Of which full blithe and glad was every wight;
And tell he must his tale as was reasón,
By forword, and by composition,
As ye have heard; what needeth wordës mo’?
And when this good man saw that it was so,
As he that wise was and obediént
To keep his forword by his free assent,
He said; “Sithen276 I shall begin this game,
Why, welcome be the cut in Goddë’s name.
Now let us ride, and hearken what I say.”
And with that word we ridden forth our way;
And he began with right a merry cheer
His tale anon, and said as ye shall hear.
The Knight’s Tale277
Whilom,278 as oldë stories tellen us,
There was a duke that hightë279 Theseus.
Of Athens he was lord and governor,
And in his timë such a conqueror
That greater was there none under the sun.
Full many a richë country had he won.
What with his wisdom and his chivalry,
He conquer’d all the regne of Feminie,280
That whilom was y-cleped Scythia;
And weddedë the Queen Hippolyta,
And brought her home with him to his country
With muchel281 glory and great solemnity,
And eke her youngë sister Emily,
And thus with vict’ry and with melody
Let I this worthy Duke to Athens ride,
And all his host, in armës him beside.
And certes, if it n’ere282 too long to hear,
I would have told you fully the mannére,
How wonnen283 was the regne of Feminie,
By Theseus, and by his chivalry;
And of the greatë battle for the nonce
Betwixt Athenës and the Amazons;
And how assieged was Hippolyta,
The fairë hardy queen of Scythia;
And of the feast that was at her wedding,
And of the tempest at her homecoming.
But all these things I must as now forbear.
I have, God wot, a largë field to ear;284
And weakë be the oxen in my plough;
The remnant of my tale is long enow.
I will not letten eke none of this rout.285
Let every fellow tell his tale about,
And let see now who shall the supper win.
There as I left,286 I will again begin.
This Duke, of whom I makë mentioún,
When he was come almost unto the town,
In all his weal287 and in his mostë pride,
He was ware, as he cast his eye aside,
Where that there kneeled in the highë way
A company of ladies, tway and tway,
Each after other, clad in clothës black:
But such a cry and such a woe they make,
That in this world n’is creatúre living,
That heardë such another waimenting.288
And of this crying would they never stenten,289
Till they the reinës of his bridle henten.290
“What folk be ye that at mine homecoming
Perturben so my feastë with crying?”
Quoth Theseus; “Have ye so great envý
Of mine honoúr, that thus complain and cry?
Or who hath you misboden,291 or offended?
Do tellë me, if it may be amended;
And why that ye be clad thus all in black?”
The oldest lady of them all then spake,
When she had swooned, with a deadly cheer,292
That it was ruthë293 for to see or hear.
She saidë; “Lord, to whom fortúne hath given
Vict’ry, and as a conqueror to liven,
Nought grieveth us your glory and your honoúr;
But we beseechen mercy and succóur.
Have mercy on our woe and our distress;
Some drop of pity, through thy gentleness,
Upon us wretched women let now fall.
For certës, lord, there is none of us all
That hath not been a duchess or a queen;
Now be we caitives,294 as it is well seen:
Thanked be Fortune, and her falsë wheel,
That none estate ensureth to be wele.295
And certes, lord, t’ abiden your presénce
Here in this temple of the goddess Clemence
We have been waiting all this fortënight:
Now help us, lord, since it lies in thy might.
“I, wretched wight, that weep and wailë thus,
Was whilom wife to king Capaneus,
That starf296 at Thebes, cursed be that day:
And allë we that be in this array,
And maken all this lamentatioún,
We losten all our husbands at that town,
While that the siegë thereabouten lay.
And yet the oldë Creon, well-away!
That lord is now of Thebes the city,
Fulfilled of ire and of iniquity,
He for despite, and for his tyranny,
To do the deadë bodies villainy,297
Of all our lordës, which that been y-slaw,298
Hath all the bodies on an heap y-draw,
And will not suffer them by none assent
Neither to be y-buried, nor y-brent,299
But maketh houndës eat them in despite.”
And with that word, withoutë more respite
They fallen groff,300 and cryden piteously;
“Have on us wretched women some mercy,
And let our sorrow sinken in thine heart.”
This gentle Duke down from his courser start
With heartë piteous, when he heard them speak.
Him thoughtë that his heart would all to-break,
When he saw them so piteous and so mate,301
That whilom weren of so great estate.
And in his armës he them all up hent,302
And them comfórted in full good intent,
And swore his oath, as he was truë knight,
He wouldë do so farforthly his might303
Upon the tyrant Creon them to wreak,304
That all the people of Greecë shouldë speak,
How Creon was of Theseus y-served,
As he that had his death full well deserved.
And right anon withoutë more abode305
His banner he display’d, and forth he rode
To Thebes-ward, and all his host beside:
No ner306 Athenës would he go nor ride,
Nor take his easë fully half a day,
But onward on his way that night he lay:
And sent anon Hippolyta the queen,
And Emily her youngë sister sheen307
Unto the town of Athens for to dwell:
And forth he rit;308 there is no more to tell.
The red statúe of Mars with spear and targe
So shineth in his whitë banner large,
That all the fieldës glitter up and down:
And by his banner borne is his pennon
Of gold full rich, in which there was y-beat309
The Minotaur310 which
