The Knight's Tale
Folio 19r
33 of 35 folios
And lete hī / in this prison stille dwelle
And of Arcite / forth I wyl ȝow telle
¶ The Somer passeth / & the nygħtes longe
480
Encresynge double wyse / the peynes stronge
Bothe of the louere / and of the prisoner
I ne wot which hath / the sorwefullest myster
For shortly to seyn / this Palamoū
Perpetuelly / is dampned to prisoū
485
In cheynes and in feteres / to be ded
And Arcite is exiled / vp on his hed
For euere more / ouȝt of þat contre
Ne neuere more / he shal his lady se
Now louyers I ask ȝow / this questioū
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Who hath the werse / Arcite or Palamoū
That on may se his lady / day by day
But in prisoū / mote he dwellen ay
That other where hī list / may ride or go
But sen his lady / shal he neuere mo
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Now demeth as ȝow list / ȝe þat can
For I wyl telle ȝow forth / as I began
¶ Whan þat Arcite / to Thebes come was
Ful ofte a day / he swelte & seide allas
For sen my lalyladylay / shal I neuere mo
500
And shortly to concluden / al his woo
So meche sorwe / had neuere creature
That is or shal / while þe world may dure
His slepe his mete & drynk / is hī byraft
That lene he wex & drye / as is a shaft
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His eyen holwe / and grysely to be holde
His hewe falwe / and pale / as asshen colde
And solitarie he was / and euere allone
And walkyng al þe nygħt / makyng his mone
And if he herd song / or Instrument
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Than wold he wepe / he myght nat stynt
So feble eke were hise spirites / and so lowe
And chaunged so / þt noman koude hī knowe
His speche ne his vois / though men yt herde
And in his gere / for al the world he ferde
515
Nouȝt only lyke / the louyers maladye
Of hereos / but rather lyke Manye