And than shal this, that now is mys, be game,

And al foryive, while that I lyve may.

Antistrophe

Lo, herte myn, al this is for to seyne

As whether shal I preve or elles pleyne?

Which is the wey to doon yow to be trewe?

For either mot I have yow in my cheyne

Or with the deth ye mote departe us tweyne;

Ther ben non other mene weyes newe.

For God so wisly upon my soule rewe,

As verrayly ye sleen me with the peyne;

That may ye se unfeyned of myn hewe.

For thus ferforth have I my detb [y-]soght?

Myself I mordre with my privy thoght;

For sorowe and routhe of your unkyndenesse

I wepe, I wake, I faste; al helpeth noght;

I weyve joye that is to speke of oght,

I voyde companye, I fle gladnesse.

Who may avaunte her beter of hevynesse

Then I? And to this plyte have ye me broght,

Withoute gilt—me nedeth no witnesse.

And shal I preye, and weyve womanhede?—

Nay! Rather deth then do so foul a dede!—

And axe merci, gilteles—what nede?

And yf I pleyne what lyf that I lede,

Yow rekketh not; that knowe I, out of drede;

And if that I to yow myne othes bede

For myn excuse, a skorn shal be my mede.

Your chere floureth, but it wol not sede;

Ful longe agoon I oghte have taken hede.

For thogh I hadde yow to-morowe ageyn,

I myghte as wel holde Aperill fro reyn

As holde yow, to make yow be stidfast.

Almyghty God, of trouthe sovereyn,

Wher is the trouthe of man? Who hath hit slayn?

Who that hem loveth, she shal hem fynde as fast

As in a tempest is a roten mast.

Is that a tame best that is ay feyn

To fleen away when he is lest agast?

Now merci, swete, yf I mysseye!

Have I seyd oght amys, I preye?

I noot; my wit is al aweye.

I fare as doth the song of Chaunte-pleure

For now I pleyne, and now I pleye;

I am so mased that I deye;

Arcite hath born awey the keye

Of al my world, and my good aventure.

For in this world nis creature

Wakynge in more discomfiture

Then I, ne more sorowe endure.

And yf I slepe a furlong wey or tweye,

Then thynketh me that your figure

Before me stont, clad in asure,

To profren eft and newe assure

For to be trewe, and merci me to preye.

The longe nyght this wonder sight I drye,

And on the day for thilke afray I dye,

And of al this ryght noght, iwis, ye reche.

Ne nevere mo myn yen two be drie,

And to your routhe, and to your trouthe, I crie.

But welawey! To fer be they to feche;

Thus holdeth me my destinee a wreche.

But me to rede out of this drede, or guye,

Ne may my wit, so weyk is hit, not streche.

Conclusion.

Then ende I thus, sith I may do no more.

I yeve hit up for now and evermore,

For I shal never eft putten in balaunce

My sekernes, ne lerne of love the lore.

But as the swan, I have herd seyd ful yore,

Ayeins his deth shal singen his penaunce,

So singe I here my destinee or chaunce,

How that Arcite Anelida so sore

Hath thirled with the poynt of remembraunce.

The Story continued

When that Anelida, this woful quene,

Hath of her hand ywriten in this wise,

With face ded, betwixe pale and grene,

She fel a-swowe; and sith she gan to rise,

And unto Mars avoweth sacrifise

Withinne the temple, with a sorowful chere,

That shapen was as ye shal after here.