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Here may men seen that dremes been to drede.
And certes, in the same book I rede,
Right in the nexte chapitre after this,
(I gabbe nat, so have I Ioye or blis,)
Two men that wolde han passed over see,
For certeyn cause, in-to a fer contree,
If that the wind ne hadde been contrarie,
250That made hem in a citee for to tarie,
That stood ful mery upon an haven-syde.
But on a day, agayn the even-tyde,
The wind gan chaunge, and blew right as hem leste.
Iolif and glad they wente unto hir reste,
And casten hem ful erly for to saille;
But to that oo man fil a greet mervaille.
That oon of hem, in sleping as he lay,
Him mette a wonder dreem, agayn the day;
Him thoughte a man stood by his beddes syde,
260And him comaunded, that he sholde abyde,
And seyde him thus, ‘if thou to-morwe wende,
Thou shalt be dreynt; my tale is at an ende.’
He wook, and tolde his felawe what he mette,
And preyde him his viage for to lette;
As for that day, he preyde him to abyde.
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“There is proof, Pertelote, that we should fear our dreams. I also read in the next chapter of that same book—and I’m not making this up—that a man dreamed about his own death right before he set out on a voyage to cross the sea. He and another man had some business or other in another country across the sea, but they had to wait a while at port until the winds were favorable. And finally, when the winds did change, the two men agreed to set out the next morning. That night, however, one of the men dreamed just before dawn that a man was standing over his bed, who said, ‘If you sail tomorrow, you will drown.’ The man woke up, told his companion about the dream, and suggested that they wait one more day before setting sail. |
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