Chaucer's Works (ed. Skeat) Vol. III/Hypermnestra
IX. THE LEGEND OF HYPERMNESTRA.
Incipit Legenda Ypermistre.
In Grece whylom weren brethren two,
Of whiche that oon was called Danao,
That many a sone hath of his body wonne,
As swiche false lovers ofte conne. 2565
Among his sones alle ther was oon
That aldermost he lovede of everichoon.
And whan this child was born, this Danao
Shoop him a name, and called him Lino.
That other brother called was Egiste, 2570
That was of love as fals as ever him liste, (10)
And many a doghter gat he in his lyve;
Of which he gat upon his righte wyve
A doghter dere, and dide her for to calle
Ypermistra, yongest of hem alle; 2575
The whiche child, of her nativitee,
To alle gode thewes born was she,
As lyked to the goddes, or she was born,
That of the shefe she sholde be the corn;
The Wirdes, that we clepen Destinee, 2580
Hath shapen her that she mot nedes be (20)
Pitouse, sadde, wyse, and trewe as steel;
And to this woman hit accordeth weel.
For, though that Venus yaf her greet beautee,
With Iupiter compouned so was she 2585
That conscience, trouthe, and dreed of shame,
And of her wyfhood for to kepe her name,
This, thoughte her, was felicitee as here.
And rede Mars was, that tyme of the yere,
So feble, that his malice is him raft, 2590
Repressed hath Venus his cruel craft; (30)
What with Venus and other oppressioun
Of houses, Mars his venim is adoun,
That Ypermistra dar nat handle a knyf
In malice, thogh she sholde lese her lyf. 2595
But natheles, as heven gan tho turne,
To badde aspectes hath she of Saturne,
That made her for to deyen in prisoun,
As I shal after make mencioun.
To Danao and Egistes also— 2600
Al-thogh so be that they were brethren two, (40)
For thilke tyme nas spared no linage—
Hit lyked hem to maken mariage
Betwix Ypermistra and him Lino,
And casten swiche a day hit shal be so; 2605
And ful acorded was hit witterly;
The array is wroght, the tyme is faste by.
And thus Lino hath of his fadres brother
The doghter wedded, and eche of hem hath other.
The torches brennen and the lampes brighte, 2610
The sacrifices been ful redy dighte; (50)
Thencens out of the fyre reketh sote,
The flour, the leef is rent up by the rote
To maken garlands and corounes hye;
Ful is the place of soun of minstralcye, 2615
Of songes amorous of mariage,
As thilke tyme was the pleyn usage.
And this was in the paleys of Egiste,
That in his hous was lord, right as him liste;
And thus the day they dryven to an ende; 2620
The frendes taken leve, and hoom they wende. (60)
The night is come, the bryd shal go to bedde;
Egiste to his chambre faste him spedde,
And privily he let his doghter calle.
Whan that the hous was voided of hem alle, 2625
He loked on his doghter with glad chere,
And to her spak, as ye shul after here.
'My righte doghter, tresor of myn herte!
Sin first that day that shapen was my sherte,
Or by the fatal sustren had my dom, 2630
So ny myn herte never thing me com (70)
As thou, myn Ypermistra, doghter dere!
Tak heed what I thy fader sey thee here,
And werk after thy wyser ever-mo.
For alderfirste, doghter, I love thee so 2635
That al the world to me nis half so leef;
Ne I nolde rede thee to thy mischeef
For al the gode under the colde mone;
And what I mene, hit shal be seid right sone,
With protestacioun, as in this wyse, 2640
That, but thou do as I shal thee devyse, (80)
Thou shalt be deed, by him that al hath wroght!
At shorte wordes, thou nescapest noght
Out of my paleys, or that thou be deed,
But thou consente and werke after my reed; 2645
Tak this to thee for ful conclusioun.'
This Ypermistra caste her eyen doun,
And quook as dooth the leef of aspe grene;
Deed wex her hewe, and lyk as ash to sene,
And seyde, 'lord and fader, al your wille, 2650
After my might, god wot, I shal fulfille, (90)
So hit to me be no confusioun.'
'I nil,' quod he, 'have noon excepcioun;'
And out he caughte a knyf, as rasour kene;
'Hyd this,' quod he, 'that hit be nat y-sene; 2655
And, whan thyn husbond is to bedde y-go,
Whyl that he slepeth, cut his throte a-two.
For in my dremes hit is warned me
How that my nevew shal my bane be,
But whiche I noot, wherfor I wol be siker. 2660
Yif thou sey nay, we two shul have a biker (100)
As I have seyd, by him that I have sworn.'
This Ypermistra hath ny her wit forlon;
And, for to passen harmles of that place,
She graunted him; ther was non other grace. 2665
And therwith-al a costrel taketh he,
And seyde, 'herof a draught, or two or three,
Yif him to drinke, whan he goth to reste,
And he shal slepe as longe as ever thee leste,
The narcotiks and opies been so stronge: 2670
And go thy wey, lest that him thinke longe.' (110)
Out comth the bryd, and with ful sober chere,
As is of maidens ofte the manere,
To chambre is broght with revel and with songe,
And shortly, lest this tale be to longe, 2675
This Lino and she ben sone broght to bedde;
And every wight out at the dore him spedde.
