www.melanexjou.fora.pl

[wywm299471]

Upon the right hand went old AEgeus, And on the other side Duke Theseus, With vessels in their hands, of gold right fine, All filled with honey, milk, and blood, and wine; And Palamon with a great company; And after that came woeful Emily, With fire in hands, as use was, to ignite The sacrifice and set the pyre alight. Great labour and full great apparelling Went to the service and the firemaking, For to the skies that green pyre reached its top, And twenty fathoms did the arms outcrop, That is to say, the branches went so wide. Full many a load of straw they did provide. But how the fire, was made to climb so high; The Canterbury Tales The Canterbury Tales 60Or what names all the different trees went by. As oak, fir, birch, asp, alder, poplar, holm, Willow, plane, ash, box, chestnut, linden, elm, Laurel, thorn, maple, beech, yew, dogwood tree, Or how they were felled, sha'n't be told by me. Nor how the woodgods scampered up and down, Driven from homes that they had called their own, Wherein they'd lived so long at ease, in peace, The nymphs, the fauns, the hamadryades; Nor how the beasts, for fear, and the birds, all Fled, when that ancient wood began to fall; Nor how aghast the ground was in the light, Not being used to seeing the sun so bright; Nor how the fire was started first with straw, And then with dry wood, riven thrice by saw, And then with green wood and with spicery, And then with cloth of gold and jewellery, And garlands hanging with full many a flower, And myrrh, and incense, sweet as rose in bower; Nor how Arcita lies among all this, Nor what vast wealth about his body is; Nor how this Emily, as was their way, Lighted the sacred funeral fire, that day, Nor how she swooned when men built up the fire, Nor what she said, nor what was her desire; No, nor what gems men on the fire then cast, When the white flame went high and burned so fast; Nor how one cast his shield, and one his spear, And some their vestments, on that burning bier, With cups of wine, and cups of milk, and blood, Into that flame, which burned as wildfire would; Nor how the Greeks, in one huge wailing rout, Rode slowly three times all the fire about, Upon the left hand, with a loud shouting, And three times more, with weapons clattering, While thrice the women there raised up a cry; Nor how was homeward led sad Emily; Nor how Arcita burned to ashes cold; Nor aught of how the lichwake they did hold All that same night, nor how the Greeks did play Who, naked, wrestled best, with oil anointed, Nor who best bore himself in deeds appointed. I will not even tell how they were gone Home, into Athens, when the play was done; But briefly to the point, now, will I wend And make of this, my lengthy tale, an end.
[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]
[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]
[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]
[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]
[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]
With passing in their length of certain years, All put by was the mourning and the tears Of Greeks, as by one general assent; And then it seems there was a parliament At Athens, upon certain points in case; The Canterbury Tales The Canterbury Tales 61Among the which points spoken of there was The ratifying of alliances That should hold Thebes from all defiances. Whereat this noble Theseus, anon, Invited there the gentle Palamon, Not telling him what was the cause, and why; But in his mourning clothes, and sorrowfully, He came upon that bidding, so say I. And then Duke Theseus sent for Emily. When they were seated and was hushed the place, And Theseus had mused a little space, Ere any word came from his full wise breast, His two eyes fixed on whoso pleased him best, Then with a sad face sighed he deep and still, And after that began to speak his will. "The Primal Mover and the Cause above, When first He forged the goodly chain of love, Great the effect, and high was His intent; Well knew He why, and what thereof He meant; For with that goodly chain of love He bound The fire, the air, the water, and dry ground In certain bounds, the which they might not flee; That same First Cause and Mover," then quoth he, "Has stablished in this base world, up and down, A certain length of days to call their own For all that are engendered in this place, Beyond the which not one day may they pace, Though yet all may that certain time abridge; Authority there needs none, I allege, For it is well proved by experience, Save that I please to clarify my sense. Then may men by this order well discern This Mover to be stable and eterne. Well may man know, unless he be a fool, That every part derives but from the whole. For Nature has not taken his being From any part and portion of a thing, But from a substance perfect, stable aye, And so continuing till changed away. And therefore, of His Wisdom's Providence, Has He so well established ordinance That species of all things and all progressions, If they'd endure, it must be by successions, Not being themselves eternal, 'tis no lie: This may you understand and see by eye. "Lo now, the oak, that has long nourishing Even from the time that it begins to spring, And has so long a life, as we may see, Yet at the last all wasted is the tree. "Consider, too, how even the hard stone Under our feet we tread each day upon The Canterbury Tales The Canterbury Tales 62Yet wastes it, as it lies beside the way.