by: Linne R. Mooney (Editor) , Mary-Jo Arn (Editor)
from: The Kingis Quair and Other Prison Poems 2005
"And as best I can, I shall endure the fatal outcome of my life and hold [myself] henceforth always continually in truth [or true love], praying to the Lord [who is above] Fortune and Nature - without whose help nothing exists nor can be certain - to guide and rule everything according to his true design, which leads by just/divine providence to the end of every man, i.e., that the Lord the Creator defend my spirit from despair!"169-77 Beginning his final stanza, or envoy, with Lo here the fyne (line 169), however, he signals his return to the world of Chaucer, specifically the end of TC: ("Swich fyn hath, lo, this Troilus for love!" [5.1828] and "Lo here, of payens corsed olde rites!" [5.1849]), not to pick up his appeal to God's mother, Mary, but to reiterate his denunciation of Fortune and hir doubilnese (line 171) and to wish for death.
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Because that teres, weymenting, and playnte Scloknis the fyre that langour doith encresse In wofull, cald, disparit hertis faynte And suagis oft the furiouse, wood distresse, I am determyte, the wofull tyme to lesse, Sum thing to writt, that every wycht may knawe How Fortune has my joy and blisse ourethrawe. And thocht I be nocht in endite expert Nor eloquent, my simpilnese excuse And have compacioun of my trublit hert, Wappit in dred, of all the warld refuse. I will non othiris dolouris feyne nor use, Nor borow teris in my pen to rayne, Bot sic as fallis fro myn eyne twayn. And every noble, stedfast hert and trew That has ressavit of Fortune the disdeyne Suld on my bittir rage and sorow rewe. Suppose I can nocht counterfete nor feyne, Yitt every noble wicht that mycht acteyne Sulde help a lovere and his wo redrese; And gife thai mycht nocht, pleyne his hevynes. The blak, cloudy thochtis of dispaire Ar enterit in myn hert, cald and wod, And it opprest so cruelly and sare That of the awin verray propir blud Is went to every eye a diverse flud, Quhilk beris witnese of my discomfort Thocht it my bitter woo no wise support. And gif that worthy Chaucere wer on lyve, Quhilk was of poetis the honour and the glore, Myn unresty turment to discrive, He wald have put it rather in memore Than ony othir that he wrate before: The accident is trew and more pitouse Than was the double sorou of Troilus. For all my yeris gone of tender age, I levit at ese in quiete and plesance, Withoutyn drede, doloure, or yit damnage, Wele fortunat under Lufis govirnans, Butt traist of change or ony variance; Bot quhen Fortune semys most trewe and stable Than to begyle a wicht scho is most hable. And syne that Fortune unto non estate Can be sure, no wise, in no degree, Is non suld traist ay to be fortunate For ony hecht or promise, as think me, Sen in hir giftis is no propirtee, Thai ar begilit, sen that hir quhele mon turn, That traistis alway in wele for to sojurn. Herefor, as Boece sais, nouthir hie nor lawe, Big nocht thy house bot on a sekir stane, Mak thare thy foundment, gif it sall nocht fawe: Thir hie rochis ar dangerouse ilkane And law valais with fludis ar ourgane; Lyve mediate lyf, quho list lang to endure, For that is baith most proffitable and sure. Bot syn thare is, as clerkis all diffyne, Abufe Fortoun a God and Lord eterne, Quhat is the cause or quhat wicht can devyne He sufferis Fortune trewe folk to disperne? I lat it pas, for I can nocht discern; Bot furth my letter, as I can it write, I will proceid thareof to thee endite. Explicit Prologus Quho may compleyne my langoure and distresse But help of you that ar in pane endlese, Edippus, Pluto, buteles Tantalus? Help, Piramus, . . . with thy cruell stedfastnese, Help, Adon and wise Mercurius, Phebus and Jove, with soroufull Troilus, Help, Mars, and all that felt hath hevynes, Me to compleyne my paynis dolorus! My pure goste, that quakith evir in drede, I am so baisit, how I sall proceid In this mater, or quhom on for to pleyne? Lufe, Fortune, and my lady all, indede, Ar fremmyt, cruell, and list tak no hede Unto my pane nor sorow be no meyne. For treuth I dee and can no grace atteyne: Thus confortlese, disparit nevir to spede, I lyve, and false ar cherist that can feyne. Quham sall I wyte of all this fremmyt chance, This payn, this turment, wo, and grete pennance? Fortune? My lady? Or thou, god of Lufe? May nane bot Fortune and hir govirnance, Quhilk can nocht suffir no wicht in plesance Long to remane, apoun hir quhele abufe. I will non othir chide, nor yit reprufe: This fals, double ladyis countenance Is suetast quhen scho will hir grace remufe. Now gif pane, turment, langoure, and distresse Without comfort, or punysing giltles, May cause any lufare to have care, I have enuch thereof and more, doutlese. Lak of cherising and all hevynes That is or may be to my ese contrare, Dred of deth, manasing of dispare, Persing thouchtis with cold and hote seiknese, Me to consume ay hourly mare and mare. The lang nycht without slepe I lye allone, With sychis hote as glede full many one, Aye cursyng kynd and Nature that me wrocht, Remembring on my wrechit lyf ygone, Criand, "Thou Jove, my distany dispone!" Full pitousely and scharp, bot all for nocht: Is no remede nor reskewe to me brocht! Thus turnyng faynt and making my mone, I ly with turment, and with sorow socht: O Lufe, advert, behold and see: Tak hede to myne adversitee! Sen evirmore in all degree To serve thee myn entent was trewe. Quhat honour may it be to thee To sla thine awin with crueltee, That will on na wise fro thee flee, Bot