第 69 节
作者:管他三七二十一      更新:2024-01-16 22:39      字数:9321
  If that he mihte him overtake。
  To this thei seiden alle yee:
  Anon thei weren ate See;  3920
  And alle; as who seith; at a word
  Thei gon withinne schipes bord;
  The Sail goth up; and forth thei strauhte。
  Bot non espleit therof thei cauhte;
  And so thei tornen hom ayein;
  For al that labour was in vein。
  Jason to Grece with his preie
  Goth thurgh the See the rihte weie:
  Whan he ther com and men it tolde;
  Thei maden joie yonge and olde。    3930
  Eson; whan that he wiste of this;
  Hou that his Sone comen is;
  And hath achieved that he soughte
  And hom with him Medea broughte;
  In al the wyde world was non
  So glad a man as he was on。
  Togedre ben these lovers tho;
  Til that thei hadden sones tuo;
  Wherof thei weren bothe glade;
  And olde Eson gret joie made    3940
  To sen thencress of his lignage;
  For he was of so gret an Age;
  That men awaiten every day;
  Whan that he scholde gon away。
  Jason; which sih his fader old;
  Upon Medea made him bold;
  Of art magique; which sche couthe;
  And preith hire that his fader youthe
  Sche wolde make ayeinward newe:
  And sche; that was toward him trewe;  3950
  Behihte him that sche wolde it do;
  Whan that sche time sawh therto。
  Bot what sche dede in that matiere
  It is a wonder thing to hiere;
  Bot yit for the novellerie
  I thenke tellen a partie。
  Thus it befell upon a nyht;
  Whan ther was noght bot sterreliht;
  Sche was vanyssht riht as hir liste;
  That no wyht bot hirself it wiste;    3960
  And that was ate mydnyht tyde。
  The world was stille on every side;
  With open hed and fot al bare;
  Hir her tosprad sche gan to fare;
  Upon hir clothes gert sche was;
  Al specheles and on the gras
  Sche glod forth as an Addre doth:
  Non otherwise sche ne goth;
  Til sche cam to the freisshe flod;
  And there a while sche withstod。   3970
  Thries sche torned hire aboute;
  And thries ek sche gan doun loute
  And in the flod sche wette hir her;
  And thries on the water ther
  Sche gaspeth with a drecchinge onde;
  And tho sche tok hir speche on honde。
  Ferst sche began to clepe and calle
  Upward unto the sterres alle;
  To Wynd; to Air; to See; to lond
  Sche preide; and ek hield up hir hond    3980
  To Echates; and gan to crie;
  Which is goddesse of Sorcerie。
  Sche seide; 〃Helpeth at this nede;
  And as ye maden me to spede;
  Whan Jason cam the Flees to seche;
  So help me nou; I you beseche。〃
  With that sche loketh and was war;
  Doun fro the Sky ther cam a char;
  The which Dragouns aboute drowe:
  And tho sche gan hir hed doun bowe;   3990
  And up sche styh; and faire and wel
  Sche drof forth bothe char and whel
  Above in thair among the Skyes。
  The lond of Crete and tho parties
  Sche soughte; and faste gan hire hye;
  And there upon the hulles hyhe
  Of Othrin and Olimpe also;
  And ek of othre hulles mo;
  Sche fond and gadreth herbes suote;
  Sche pulleth up som be the rote;   4000
  And manye with a knyf sche scherth;
  And alle into hir char sche berth。
  Thus whan sche hath the hulles sought;
  The flodes ther foryat sche nought;
  Eridian and Amphrisos;
  Peneie and ek Sperchei5dos;
  To hem sche wente and ther sche nom
  Bothe of the water and the fom;
  The sond and ek the smale stones;
  Whiche as sche ches out for the nones;   4010
  And of the rede See a part;
  That was behovelich to hire art;
  Sche tok; and after that aboute
  Sche soughte sondri sedes oute
  In feldes and in many greves;
  And ek a part sche tok of leves:
  Bot thing which mihte hire most availe
  Sche fond in Crete and in Thessaile。
  In daies and in nyhtes Nyne;
  With gret travaile and with gret pyne;   4020
  Sche was pourveid of every piece;
  And torneth homward into Grece。
  Before the gates of Eson
  Hir char sche let awai to gon;
  And tok out ferst that was therinne;
  For tho sche thoghte to beginne
  Such thing as semeth impossible;
  And made hirselven invisible;
  As sche that was with Air enclosed
  And mihte of noman be desclosed。   4030
  Sche tok up turves of the lond
  Withoute helpe of mannes hond;
  Al heled with the grene gras;
  Of which an Alter mad ther was
  Unto Echates the goddesse
  Of art magique and the maistresse;
  And eft an other to Juvente;
  As sche which dede hir hole entente。
  Tho tok sche fieldwode and verveyne;
  Of herbes ben noght betre tueine;  4040
  Of which anon withoute let
  These alters ben aboute set:
  Tuo sondri puttes faste by
  Sche made; and with that hastely
  A wether which was blak sche slouh;
  And out therof the blod sche drouh
  And dede into the pettes tuo;
  Warm melk sche putte also therto
  With hony meynd: and in such wise
  Sche gan to make hir sacrifice;    4050
  And cride and preide forth withal
  To Pluto the god infernal;
