The Knight's Tale
Folio 15r
11 of 48 folios
Of Thebes / with hise waste walles wyde
And Venus / sleeth me on that oother syde
475
For Ialousie / and fere of hym Arcite
¶ Now wol I stynte of Palamon alite
And lete hym / in his prisoū stille dwelle
And of Arcita / forth I wol yow telle
¶ The sonne passeth / and the nyghtes longe
480
Encressen double wise / the peynes stronge
Bothe / of the louere / and the prisoner
I noot which hath the wofuller mester
For shortly for to seyn / this Palamoū
Perpetuelly / is dampned to prisoū
485
In cheynes and in fettres / to been deed
And Arcite / is exiled vpon his heed
For euere mo / as out of that contree
Ne neuere mo / he shal his lady see
YOw loueres / axe I now this questioū
490
Who hath the worse / Arcite / or Palamoū ;
That oon may seen his lady / day by day
But in prison / he moot dwelle alway
That oother wher hym list may ride or go
But seen his lady / shal he neueremo
495
Now demeth as yow list ye that kan
For I wol telle fortħ / as I bigan
¶ Sequitur pars secunda ~
Whan that Arcite / to Thebes comen was
Ful ofte a day / he swelte and seyde allas
For seen his lady / shal he neueremo
500
And shortly / to concluden al his wo
So muche sorwe / hadde neuere creature
That is / or shal / whil þt the world may dure
His slepe / his mete / his drynke / is hym biraft
That lene he wexeth / and drye as is a shaft
505
Hise eyen holwe / and grisly to biholde
His hewe falow / and pale as Assħen colde
And solitarie he was / and euere allone
And waillynge al the nyght makynge his mone
And if he herde / song or Instrument
510
Thanne wolde he wepe / he mygħte nat be stent
So feble eek were hise spiritz and so lowe
And chaunged so / that no man koude knowe
His speche nor his voys / though men it herde
And in his geere / for al the world he ferde