Withinne the temple he wente hym forth pleyinge,
This Troilus, of every wight aboute,
On this lady, and now on that, lokynge,
Wher so she were of town or of withoute;
And upon cas bifel that thorugh a route
His eye percede, and so depe it wente,
Til on Criseyde it smot, and ther it stente.
And sodeynly he wax therwith astoned,
And gan hir bet biholde in thrifty wise.
‘O mercy, God,’ thoughte he, ‘wher hastow woned,
That art so feyr and goodly to devise?’
Therwith his herte gan to sprede and rise,
And softe sighed, lest men myghte hym here,
And caught ayeyn his firste pleyinge chere.
She nas nat with the leste of hire stature,
But alle hire lymes so wel answerynge
Weren to wommanhod, that creature
Was nevere lasse mannyssh in semynge;
And ek the pure wise of hire mevynge
Shewed wel that men myght in hire gesse
Honour, estat, and wommanly noblesse.
pleyinge making fun; wight person; wher so whether; upon cas bifel by chance it happened; route crowd; percede gazed through; smot hit; stente stayed; astoned astonished; hastow hast thou; woned dwelled; devise look upon; caughte ayeyn recovered; pleyinge chere playful expression; leste shortest; answerynge corresponding; semynge appearance; pure wise sheer manner; mevynge way of moving; gesse infer; estat dignity
To Troilus right wonder wel with alle
Gan for to like hire mevynge and hire chere,
Which somdel deignous was, for she let falle
Hire look a lite aside in swich manere,
Ascaunces, ‘What, may I nat stonden here?’
And after that hir lokynge gan she lighte,
That nevere thoughte hym seen so good a syghte.
And of hire look in him ther gan to quyken
So gret desir and swich affeccioun,
That in his hertes botme gan to stiken
Of hir his fixe and depe impressioun.
And though he erst hadde poured up and down,
He was tho glad his hornes in to shrinke:
Unnethes wiste he how to loke or wynke.
Lo, he that leet hymselven so konnynge,
And scorned hem that Loves peynes dryen,
Was ful unwar that Love hadde his dwellynge
Withinne the subtile stremes of hire yen;
That sodeynly hym thoughte he felte dyen,
Right with hire look, the spirit in his herte –
Blissed be Love, that kan thus folk converte!
somdel deignous somewhat haughty; Ascaunces as if to say; lighte brighten; his hertes botme bottom of his heart; fixe unchangeable; impressioun image; erst before; poured stared; tho then; shrinke draw; Unnethes hardly; wiste knew; leet considered; konnynge knowledgeable; dryen suffer; subtile stremes ethereal beams; yen eyes; dyen die; Right just