| Thow yevere of the formes, that hast wrought |
| This fayre world and bar it in thy thought |
| 2230 | Eternaly er thow thy werk began, |
| Why madest thow, unto the slaunder of man, |
| Or, al be that it was nat thy doing, |
| As for that fyn, to make swich a thyng, |
| Whi sufferest thow that Tereus was bore, |
| 2235 | That is in love so fals and so forswore, |
| That fro this world up to the firste hevene |
| Corrumpeth whan that folk his name nevene? |
| And, as to me, so grisely was his dede |
| That, whan that I his foule storye rede, |
| 2240 | Myne eyen wexe foule and sore also. |
| Yit last the venym of so longe ago, |
| That it enfecteth hym that wol beholde |
| The storye of Tereus, of which I tolde. |
| Of Trace was he lord, and kyn to Marte, |
| 2245 | The crewel god that stant with blody darte; |
| And wedded hadde he, with a blysful cheere, |
| Kyng Pandiones fayre doughter dere, |
| That highte Progne, flour of hire cuntre, |
| Thogh Juno lyst nat at the feste to be, |
| 2250 | Ne Imeneus that god of wedyng is. |
| But at the feste redy ben, ywis, |
| The Furies thre with al here mortal brond. |
| The oule al nyght aboute the balkes wond, |
| That prophete is of wo and of myschaunce. |
| 2255 | This revel, ful of song and ek of daunce, |
| Laste a fortenyght, or lytel lasse. |
| But shortly of this story for to passe, |
| For I am wery of hym for to telle, |
| Fyve yer his wif and he togeder dwelle, |
| 2260 | Til on a day she gan so sore longe |
| To sen hire sister that she say nat longe, |
| That for desyr she nyste what to seye. |
| But to hire husbonde gan she for to preye, |
| For Godes love, that she moste ones gon |
| 2265 | Hyre syster for to sen, and come anon, |
| Or elles, but she moste to hire wende, |
| She preyde hym that he wolde after hire sende; |
| And this was day by day al hire preyere, |
| With al humblesse of wifhod, word and chere. |
| 2270 | This Tereus let make his shipes yare, |
| And into Grece hymself is forth yfare. |
| Unto his fadyr-in-lawe gan he preye |
| To vouche-sauf that for a month or tweye |
| That Philomene, his wyves syster, myghte |
| 2275 | On Progne his wyf but ones han a syghte -- |
| "And she shal come to yow ageyn anon. |
| Myself with hyre wol bothe come and gon, |
| And as myn hertes lyf I wol hire kepe." |
| This olde Pandion, this kyng, gan wepe |
| 2280 | For tendernesse of herte for to leve |
| His doughter gon, and for to yeve hire leve; |
| Of al this world he loveth nothyng so; |
| But at the laste leve hath she to go. |
| For Philomene with salte teres eke |
| 2285 | Gan of hire fader grace to beseke |
| To sen hire syster that she loveth so, |
| And hym embraseth with hire armes two. |
| And therwithal so yong and fayr was she |
| That, whan that Tereus saw hire beaute, |
| 2290 | And of aray that there was non hire lyche, |
| And yit of beaute was she two so ryche, |
| He caste his fyry herte upon hyre so |
| That he wol have hir, how so that it go; |
| And with his wiles kneled and so preyde, |
| 2295 | Tyl at the laste Pandyon thus seyde: |
| "Now, sone," quod he, "that art to me so dere, |
| I the betake my yonge doughter here |
| That bereth the keye of al myn hertes lyf. |
| And gret me wel my doughter and thy wif, |
| 2300 | And yif hire leve somtyme for to pleye, |
| That she may sen me ones er I deye." |
| And sothly, he hath mad hym riche feste, |
| And to his folk, the moste and ek the leste, |
| That with hym com; and yaf hym yiftes grete, |
| 2305 | And hym conveyeth thourgh the mayster-strete |
| Of Athenes, and to the se hym broughte, |
| And turneth hom; no malyce he ne thoughte. |
| The ores pullen forth the vessel faste, |
| And into Trace aryveth at the laste, |
| 2310 | And up into a forest he hire ledde, |
