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XVIII.: THE COMPLEYNT OF VENUS. - Geoffrey Chaucer, The Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, vol. 1 (Romaunt of the Rose, Minor Poems) [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.

Part of: The Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, 7 vols.

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XVIII.

THE COMPLEYNT OF VENUS.

  • I. (The Lover’s worthiness.)

    Title:so in F. Ff. Ar.; see Notes.

    The MSS. are: T. (Trin. Coll. Cambridge, R. 3. 20); A. (Ashmole 59); Tn. (MS. Tanner 346); F. (Fairfax 16); Ff. (MS. Ff. 1. 6. Camb. Univ. Library); Ar. (Arch. Seld. P. 24); P. (Pepys 2006); etc. Th. = Thynne (1532). I follow F. mainly.

    • Ther nis so hy comfort to my plesaunce,[ ]
    • Whan that I am in any hevinesse,
    • As for to have leyser of remembraunce
    • Upon the manhod and the worthinesse,
    • Upon the trouthe, and on the stedfastnesse5
    • Of him whos I am al, whyl I may dure;
    • Ther oghte blame me no creature,
    • For every wight preiseth his gentilesse.
    • In him is bountee , wisdom , governaunce[ ]
    • Wel more then any mannes wit can gesse;10
    • For grace hath wold so ferforth him avaunce[ ]
    • That of knighthode he is parfit richesse.
    • Honour honoureth him for his noblesse;
    • Therto so wel hath formed him Nature,
    • That I am his for ever, I him assure,15
    • For every wight preiseth his gentilesse.
    • And not-withstanding al his suffisaunce,
    • His gentil herte is of so greet humblesse
    • To me in worde, in werke , in contenaunce,
    • And me to serve is al his besinesse,20
    • That I am set in verrey sikernesse .
    • Thus oghte I blesse wel myn aventure,[ ]
    • Sith that him list me serven and honoure;[ ]
    • For every wight preiseth his gentilesse.
  • I.
    • Il n’est confort que tant de biens me face,
    • Quant je ne puis a ma dame parler,
    • Comme d’avoir temps, loisir et espace
    • De longuement en sa valour penser,
    • Et [de] ses doulz fais femenins recorder5
    • Dedens mon cuer. C’est ma vie, par m’ame,
    • Ne je ne truis nul homme qui me blasme,
    • Car chascun a joye de li loer.
    • Il a en li bonté, beauté et grace,
    • Plus que nulz homs ne saroit deviser.10
    • C’est grant ëur quant en si pou de place
    • Dieux a voulu tous les biens assembler.
    • Honneur la vuelt sur toutes honnorer.
    • Oncques ne vi si [douce et] plaisant dame
    • De toutes gens avoir si noble femme;15
    • Car chascun a joye de li loer.
    • Ou qu’elle soit, bien fait et mal efface.
    • Moult bien li siet le rire et le jouer.
    • Son cuer esbat et les autres soulace
    • Si liement qu’on ne l’en doit blasmer.20
    • De li veoir ne se puet nulz lasser.
    • Son regart vault tous les biens d’un royaume.
    • Il semble bien qu’elle est tres noble femme,
    • Car chascun a joye de li loer.
  • II.
    • Certes, Amours, c’est chose convenable25
    • Que voz grans biens [vous] faciez comparer:
    • Veillier ou lit et jeuner a la table,
    • Rire plourant et en plaignant chanter,
    • Baissier les yeux quant on doit regarder,
    • Souvent changier couleur et contenance,30
    • Plaindre en dormant et songier a la dance
    • Tout a rebours de ce qu’on vuelt trouver.
    • Jalousie, c’est l’amer du deable;
    • Elle vuelt tout veoir et escouter,
    • Ne nulz ne fait chose si raisonnable35
    • Que tout a mal ne le vueille tourner.
    • Amours, ainsi fault voz dons acheter,
    • Et vous donnez souvent sanz ordonnance
    • Assez douleur et petit de plaisance,
    • Tout a rebours de ce qu’on vuelt trouver.40
    • Pour un court temps le gieu est agreable;
    • Mais trop par est encombreux a user,
    • Et, ja soit il a dames honnorable,
    • A leurs amis est trop grief a porter.
    • Toudiz convient souffrir et endurer,45
    • Sans nul certain languir en esperance,
    • Et recevoir mainte male meschance,
    • Tout a rebours de ce qu’on vuelt trouver.
  • III.
    • Amours, sachiez que pas ne le vueil dire
    • Pour moy getter hors des amoureux las;50
    • Car j’ay porté si long temps mon martire
    • Que mon vivant ne le guerpiray pas.
    • Il me souffist d’avoir tant de soulas
    • Que veoir puisse la [belle et] gracieuse;
    • Combien qu’el est [en]vers moy dangereuse,55
    • De li servir ne serai jamaiz las.
    • Certes, Amours, quant bien droit [je] remire
    • Les haulx estas, les moyens et les bas,
    • Vous m’avez fait de tous les bons eslire,
    • A mon avis, le meilleur, en tous cas.60
    • Or aime, cuer, ainsy que tu pourras;
    • Car ja n’aras paine si doulereuse,
    • Pour ma dame, que ne me soit joieuse;
    • De li servir ne seray jamaiz las.
    • Cuer, il te doit assez plus que souffire65
    • D’avoir choisy ce[lle] que choisi as.
    • Ne quiers [or] plus royaume ne empire,
    • Car si bonne jamaiz ne trouveras,
    • Ne si belle par mes yeux ne verras:
    • C’est jeunesce sachant et savoureuse.70
    • Ja soit elle de m’amour desdaigneuse,
    • De li servir ne seray jamaiz las.