The night is wasted, and he fel a-slepe;
Ful tenderly beginneth she to wepe.
She rist her up, and dredfully she quaketh, 2680
As doth the braunche that Zephirus shaketh, (120)
And husht were alle in Argon that citee.
As cold as any frost now wexeth she;
For pite by the herte her streyneth so,
And dreed of death doth her so moche wo, 2685
That thryes doun she fil in swiche a were.
She rist her up, and stakereth heer and there,
And on her handes faste loketh she.
'Allas! and shul my handes blody be?
I am a maid, and, as by my nature, 2690
And by my semblant and by my vesture, (130)
Myn handes been nat shapen for a knyf,
As for to reve no man fro his lyf.
What devil have I with the knyf to do?
And shal I have my throte corve a-two? 2695
Than shal I blede, allas! and me beshende;
And nedes cost this thing mot have an ende;
Or he or I mot nedes lese our lyf.
Now certes,' quod she, 'sin I am his wyf,
And hath my feith, yit is it bet for me 2700
For to be deed in wyfly honestee (140)
Than be a traitour living in my shame.
Be as be may, for ernest or for game,
He shal awake, and ryse and go his way
Out at this goter, or that hit be day!'— 2705
And weep ful tenderly upon his face,
And in her armes gan him to embrace,
And him she roggeth and awaketh softe;
And at the window leep he fro the lofte
Whan she hath warned him, and doon him bote. 2710
This Lino swifte was, and light of fote, (150)
And from his wyf he ran a ful good pas.
This sely woman is so wayk, allas!
And helples so, that, or that she fer wente,
Her cruel fader dide her for to hente. 2715
Allas! Lino! why art thou so unkinde?
Why ne haddest thou remembred in thy minde
To taken her, and lad her forth with thee?
For, whan she saw that goon awey was he,
And that she mighte nat so faste go, 2720
Ne folwen him, she sette her doun right tho, (160)
Til she was caught and fetered in prisoun.
This tale is seid for this conclusioun....
[Unfinished.]
2563. C. clepid; rest called. 2571. F. B. in; rest of. 2574. F. B. hyt (for her). 2577. C. T. thewis goode I-born. 2578. Tn. B. goddesse (!); F. goddesses (!). 2581. C. mot; rest moste (muste, most). 2582. F. B. Pitouse (fem.); C. Pyetous; Tn. T. Piteous. Th. sadde (fem.?); rest sad. C. T. and; rest om. 2590. C. beraft. 2592. Th. And what; C. T. That what; F. Tn. B. And; I propose What. 2597. C. F. Tn. B. To; T. Ryght; Th. Two. 2598. C. for; rest om. 2599. C. T. As; rest And. 2600. Th. Of (for To); without authority. 2601. C. Al thow; rest And thogh (less clearly). 2603. T. C. Th. lyked; rest lyketh. 2606. F. Tn. B. witterly; rest vttyrly. 2615. F. Tn. B. om. of soun. 2619. F. Tn. B. om. right. 2620. F. Tn. Th. B. that (for the). 2624. F. Tn. Th. B. om. he. 2625. F. Tn. Th. B. voided was. F. B. om. hem. 2627. F. om. after. 2629. F. om. 1st that. 2632. C. myn; T. A. ins. my before doghter; rest om. 2633. F. Tn. Th. B. om. I. T. say; A. seye; rest seyth. 2637. C. A., I; rest om. 2640. C. A. as in this; T. now on thys; F. Tn. Th. B. as seyn these. 2643. C. nescapist; Tn. Th. B. ne scapest; F. ne schapest (!). 2652. F. Tn. Th. B. be to me. 2655. Tn. Th. y-sene; rest sene. 2656. Tn. y-goo; A. ygo; rest goo (go). 2661. F. make; rest haue. 2666. So C. T. A. (but with costret for costrel); rest And with-al a costrel taketh he tho (badly). 2667. F. Tn. Th. B. om. or three (leaving the line too short). 2668. A. to; rest om. 2670. F. B. Martotikes (for narcotikes). T. A. opies; C. opijs; Th. apies; F. Tn. B. Epies (for opies). 2671. F. Tn. Th. B. ins. to before longe. 2674. F. Tn. Th. B. om. is. 2676. F. B. beth. T. sone byn; rest om. sone. C. a (for to). 2682. F. hushst (for husht); Th. hushte; C. A. hust; Tn. houste. 2684. F. Tn. B. streyneth hir; Th. strayned her; C. T. hire streynyth; A. hir stryngith. 2686. F. Th. B. swich (suche) a were; Tn. suche awere; C. this awer; A. this awere; T. that were. 2689. F. Tn. Th. B. om. and. 2696. F. Tn. Th. B. om. me. 2697. F. B. (only) Or for And. 2709. C. T. A. at a (for at the). 2712. So T. A.; C. from his wif ran; rest from her ran. 2714. C. A. or that; rest om. that. C. forth (for fer). 2717. C. T. haddist; rest hast. 2718. C. T. To; rest And. 2721. Addit (12524), sette hyr; C. set hire; T. A. sat hyr; rest sate (om. her). 2722. F. Tn. Th. And til (for Til); B. And then.