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This Arcitë ful proudly spak ageyn, ‘Thou shalt,’ quod he, ‘be rather fals than I; But thou art fals, I telle thee utterly; For par amour I loved hir first er thow. What wiltow seyn? thou wistest nat yet now Whether she be a womman or goddesse! Thyn is affeccioun of holinesse, And myn is love, as to a creature; For which I tolde thee myn aventure As to my cosin, and my brother sworn. I pose, that thou lovedest hir biforn; Wostow nat wel the olde clerkes sawe, That ‘who shal yeve a lover any lawe?’ Love is a gretter lawe, by my pan, Than may be yeve to any erthly man. And therefore positif lawe and swich decree Is broke al-day for love, in ech degree. A man moot nedes love, maugree his heed. He may nat fleen it, thogh he sholde be deed, Al be she mayde, or widwe, or elles wyf. And eek it is nat lykly, al thy lyf, To stonden in hir grace; namore shal I; For wel thou woost thy-selven, verraily, That thou and I be dampned to prisoun Perpetuelly; us gayneth no raunsoun. We stryve as dide the houndes for the boon, They foughte al day, and yet hir part was noon; Ther cam a kyte, whyl that they were wrothe, And bar awey the boon bitwixe hem bothe. And therfore, at the kinges court, my brother, Ech man for him-self, ther is non other. Love if thee list; for I love and ay shal; And soothly, leve brother, this is al. Here in this prisoun mote we endure, And everich of us take his aventure.’ This Arcitë ful proudly spak ageyn, ‘Thou shalt,’ quod he, ‘be rather fals than I; But thou art fals, I telle thee utterly; For par amour I loved hir first er thow. What wiltow seyn? thou wistest nat yet now Whether she be a womman or goddesse! Thyn is affeccioun of holinesse, And myn is love, as to a creature; For which I tolde thee myn aventure As to my cosin, and my brother sworn. I pose, that thou lovedest hir biforn; Wostow nat wel the olde clerkes sawe, That ‘who shal yeve a lover any lawe?’ Love is a gretter lawe, by my pan, Than may be yeve to any erthly man. And therefore positif lawe and swich decree Is broke al-day for love, in ech degree. A man moot nedes love, maugree his heed. He may nat fleen it, thogh he sholde be deed, Al be she mayde, or widwe, or elles wyf. And eek it is nat lykly, al thy lyf, To stonden in hir grace; namore shal I; For wel thou woost thy-selven, verraily, That thou and I be dampned to prisoun Perpetuelly; us gayneth no raunsoun. We stryve as dide the houndes for the boon, They foughte al day, and yet hir part was noon; Ther cam a kyte, whyl that they were wrothe, And bar awey the boon bitwixe hem bothe. And therfore, at the kinges court, my brother, Ech man for him-self, ther is non other. Love if thee list; for I love and ay shal; And soothly, leve brother, this is al. Here in this prisoun mote we endure, And everich of us take his aventure.’

Original Text

Modern Text

This Arcitë ful proudly spak ageyn, ‘Thou shalt,’ quod he, ‘be rather fals than I; But thou art fals, I telle thee utterly; For par amour I loved hir first er thow. What wiltow seyn? thou wistest nat yet now Whether she be a womman or goddesse! Thyn is affeccioun of holinesse, And myn is love, as to a creature; For which I tolde thee myn aventure As to my cosin, and my brother sworn. I pose, that thou lovedest hir biforn; Wostow nat wel the olde clerkes sawe, That ‘who shal yeve a lover any lawe?’ Love is a gretter lawe, by my pan, Than may be yeve to any erthly man. And therefore positif lawe and swich decree Is broke al-day for love, in ech degree. A man moot nedes love, maugree his heed. He may nat fleen it, thogh he sholde be deed, Al be she mayde, or widwe, or elles wyf. And eek it is nat lykly, al thy lyf, To stonden in hir grace; namore shal I; For wel thou woost thy-selven, verraily, That thou and I be dampned to prisoun Perpetuelly; us gayneth no raunsoun. We stryve as dide the houndes for the boon, They foughte al day, and yet hir part was noon; Ther cam a kyte, whyl that they were wrothe, And bar awey the boon bitwixe hem bothe. And therfore, at the kinges court, my brother, Ech man for him-self, ther is non other. Love if thee list; for I love and ay shal; And soothly, leve brother, this is al. Here in this prisoun mote we endure, And everich of us take his aventure.’ This Arcitë ful proudly spak ageyn, ‘Thou shalt,’ quod he, ‘be rather fals than I; But thou art fals, I telle thee utterly; For par amour I loved hir first er thow. What wiltow seyn? thou wistest nat yet now Whether she be a womman or goddesse! Thyn is affeccioun of holinesse, And myn is love, as to a creature; For which I tolde thee myn aventure As to my cosin, and my brother sworn. I pose, that thou lovedest hir biforn; Wostow nat wel the olde clerkes sawe, That ‘who shal yeve a lover any lawe?’ Love is a gretter lawe, by my pan, Than may be yeve to any erthly man. And therefore positif lawe and swich decree Is broke al-day for love, in ech degree. A man moot nedes love, maugree his heed. He may nat fleen it, thogh he sholde be deed, Al be she mayde, or widwe, or elles wyf. And eek it is nat lykly, al thy lyf, To stonden in hir grace; namore shal I; For wel thou woost thy-selven, verraily, That thou and I be dampned to prisoun Perpetuelly; us gayneth no raunsoun. We stryve as dide the houndes for the boon, They foughte al day, and yet hir part was noon; Ther cam a kyte, whyl that they were wrothe, And bar awey the boon bitwixe hem bothe. And therfore, at the kinges court, my brother, Ech man for him-self, ther is non other. Love if thee list; for I love and ay shal; And soothly, leve brother, this is al. Here in this prisoun mote we endure, And everich of us take his aventure.’
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