humily thy grace persewe? Being Lord of Pitee, rewe, Help me the dangere to eschewe Of fals Fortune quho has rest of newe My joy, blis, and prosperitee; For wele thou wist thyself and knewe Giltlese this Lady me ovrethrewe, Bot no remede is to argewe Agaynis hir mutabilitee. Allace, to long I all this wrong sustene Agains rycht; was nevir wicht, I wene, Punyst so sare with pane and care as I! In vellis tuo ar changit for wo myne eyne. I wepe, I wale, with hew full paile and grene, Strekit on ground almost confound I lye, And oft on deide this to remed I crye! But Fortune will that I aye still contene: No medycyne I can nor fyne aspye. I cry on Venus to relesch my pane For lufe of Adon, that with the bore was slane! I crye on Mars for lufe of fresch Cipres; On Jove for lufe of Eroupe his sovirane; On Phebus for lufe of hir that hicht Dyane! I crye on Mercury for Harisse love, I gesse! I cry on every god and on goddesse Me to restore unto my blis agane, But all for nocht: none will my wo redresse. My grete pennance, my hevy chance and wo, My sad entent, and scharpe turment also, Without comfort, quha may report or tell? My paynis strong sufferit to long ago, That be no way can nor may have ho? My hevynes is nothing lese than hell! My bittir thocht I may it nocht expell Quhill that my hert with deth departit atwo, Into this pane I aye remane and duell. Exempt fro joy, blisse, and comforting; Fulfild of langoure and vommenting; With harmes, douchtis, in the sad regne, I may go dance in habite of murnyng, To syng the samyn, sory sang thai sing For lak of comfort and cherising. My life I feile is evir vanyssing And non that may will remede to me bring: Therefor all mirth and gladnese I resing. And of my life the dedly aventure With pacience as I may I sall endure And hald forth aye in treuth contynuance,1 Praying the Lord of Fortune and Nature, Without quhais help is nocht nor may be sure,2 To gyde or reule all to his hie plesance, Quhilk ledis the fyn, be just purviance,3 Of every wicht, that Lord the Creatoure Defend my gost ay fro desperance! Lo here the fyne, but feyne, of this endite, Nocht said of malice no wicht to dispite Bot onely Fortune and hir doubilnese, Quhilk reft has all my plesance and delite And maid me both of hope and comfort quite; Under the traist of treuth and sekirnese, My deth I sewe with all my besynes And sa fer as I cunnyng have to writt; This is my bittir langoure and distresse. Here endis the Lufaris Complaint, etc. |
lamenting, and complaint; (see note); (t-note) Extinguishes cold, despairing, faint hearts; (t-note) assuages; mad distress determined; decrease every man overthrown though; writing; (t-note) compassion for; troubled Stunned (struck down); rejected; (t-note) no others' sadnesses tears; rain But such; two eyes (see note) received Should; take pity Given that I cannot man that might be able relieve; (t-note) if they; not, commiserate thoughts cold and [inducing] madness sorely its very own blood flood Which bears Though; [can] endure; (see note); (t-note) if; alive; (see note) Who; glory restless; describe in writing any; wrote occurrence sorrow past lived at ease sorrow, or yet harm Very; Love's governance Without expectation when; seems Then to beguile a man she since no way, to any degree should trust always any vow Since; substance They are; since; must; (t-note) Who trust; good fortune; remain; (t-note) Therefore; neither; (see note) Build; except; stable rock foundation, if; fade; (see note) These; every one low valleys; overflowed [a] moderate; whoever wishes long both since there (see note) What; what man [Why] he allows; despair let; not understand forth to write to/for you "Here ends the Prologue"; (t-note) Who; (t-note) Without; pain hopeless; (see note) (see note); (t-note) (see note) (see note) (see note) [of] my sorrowful pains pure spirit daunted matter; [to] whom distant; wish to by no means In truth; die despairing; succeed cherished; feign tell; bad fortune pain none but; (see note) Which can not allow any man atop her wheel yet lady's [i.e., Fortune's]; (see note) Sweetest when she; remove; (see note) if pain punishment guiltless lover enough contrary to my comfort menacing piercing thoughts; sickness more and more long night sighs; a burning coal the natural order and Nature wretched past life Crying; dispose loudly; for naught remedy or rescue (t-note) with sorrow sought [as follows] turn around; (see note) Since (t-note) What slay thine own in no way humbly; pursue have pity avoid taken away recently; (t-note) well you yourself were aware (i.e., Fortune) remedy [it] is to argue; (see note) Against Alas, too; (see note) never was anyone, I believe Punished so sorely Into two wells are; eyes wail; pale and green; (see note) destroyed death; as a remedy (relief) always still remain (persist) I know nor end can [I] see release [me of]; (see note) love of Adonis; by a boar for the sake of his love of; (see note) sovereign; (see note) is called; (see note) (see note) naught; my woe relieve bad luck spirit (state of mind) who too long by no means; have ending less thought; not While; divided in two Within; pain I always Filled; wailing (lamenting) misfortunes, doubts; rain dressed for mourning; (see note) same sad song they sing feel; ever can; remedy (relief) resign (give up) fatal event; (see note) as [well as] I may I shall guide; high (true) Of every man spirit; despair end, without pretense; (see note) Not; to disparage anyone duplicity Which has taken away made; deprived Trusting in truth and security beg for; diligence to the extent that I have cunning |