  And to the queene Proserpine。
  And so sche soghte out al the line
  Of hem that longen to that craft;
  Behinde was no name laft;
  And preide hem alle; as sche wel couthe;
  To grante Eson his ferste youthe。
  This olde Eson broght forth was tho;
  Awei sche bad alle othre go  4060
  Upon peril that mihte falle;
  And with that word thei wenten alle;
  And leften there hem tuo al one。
  And tho sche gan to gaspe and gone;
  And made signes manyon;
  And seide hir wordes therupon;
  So that with spellinge of hir charmes
  Sche tok Eson in bothe hire armes;
  And made him forto slepe faste;
  And him upon hire herbes caste。    4070
  The blake wether tho sche tok;
  And hiewh the fleissh; as doth a cok;
  On either alter part sche leide;
  And with the charmes that sche seide
  A fyr doun fro the Sky alyhte
  And made it forto brenne lyhte。
  Bot whan Medea sawh it brenne;
  Anon sche gan to sterte and renne
  The fyri aulters al aboute:
  Ther was no beste which goth oute  4080
  More wylde than sche semeth ther:
  Aboute hir schuldres hyng hir her;
  As thogh sche were oute of hir mynde
  And torned in an other kynde。
  Tho lay ther certein wode cleft;
  Of which the pieces nou and eft
  Sche made hem in the pettes wete;
  And put hem in the fyri hete;
  And tok the brond with al the blase;
  And thries sche began to rase   4090
  Aboute Eson; ther as he slepte;
  And eft with water; which sche kepte;
  Sche made a cercle aboute him thries;
  And eft with fyr of sulphre twyes:
  Ful many an other thing sche dede;
  Which is noght writen in this stede。
  Bot tho sche ran so up and doun;
  Sche made many a wonder soun;
  Somtime lich unto the cock;
  Somtime unto the Laverock;   4100
  Somtime kacleth as a Hen;
  Somtime spekth as don the men:
  And riht so as hir jargoun strangeth;
  In sondri wise hir forme changeth;
  Sche semeth faie and no womman;
  For with the craftes that sche can
  Sche was; as who seith; a goddesse;
  And what hir liste; more or lesse;
  Sche dede; in bokes as we finde;
  That passeth over manneskinde。  4110
  Bot who that wole of wondres hiere;
  What thing sche wroghte in this matiere;
  To make an ende of that sche gan;
  Such merveile herde nevere man。
  Apointed in the newe Mone;
  Whan it was time forto done;
  Sche sette a caldron on the fyr;
  In which was al the hole atir;
  Wheron the medicine stod;
  Of jus; of water and of blod;   4120
  And let it buile in such a plit;
  Til that sche sawh the spume whyt;
  And tho sche caste in rynde and rote;
  And sed and flour that was for bote;
  With many an herbe and many a ston;
  Wherof sche hath ther many on:
  And ek Cimpheius the Serpent
  To hire hath alle his scales lent;
  Chelidre hire yaf his addres skin;
  And sche to builen caste hem in;   4130
  A part ek of the horned Oule;
  The which men hiere on nyhtes houle;
  And of a Raven; which was told
  Of nyne hundred wynter old;
  Sche tok the hed with al the bile;
  And as the medicine it wile;
  Sche tok therafter the bouele
  Of the Seewolf; and for the hele
  Of Eson; with a thousand mo
  Of thinges that sche hadde tho;    4140
  In that Caldroun togedre as blyve
  Sche putte; and tok thanne of Olyve
  A drie branche hem with to stere;
  The which anon gan floure and bere
  And waxe al freissh and grene ayein。
  Whan sche this vertu hadde sein;
  Sche let the leste drope of alle
  Upon the bare flor doun falle;
  Anon ther sprong up flour and gras;
  Where as the drope falle was;   4150
  And wox anon al medwe grene;
  So that it mihte wel be sene。
  Medea thanne knew and wiste
  Hir medicine is forto triste;
  And goth to Eson ther he lay;
  And tok a swerd was of assay;
  With which a wounde upon his side
  Sche made; that therout mai slyde
  The blod withinne; which was old
  And sek and trouble and fieble and cold。    4160
  And tho sche tok unto his us
  Of herbes al the beste jus;
  And poured it into his wounde;
  That made his veynes fulle and sounde:
  And tho sche made his wounde clos;
  And tok his hond; and up he ros;
  And tho sche yaf him drinke a drauhte;
  Of which his youthe ayein he cauhte;
  His hed; his herte and his visage
  Lich unto twenty wynter Age;    4170
  Hise hore heres were away;
  And lich unto the freisshe Maii;
  Whan passed ben the colde shoures;
  Riht so recovereth he his floures。
  Lo; what mihte eny man devise;
  A womman schewe in eny wise
  Mor hertly love in every stede;
  Than Medea to Jason dede?
  Ferst sche made him the flees to winne;
  And after that fro kiththe and kinne  4180
  With gret tresor with him sche stal;
  And to his fader forth withal
  His Elde hath torned into youthe;
  Which thing non other womman couthe:
  Bot hou it was to hire aquit;
  The remembrance duelleth yit。
  King Peles his Em was ded;
  Jason bar corone on his hed;