[1. ]F. high; T. A. hye (hy is better).

[2. ]F. When; eny.

[4. ]F. manhod; the rest have final e.

[5. ]F. stidfastnesse.

[6. ]F. whiles; A. whilest; rest while.

[7. ]F. oght; Tn. oghte to.

[9. ]F. ys bounte. F. T. A. Th. insert and after wisdom; but the rest omit it.

[10. ]F. eny manes witte.

[11. ]F. wolde (wrongly); Ff. wold. F. ferforthe.

[12. ]F. parfite.

[14. ]F. well.

[16. ]F. preysith.

[18. ]F. hert; grete.

[19. ]F. werk.

[21. ]F. sikirnesse.

[22. ]F. oght.

[25. ]F. certis.

[26. ]T. A. Tn. Th. thy; F. Ff. the.

[27. ]F. a-bed; T. A. a-bedde.

[28. ]F. Wepinge; laugh; sing; compleynynge.

[29. ]F. cast; the rest caste. F. lokynge.

[30. ]F. chaunge visage (wrongly); change hewe in MS. Arch. Selden, B. 24; T. A. chaunge huwe.

[31. ]MSS. Pley, Pleye; read Pleyne (F. Plaindre). F. dreme; T. Tn. Ff. Th. dremen.

[32. ]F. reuerse; eny.

[33. ]Ff. T. Ialousye; F. Ielosie. Ff. P. be; F. Th. he (!). Ialousye be] T. þaughe Ialousye wer. T. Tn. Th. by; F. be; Ff. with.

[34. ]F. wold; thro; espyinge.

[35. ]F. dothe.

[36. ]F. nys harme; ymagenynge.

[37. ]F. yevynge.

[38. ]F. yifeth. Ff. withouten; rest withoute.

[40. ]F. reuerse; felynge.

[42. ]T. Ff. encomberous; F. encombrouse. F. vsynge.

[43. ]Tn. sotell; F. subtil. F. Ielosie.

[44. ]T. destourbing; F. derturbynge (sic).

[45. ]F. suffrynge; P. sufferyng; T. souffering.

[46. ]F. Ff. noun-certeyn; T. noun-certaine; A. nouncerteine. F. langvisshen.

[47. ]F. harde. F. wrongly repeats penaunce; T. A. meschaunce.

[48. ]F. reuerse; ony; felynge.

[49. ]F. certys; not.

[50. ]F. youre; ment.

[51. ]F. be; the rest ben or been.

[52. ]F. wil; T. A. Ff. wol. F. assent.

