wommanish adj.

  Uncategorized
TR4. 694 Thǒ wórděs ánd thǒ wómmǎnýsshě thýngěs,
TR4. 695 Shě heŕde hěm ríght ǎs thóugh shě thénněs wérě;
TR4. 696 Fǒr Gód ǐt wóot, hǐre hérte ǒn óthǐr thýng ǐs.
TR4. 697 Ǎlthóugh thě bódy̌ sát ǎmóng hěm thérě,
TR4. 698 Hǐre ádvěrténce ǐs álwěy éllěswhérě,
TR4. 699 Fǒr Tróǐlús fǔl fáste hǐre sóulě sóughtě;
TR4. 700 Wǐthóutěn wórd, ǒn hým ǎlwéy shě thóughtě.

Line Information

  • Differences among the manuscripts and editions:
  • English translations (Windeatt: 1998):  Those words and those woman-like things Criseyde heard just as though she was not there. For God knows, her heart was on something else! Although her body sat amongst them there, her attention was always elsewhere. Her spirit was seeking intently for Troilus; without saying a word, she was thinking about him all the while.
  • Japanese translations (Sasamoto: 2012): このようなおしゃべりやらこのような女性らしい話題やらを、クリセイデはまるでその場に居ないかのようにして聞いていた。誓って言うが、彼女は心を別の事に置いていたからだ。肉体は彼女たちに挟まれてそこに座った状態だったが、彼女の注意は常に他所にあり、魂はたえずトロイルスを求め、無言でいつも彼のことを思っていたのである。
  • Chinese translations (Fang: 1956):  她心不在焉,对于这班妇女们的饶舌,根本没有理会得;天晓得,她正在想着旁的事呢,她的心魂在追逐着特罗勒斯;不做一声,只是脑中放不下他。

Word Information

  • Etymology: From womman, n.
  • Addresser: Narrator or C(N)
  • Addressee: N/A
  • Adjectives with which juxtaposed: N/A
  • Counterpart in its source (Fil): 4.82
  • Noun(s) (NPs) modified: Others (things that the ladies talk about)
  • Attributive/ Predicative: attributive

Information in Previous Studies

  • OED: 1. That is considered to be characteristic of a woman; womanly, feminine. Frequently derogatory. (s.v. womanish, adj.)
  • MED: 1. (a) Womanly, feminine; also, resembling a woman, womanlike; (s.v. wǒmmanish, adj.)
  • Commented in other previous works:
  • Windeatt (2003: 227): wommanysshe thynges: women’s talk
  • Fisher (1989): N/A
  • Benson (1987): N/A
  • Davis et al. (1979): Not quoted
  • Donaldson (1975): N/A
  • Baugh (1963): N/A

Possible Definitions

womanly, womanlike

Comments from the Editor

This stanza closely parallels Filostrato 4.82. In both versions, Criseyde pays little attention to the ladies present, as her mind is preoccupied with thoughts of Troilus. The narrator even prompts the reader to question the motives of the ladies, raising the possibility that their intentions may be driven more by their own desires to socialize rather than genuinely helping Criseyde feel better.