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Front Page  Titles (by Subject) SIR THOPAS. - The Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, vol. 4 (The Canterbury Tales)
SIR THOPAS. - Geoffrey Chaucer, The Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, vol. 4 (The Canterbury Tales) [1899]Edition used:The Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, edited from numerous manuscripts by the Rev. Walter W. Skeat (2nd ed.) (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1899). 7 vols. Vol. 4.
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SIR THOPAS.
Here biginneth Chaucers Tale of Thopas.
-
- LISTETH, lordes, in good entent,
- And I wol telle verrayment
- Of mirthe and of solas;
- Al of a knyght was fair and gent1905
- In bataille and in tourneyment,
- His name was sir Thopas.
-
- Y-born he was in fer contree,
- In Flaundres, al biyonde the see,
- At Popering, in the place;1910
- His fader was a man ful free,(10)
- And lord he was of that contree,
- As it was goddes grace.
-
- Sir Thopas wex a doghty swayn,
- Whyt was his face as payndemayn,1915
- His lippes rede as rose;
- His rode is lyk scarlet in grayn,
- And I yow telle in good certayn,
- He hadde a semely nose.
-
- His heer, his berd was lyk saffroun,1920
- That to his girdel raughte adoun;(20)
- His shoon of Cordewane.
- Of Brugges were his hosen broun,
- His robe was of ciclatoun,
- That coste many a Iane.1925
-
- He coude hunte at wilde deer,
- And ryde an hauking for riveer,
- With grey goshauk on honde;
- Ther-to he was a good archeer,
- Of wrastling was ther noon his peer,1930
- Ther any ram shal stonde.(30)
-
- Ful many a mayde, bright in bour,
- They moorne for him, paramour,
- Whan hem were bet to slepe;
- But he was chast and no lechour,1935
- And sweet as is the bremble-flour
- That bereth the rede hepe.
-
- And so bifel up-on a day,
- For sothe, as I yow telle may,
- Sir Thopas wolde out ryde;1940
- He worth upon his stede gray,(40)
- And in his honde a launcegay,
- A long swerd by his syde.
-
- He priketh thurgh a fair forest,
- Ther-inne is many a wilde best,1945
- Ye, bothe bukke and hare;
- And, as he priketh north and est,
- I telle it yow, him hadde almest
- Bitid a sory care.
-
- Ther springen herbes grete and smale,1950
- The lycorys and cetewale,(50)
- And many a clowe-gilofre;
- And notemuge to putte in ale,
- Whether it be moyste or stale,
- Or for to leye in cofre.1955
-
- The briddes singe, it is no nay,
- The sparhauk and the papeiay,
- That Ioye it was to here;
- The thrustelcok made eek his lay,
- The wodedowve upon the spray1960
- She sang ful loude and clere.(60)
-
- Sir Thopas fil in love-longinge
- Al whan he herde the thrustel singe,
- And priked as he were wood:
- His faire stede in his prikinge1965
- So swatte that men mighte him wringe,
- His sydes were al blood.
-
- Sir Thopas eek so wery was
- For prikinge on the softe gras,
- So fiers was his corage,1970
- That doun he leyde him in that plas(70)
- To make his stede som solas,
- And yaf him good forage.
-
- ‘O seinte Marie, benedicite!
- What eyleth this love at me1975
- To binde me so sore?
- Me dremed al this night, pardee,
- An elf-queen shal my lemman be,
- And slepe under my gore.
-
- An elf-queen wol I love, y-wis,1980
- For in this world no womman is(80)
- Worthy to be my make
[T. 13722
- In toune;
[T. 13722
- Alle othere wommen I forsake,
[T. 13723
- And to an elf-queen I me take1985
- By dale and eek by doune!’
-
- In-to his sadel he clamb anoon,
- And priketh over style and stoon
- An elf-queen for tespye,
- Til he so longe had riden and goon1990
- That he fond, in a privee woon,(90)
- The contree of Fairye
[T. 13731
- So wilde;
[T. 13734
- For in that contree was ther noon
- That to him dorste ryde or goon,1995
- Neither wyf ne childe.
-
- Til that ther cam a greet geaunt,
- His name was sir Olifaunt,
- A perilous man of dede;
- He seyde, ‘child, by Termagaunt,2000
- But-if thou prike out of myn haunt,(100)
- Anon I slee thy stede
[T. 13743
- With mace.