[53. ]F. fors; turment.

[55. ]F. certys.

[56. ]F. om. ne, which T. A. P. insert; Ar. has that. Tn. inserts me before never.

[57. ]F. certis; when.

[58. ]F. eny estate; represent.

[59. ]F. Tn. Then; rest Than, Thanne, Thane. T. Ff. P. maked; rest made. F. thro.

[60. ]F. went.

[61. ]F. hert; loke; stent.

[62. ]P. Ielous; A. Ialous; T. Ialouse; F. Ielousie. A. putte; F. put.

[63. ]F. peyn wille I not.

[64. ]F. yow (for him); T. A. Tn. Ar. him (see l. 56).

[65. ]F. Hert; the; ought ynogh.

[66. ]F. highe; T. A. hye. T. A. Ff. Ar. thee; F. yow; Tn. you. F. sent.

[67. ]F. al.

[68. ]F. entent.

[69. ]F. went.

[70. ]F. Sithe. F. Tn. ye (for I); rest I.

[71. ]All but Ju. (Julian Notary’s edition) repeat this before lay.

[73. ]T. A. Pryncesse; rest Princes. F. resseyueth.

[74. ]F. excelent benignite.

[75. ]F. Directe aftir.

[76. ]F. elde.

[77. ]Tn. soteltee; F. subtilite.

[78. ]F. nighe.

[79. ]F. eke; grete.

[80. ]F. ryme; englissh hat (sic) such skarsete.

[81. ]F. worde by worde; curiosite.

[82. ]F. floure; maken.

[1.]We must suppose Venus, i. e. the lady, to be the speaker. Hence the subject of the first Ballad is the worthiness of the lover of Venus, in another word, of Mars; indeed, in Julian Notary’s edition, the poem is headed ‘The Compleint of Venus for Mars.’ But Mars is merely to be taken as a general type of true knighthood.

I have written the general subject of each Ballad at the head of each, merely for convenience. The subjects are:—(1) The Lover’s worthiness; (2) Disquietude caused by Jealousy; (3) Satisfaction in Constancy. We thus have three movements, expressive of Admiration, Passing Doubt, and Reassurance.

The lady here expresses, when in a pensive mood, the comfort she finds in the feeling that her lover is worthy; for every one praises his excellence.

[9.]This portrait of a worthy knight should be placed side by side with that of a worthy lady, viz. Constance. See Man of Law’s Tale, B 162-8.

[11.]Wold, willed. The later E. would is dead, as a past participle, and only survives as a past tense. It is scarce even in Middle English, but occurs in P. Plowman, B. xv. 258—‘if God hadde wolde [better wold] hym-selue.’ See also Leg. Good Women, 1209, and note.

[22.]Aventure, luck; in this case, good luck.

[23.]Here is certainly a false rime; Chaucer nowhere else rimes -oure with -ure. But the conditions under which the poem was written were quite exceptional (see note to l. 79); so that this is no proof that the poem is spurious. There is a false rime in Sir Topas, Group B, l. 2092 (see my note).

[25.]In this second Ballad or Movement, an element of disturbance is introduced; jealous suspicions arise, but are put aside. Like the third Ballad, it is addressed to Love, which occurs, in the vocative case, in ll. 25, 49, and 57.

The lady says it is but suitable that lovers should have to pay dearly for ‘the noble thing,’ i. e. for the valuable treasure of having a worthy lover. They pay for it by various feelings and expressions of disquietude.

[26.]Men, one; the impersonal pronoun; quite as applicable to a woman as to a man. Cf. F. on.

[31.]The French text shews that we must read Pleyne, not Pleye; besides, it makes better sense. This correction is due to Mr. Paget Toynbee; see his Specimens of Old French, p. 492.

[33.]‘May Jealousy be hanged, for she is so inquisitive that she would like to know everything. She suspects everything, however innocent.’ Such is the general sense.

[37.]The final e in lov-e is sounded, being preserved from elision by the cæsura. The sense is—‘so dearly is love purchased in (return for) what he gives; he often gives inordinately, but bestows more sorrow than pleasure.’

