 | Apollonius of Tyre |  |
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[MIDDLE ENGLISH FRAGMENT FROM APOLLONIUS.]
To Tarse y fledde þat deþ to fle.For hunger þe cite was al nouȝt.
An hundred milianys þey hadde of me
buschelles of whete as y am byþouȝt.
þo made þey an ymage off bras:
a scheef of whete he helde an honde,
þat to my licknes maad was;
vppon a buschel þey dyde hym stonde,
and wryte aboute þe storye:
‘To Appolyn þis hys ydo,
to haue hym euere in memorye,
for he delyuerede vs fro woo.’
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þe kinges douȝter he me ȝaf.
I ledde here fro here kyn:
aȝeyn ne brouȝte hire nouȝt saf,
ffor sche deyȝde amydde þe see;
and þer sche bar þis maide child
þat here stant byfore þe.
Goude goddesse, be to hire myld!
þo tok y my douȝter in Tarse to kepe,
to Strangulion and dame Denyse.
Y couþe no reed but euer wepe;
sorwe me tok in ech wyse.
I held me in þe see ten and foure ȝeer,
with sorwe, care and wo.
I cam aȝe, and fond hire nouȝt þer;
þo nyst y what was best to do.
Bote grete goddesse, y þanke þe,
þat euere sche deþ so asterte,
þat euere y myȝte þat day yseo,
to haue þis confort at my herte.”
þe whiles he expounede þus his lyf,
with sorwe and stedfast þouȝt,
he tolde hit to hys owene wyf:
sche knew him wel, and he hire nouȝt.
Heo cauȝt him in hure armes two;
for ioye sche ne myȝte spek a word.
þe kyng was wroþ, and pitte hire fro.
Heo cryede loude: “ȝe beþ my lord.
I am ȝoure wyf, ȝoure leof ycore,
Archistrata, ȝe louede so;
þe kynges douȝter y was [y] bore,
Archistrates, he ne hadde na mo.”
Heo clipte hym, and eft gan to kysse;
and tolde þat was byfalle.
Sche clipte and keuste withoute lysse,
and saide þus byfore hem alle:
“ȝe beþ Appolyn þe king, my maister,
þat tauȝte me al my goud. [OMITTED]
[ȝe beþ] for wham y oþer forsok,
and to my lord ȝou ches;
[ȝe beþ] my lord þat leide me on cheste,
or y were cast in to þe see;
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and neuere wende me more ysee;
[ȝe beþ] my lord þat y haue founde.
Y þanke god in eternyte!
[Hys o] ure douȝter on þys grounde?”
“Ye, dame, parfay: þys hys sche.”
[þo schewd]e he hire. Me scholde nouȝt knowe
ho was gladdest of þe þreo.
[A-non] þey wepte alle a-rowe,
þat ech of oþer hadde pite.
[Ouer al] Ephese hit was couþ:
þe goddesse hadde hire lord knowe.
[þo] may no man telle with mouþ
þe grete mirþe þat was mad y-trowe.
[Euery m]an song and made gleo
in gret confort of here goddesse.
[Was wre] þes ystreyȝt ouer al þat cite,
and keuerede for gret gladnesse.
[He ma]de a feste of gret plente,
and fedde þe citesaynes alle at ones.
[Hy had]de of him gret deinte;
þe feste was gret for þe nones.
[þo ma]de hy prest of the lawe
here norry þat sche loued mest.
[þat wa]s þe manere by har dawe:
wymmen dide þat offys of prest.
[Gret was] þe ioye of þat londe.
Sche diȝte hire with here lord to fare.
[Al þ]e cite brouȝte hem at stronde;
for deol or blisse wexeþ al bare.
[þo we]nte hy to Antioche;
ȝutt was him kept þat kyndom.
[And ry]ȝt fro þennes hys passage
to his lond Tire he nom;
[þer he] made Anategora kyng,
hys douȝter quene, þat was his heir.
[And þon]ne hit was at her likynge,
to schip hy wente alle y-fere,
[and t]o Tarse þey wente with gret nauye;
wederynge fel at wille.
Alle þe citesaynes gonne crye:
“Wel-come, lord, vs tille.”
[He h]yȝte a-non Strangulion take,
and hys wyf Denyse also.
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with hym to hare mothalle goo,
[and] asket ȝif he haþ trespassed ouȝt
oþer eny offense aȝeyn hem do.
[þo sa]yde alle: “Nay, lord, ryȝt nouȝt;
ȝe beþ oure lord for euer-mo.
[ȝou] we haue to lorde ycore;
for euere loue ȝou we mote.
[For n]e hadde ȝe be, we hadde be lore;
of alle bales ȝe were bote.
[ȝour y]mage of braas witnesse hys
þat we schulle ȝow neuere disceyue.
[We w]olle deye for ȝou y-wys
raþer þan eny man schal ȝou greue.”
“[To Str]angulion my douȝter y tok,
and Denyse þat hys hys wyf. . .” [OMITTED]
“. . .þat þe citesaynes with gret deol
hadde write hit to-fore ȝoure eyȝe.”
Appolyn gan to calle:
“Tarse, douȝter, where-euere þou beo,
schewe þe forþ byfore vs alle;
fro deþ to lyf arys aȝe!”