[T. 13743
- Heer is the queen of Fayerye,
- With harpe and pype and simphonye2005
- Dwelling in this place.’
-
- The child seyde, ‘al-so mote I thee,
- Tomorwe wol I mete thee
- Whan I have myn armoure;
- And yet I hope, par ma fay,2010
- That thou shalt with this launcegay(110)
- Abyen it ful soure;
[T. 13752
- Thy mawe
[T. 13752
- Shal I percen, if I may,
- Er it be fully pryme of day,2015
- For heer thou shalt be slawe.’
-
- Sir Thopas drow abak ful faste;
- This geaunt at him stones caste
- Out of a fel staf-slinge;
- But faire escapeth child Thopas,2020
- And al it was thurgh goddes gras,(120)
- And thurgh his fair beringe.
-
- Yet listeth, lordes, to my tale
- Merier than the nightingale,
- For now I wol yow roune2025
- How sir Thopas with sydes smale,
- Priking over hil and dale,
- Is come agayn to toune.
-
- His merie men comanded he
- To make him bothe game and glee,2030
- For nedes moste he fighte(130)
- With a geaunt with hevedes three,
- For paramour and Iolitee
- Of oon that shoon ful brighte.
-
- ‘Do come,’ he seyde, ‘my minstrales,2035
- And gestours, for to tellen tales
- Anon in myn arminge;
- Of romances that been royales,
- Of popes and of cardinales,
- And eek of love-lykinge.’2040
-
- They fette him first the swete wyn,(140)
- And mede eek in a maselyn,
- And royal spicerye;
- Of gingebreed that was ful fyn,
- And lycorys, and eek comyn,2045
- With sugre that is so trye.
-
- He dide next his whyte lere
- Of clooth of lake fyn and clere
- A breech and eek a sherte;
- And next his sherte an aketoun,2050
- And over that an habergeoun(150)
- For percinge of his herte;
-
- And over that a fyn hauberk,
- Was al y-wroght of Iewes werk,
- Ful strong it was of plate;2055
- And over that his cote-armour
- As whyt as is a lily-flour,
- In which he wol debate.
-
- His sheeld was al of gold so reed,
- And ther-in was a bores heed,2060
- A charbocle bisyde;(160)
- And there he swoor, on ale and breed,
- How that ‘the geaunt shal be deed,
- Bityde what bityde!’
-
- His Iambeux were of quirboilly,2065
- His swerdes shethe of yvory,
- His helm of laton bright;
- His sadel was of rewel-boon,
- His brydel as the sonne shoon,
- Or as the mone light.2070
-
- His spere was of fyn ciprees,(170)
- That bodeth werre, and no-thing pees,
- The heed ful sharpe y-grounde;
- His stede was al dappel-gray,
- It gooth an ambel in the way2075
- Ful softely and rounde
[T. 13815
- In londe.
[T. 13815
- Lo, lordes myne, heer is a fit!
- If ye wol any more of it,
- To telle it wol I fonde.2080
-
- [The Second Fit.]
- Now hold your mouth, par charitee,(180)
- Bothe knight and lady free,
- And herkneth to my spelle;
- Of bataille and of chivalry,
- And of ladyes love-drury2085
- Anon I wol yow telle.
-
- Men speke of romances of prys,
- Of Horn child and of Ypotys,
- Of Bevis and sir Gy,
- Of sir Libeux and Pleyn-damour;2090
- But sir Thopas, he bereth the flour(190)
- Of royal chivalry.
-
- His gode stede al he bistrood,
- And forth upon his wey he glood
- As sparkle out of the bronde;2095
- Up-on his crest he bar a tour,
- And ther-in stiked a lily-flour,
- God shilde his cors fro shonde!
-
- And for he was a knight auntrous,
- He nolde slepen in non hous,2100
- But liggen in his hode;(200)
- His brighte helm was his wonger,
- And by him baiteth his dextrer
- Of herbes fyne and gode.
-
- Him-self drank water of the wel,2105
- As did the knight sir Percivel,
- So worthy under wede,
- Til on a day—(207)
Here the Host stinteth Chaucer of his Tale of Thopas.
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