[46.]Nouncerteyn, uncertainty; as in Troilus, i. 337. A parallel formation to nounpower, impotence, which occurs in Chaucer’s tr. of Boethius, bk. iii. pr. 5, l. 14.

[49.]In this third Ballad, Venus says she is glad to continue in her love, and contemns jealousy. She is thankful for her good fortune, and will never repent her choice.

[50.]Lace, snare, entanglement. Chaucer speaks of the lace of love, and the lace of Venus; Kn. Tale, 959, 1093 (A 1817, 1951).

[52.]To lete of, to leave off, desist.

[56.]All the MSS. read never; yet I believe it should be nat (not).

[62.]‘Let the jealous (i. e. Jealousy) put it to the test, (and so prove) that I will never, for any woe, change my mind.’

[69.]Wey, highroad. Wente, footpath.

[70.]The reading ye, for I, is out of the question; for herte is addressed as thou. So in l. 66, we must needs read thee, not you.

[73.]Princess. As the MSS. vary between Princesse and Princes, it is difficult to know whether the Envoy is addressed to a princess or to princes. It is true that Fortune seems to be addressed to three princes collectively, but this is unusual, and due to the peculiar form of that Envoy, which is supposed to be spoken by Fortune, not by the author. Moreover, the MSS. of Fortune have only the readings Princes and Princis; not one of them has Princesse.

The present case seems different. Chaucer would naturally address his Envoy, in the usual manner, to a single person. The use of your and ye is merely the complimentary way of addressing a person of rank. The singular number seems implied by the use of the word benignitee; ‘receive this complaint, addressed to your benignity in accordance with my small skill.’ Your benignity seems to be used here much as we say your grace, your highness, your majesty. The plural would (if this be so) be your benignitees; cf. Troil. v. 1859. There is no hint at all of the plural number.

But if the right reading be princess, we see that Shirley’s statement (see p. 560, l. 6) should rather have referred to Chaucer, who may have produced this adaptation at the request of ‘my lady of York.’ Princesses are usually scarce, but ‘my lady of York’ had the best of claims to the title, as she was daughter to no less a person than Pedro, king of Spain. She died in 1394 (Dugdale’s Baronage, ii. 154; Stowe’s Annales, 1605, p. 496); and this Envoy may have been written in 1393.

[76.]Eld, old age. See a similar allusion in Lenvoy to Scogan, 35, 38.

[79.]Penaunce, great trouble. The great trouble was caused, not by Chaucer’s having any difficulty in finding rimes (witness his other Ballads), but in having to find rimes, to translate somewhat closely, and yet to adapt the poem in a way acceptable to the ‘princess,’ all at once. See further in the Introduction.

Chaucer’s translation of the A B C should be compared; for there, in every stanza, he begins by translating rather closely, but ends by deviating widely from the original in many instances, merely because he wanted to find rimes to words which he had already selected.

Moreover, the difficulty was much increased by the great number of lines ending with the same rime. There are but 8 different endings in the 72 lines of the poem, viz. 6 lines ending in -ure, -able, -yse, and -ay, and 12 in -aunce, -esse, -ing, and -ente. In the Envoy, Chaucer purposely limits himself to 2 endings, viz. -ee and -aunce, as a proof of his skill.

[81.]Curiositee, i. e. intricacy of metre. The line is too long. I would read To folwe in word the curiositee; and thus get rid of the puzzling phrase word by word, which looks like a gloss.

[82.]Graunson. He is here called the flower of the poets of France. He was, accordingly, not an Englishman. According to Shirley, he was a knight of Savoy, which is correct. Sir Oto de Graunson received an annuity of £126 13s. 4d. from Richard II., in November, 1393, for services rendered; see the mention of him in the Patent Rolls, 17 Rich. II., p. 1, no. 339, sixth skin; printed in Furnivall’s Trial Forewords, p. 123. It is there expressly said that his sovereign seigneur was the Count of Savoy, but he had taken an oath of allegiance to the king of England. The same Graunson received a payment from Richard in 1372, and at other times. See the article by Dr. Piaget referred to in the Introduction.