Sche pytte hire forþ in riche atir,
as fel to a quene,
to fulfille her fader desir.
“Denyse,” sche seyþ, “hail [OMITTED]!
I grete þe out of my graue,
fro deþ to lyue arered.
Wher hys Tiophele? Him moste y haue.”
He stoud swiþe aferyd.
“Madame, y am her at ȝoure wille.”
He stod as he schulde sterue.
“Ho tok me þe to spille?”
“Deonyse wham y serue.”
þe citesaynes Strangulion toke
and hys wyf for hire trecherye;
out of þe cite drowe with hoke,
in to a place þer-inne to dye.
þey stenede him with stone,
and so hy wolde Teophele also.
Tarse bygan him defende sone:
to deþe he ne was nouȝt do;
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to praye god almyȝt.
I schal him ȝeue lyues space;
ellys ȝe ne hadde me neuer seye in siȝt.”
Appolyn dwellede þer fourty dayes,
and ȝaf grete ȝiftes to alle men.
He made festes and noble lawes;
and þennes sailede to Cirenen.
ȝut was hys ffader-in-lawe a-lyue,
Archistrates þe goud kyng.
Folk come aȝeynes him so blyue,
as eny myȝte by oþer þryng.
þey songe, daunsede and were blyþe,
þat euere hy myȝte þat day yseo;
and þankede god a þousand syþe.
þe kyng was gladdest, suyr be ȝe,
þo he saw hem alle byfore,
his douȝter and hys svne-in-lawe,
and hys douȝter so fair ycore,
a kinges wyf: he was wel fawe;
and her child þer also,
al clene of kynges blod.
He kuste hem; he was glad þo.
But þe olde king so goud,
he made hem dwelle al þat ȝer,
and deyde in hys douȝter arm;
with gret gladnesse he deyde þer:
if god nolde hit was harm.
þo nolde Appolyn neuere fyne,
ar he hadde þe ffischere souȝt
þat ȝaf him half hys sclaueyne,
þo he was firste to londe ybrouȝt.
Knyȝtes him fette of gret honour;
he was aferde to be slawe.
He ȝaf him londes and gret tresour,
and made him Erl by al hys dawe.
“Olde man, ne dred þe nouȝt;
for y am Appolyn of Tire
þat ones helpe of þe bysouȝt.
þo y lay byfore þe in þe myre,
þou ȝaue me half þy sclaueyne,
and bed me y schulde þenke on þe.”
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he was marchaunt of many þynge.
[He fell d]oun þe kyng to grete.
He tok him vp and gan him to kusse,
[and sai]de he wolde him neuere lete;
he scholde be on of hem to-wysse.
[He ȝaf h]im bothe lond and lede,
and made him Erl also þer by-side.
[Hit was] ful of wilde-brede,
casteles and tourys þat were wyde.
[He ma]de him chef of hys consail;
for he fonde him ferst with fewe:
[he w]as euere withoute fail,
he ne leet for no newe.
[þo lyuede] þe kyng goud lyf and clene
with hys wyf in gret solas;
[sixty ȝ]er and fourtene
he lyuede after þys do was.
[Sche bar h]im twey sones by iunge age,
þat wax wel-farynge men.
[He hel]de þe kyndom of Antioche,
of Tire and of Cirenen.
[þo we]re neuere verre on hys lond,
ne hunger ne no mesayse.
[þat ffolk] hit ȝede wel an hond;
he lyuede wel at ayse.
[He wro]t tweye bokys of hys lyf:
þat on to hys owene bible he sette;
[þat oþer] at byddinge of hys wyf
he lafte at Ephese þer he hire fette.
[He ruled]e hys lond in goud manere.
þo he drow to age,
[Anateg]ora he made king of Tire,
þat was his owene heritage;
[þe eld]est sone of þat empire
he made king of Antiage;
[þe secon]de þat he louede dure,
of Cirenen þat was [hys by parage].
[And þo] he hadde al þys ydyȝt,
cam deþ and axede hys fee.
[þo wente] hys soule to god almyȝt:
so wol god þat hit bee.
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for to louye so hys wyf.
[He louede] here withoute trespace,
as sche dyde hym al here lyf.
[Us graun]te on alle lyues space
heer to amende oure mysdede,
[and fina]lly of heuene to haue a place.
Amen ȝe synge here, y rede.—
[In þe s]ouþ þys was translatyd,
almost at Engelondes ende.
[Hit was] nouȝt to þe makers stat,
tak sich a [matiere] kynde:
[he schol]de haue ytake hys bedys on honde
and sayd his paternoster and crede;
[ffor he] was vicary, y vnderstonde,
at Wymborne Mynstre in þat stede.
[Na m]ore y þouȝte ȝou haue wryte,
hit is nouȝt worþ to be knowe;
[and þou] þat wole þe soþe ywyte,
go þider and me wol þe schewe.
[God] fader and svne and holy gost,
to wham y clepide at my bygynnynge,
[bycau]se he hys of myȝtes most,
brynge vs alle to a goud endynge,
[and] graunte vs voide þe payne of helle,
o god lord and persones þreo,
[and in] þe blysse of heuene dwelle.
Amen per charite.
| Apollonius of Tyre | |