The Knight's Tale
Folio 12r
5 of 48 folios
185
The sesoū / priketh / euery gentil herte
And maketh hym / out of his slepe to sterte
And seith arys / and do thyn obseruaūce
This maked Emelye / haue remembraūce
To doon honour to May / and for to ryse
190
Yclothed was she / fressħ for to deuyse
Hir yelow heer / was broyded in a tresse
Bihynde hir bak / a yerde long I gesse
And in the gardyn / at the sonne vp riste
She walketh vp and doun / and as hir liste
195
She gadereth floures party / white and rede
To make a subtil gerland for hir hede
And as an Aungel / heuenyssħly she soong
The grete tour / þt was so thikke and stroong
Which of the Castel / was the chief dongeoū
200
Ther as the knygħtes / weren in prisoū
Of whiche I tolde yow / and tellen shal
Was euene ioynant to the gardyn wal
Ther as this Emelye / hadde hir pleyynge
Brigħt was the sōne / & cleer that morwenynge
205
And this Palamoū / this woful prisoner
As was his wone / by leue of his gayler
Was risen / and romed / in a chambre an heigħ
In which / he al the noble Citee seigħ
And eek the gardyn / ful of braunches grene
210
Ther as this fressħe Emelye the shene
Was in hir walk and romed vp and doun
This sorweful prisoner/ this Palamoū
Goth in the chambre / romynge to and fro
And to hym self / compleynynge of his wo
215
That he was born / ful ofte he seyde allas
And so bifel / by auenture or cas
That thurgh a wyndow / thikke of many a barre
Of Iren / greet and square as any sparre
He caste his eye / vpon EmelyA
220
And ther with al he bleynte and cride .A.
As though he stongen were vn to the herte
And with that cry / Arcite anon vp sterte
And seyde cosyn myn / what eyleth thee
That art so pale / and deedly on to see
225
Why cridestow / who hath thee doon offence
For goddes loue / taak al in pacience
Oure prisoū / for it may noon oother be
Fortune / hath yeuen vs this Aduersitee
Som wikke aspect / or disposicioū
230
Of Saturne / by som constellacioū
Hath yeuen vs this / al though we hadde it sworn
So stood the heuene / whan þt we were born