| And to a cave pryvely hym spedde; |
| And in this derke cave, yif hir leste, |
| Or leste nat, he bad hire for to reste; |
| Of which hire herte agros, and seyde thus: |
| 2315 | "Where is my sister, brother Tereus?" |
| And therwithal she wepte tenderly |
| And quok for fere, pale and pitously, |
| Ryght as the lamb that of the wolf is biten; |
| Or as the culver that of the egle is smiten, |
| 2320 | And is out of his clawes forth escaped, |
| Yit it is afered and awhaped, |
| Lest it be hent eft-sones; so sat she. |
| But utterly it may non other be. |
| By force hath this traytour don a dede, |
| 2325 | That he hath reft hire of hire maydenhede, |
| Maugre hire hed, by strengthe and by his myght. |
| Lo! here a dede of men, and that a ryght! |
| She cryeth "Syster!" with ful loud a stevene, |
| And "Fader dere!" and "Help me, God in hevene!" |
| 2330 | Al helpeth nat; and yit this false thef |
| Hath don this lady yit a more myschef, |
| For fere lest she shulde his shame crye |
| And don hym openly a vilenye, |
| And with his swerd hire tonge of kerveth he, |
| 2335 | And in a castel made hire for to be |
| Ful pryvely in prisoun everemore, |
| And kepte hire to his usage and his store, |
| So that she myghte hym neveremore asterte. |
| O sely Philomene, wo is thyn herte! |
| 2340 | God wreke thee, and sende the thy bone! |
| Now is it tyme I make an ende sone. |
| This Tereus is to his wif ycome, |
| And in his armes hath his wif ynome, |
| And pitously he wep and shok his hed, |
| 2345 | And swor hir that he fond hir sister ded; |
| For which this sely Progne hath swich wo |
| That nygh hire sorweful herte brak a-two. |
| And thus in terys lete I Progne dwelle, |
| And of hire sister forth I wol yow telle. |
| 2350 | This woful lady lerned hadde in youthe |
| So that she werken and enbroude couthe, |
| And weven in hire stol the radevore |
| As it of wemen hath be woned yore. |
| And, sothly for to seyne, she hadde hire fille |
| 2355 | Of mete and drynk, and clothyng at hire wille. |
| She coude eek rede and wel ynow endyte, |
| But with a penne coude she nat wryte. |
| But letters can she weve to and fro, |
| So that, by that the yer was al ago, |
| 2360 | She hadde ywoven in a stamyn large |
| How she was brought from Athenes in a barge, |
| And in a cave how that she was brought; |
| And al the thyng that Tereus hath wrought, |
| She waf it wel, and wrot the storye above, |
| 2365 | How she was served for hire systers love. |
| And to a knave a ryng she yaf anon, |
| And preyed hym by signes for to gon |
| Unto the queen, and beren hir that cloth, |
| And by signes swor hym many an oth |
| 2370 | She wolde hym yeven what she geten myghte. |
| This knave anon unto the quene hym dyghte, |
| And tok it hire, and al the maner tolde. |
| And whan that Progne hath this thing beholde, |
| No word she spak, for sorwe and ek for rage, |
| 2375 | But feynede hire to gon on pilgrymage |
| To Bacus temple; and in a litel stounde |
| Hire dombe sister sittynge hath she founde, |
| Wepynge in the castel, here alone. |
| Allas! The wo, the compleynt, and the mone |
| 2380 | That Progne upon hire doumbe syster maketh. |
| In armes everych of hem other taketh, |
| And thus I late hem in here sorwe dwelle. |
| The remenaunt is no charge for to telle, |
| For this is al and som: thus was she served, |
| 2385 | That nevere harm agilte ne deserved |
| Unto this crewel man, that she of wiste. |
| Ye may be war of men, if that yow liste. |
| For al be it that he wol nat, for shame, |
| Don as Tereus, to lese his name, |
| 2390 | Ne serve yow as a morderour or a knave, |
| Ful lytel while shal ye trewe hym have -- |
| That wol I seyn, al were he now my brother -- |
| But it so be that he may have non other. |