TR4.22 Ŏ yé Hĕrýnĕs, Nýghtĕs dóughtrĕn thré, TR4.23 Thăt éndĕlés cŏmpléignĕn évere ĭn pýnĕ, TR4.24 Mĕgéra, Ăléte, ănd ék Thĕsíphŏné, TR4.25 Thŏw crúĕl Márs ĕk, fádĕr tó Quy̆rýnĕ, TR4.26 Thĭs ílkĕ férthĕ bóok mĕ hélpĕth fýnĕ, TR4.27 Sŏ thát thĕ lósse ŏf lýf ănd lóve y̆féerĕ TR4.28 Ŏf Tróĭlús bĕ fúlly̆ shéwĕd héerĕ.
Line Information
- Differences among the manuscripts and editions:
- English translation (Windeatt: 1998) (Windeatt: 1998): O you Furies, Night’s three daughters, who lament forever in unending pain, Megaera, Alecto, and also Tisiphone—and you too, cruel Mars, father to Quirinus—help me finish this same fourth book, so that Troilus’s loss of both life and love at once be fully set forth here!
- Japanese translation (Sasamoto: 2012) (Sasamoto: 2012): おお、エリテュスたちよ、絶え間ない苦しみの中で果てしなく嘆き悲しむ、夜の三人娘たち、メガイラ、アレクト、ティーシポネーよ、またクイリニウスの父たる残酷なマールスよ、貴方がたはトロイルスの命と愛が共に失われることをここに十分に示せるように、私を助けてこの第四巻を書き終わらせたまえ。
- Chinese translation (Fang: 1956) (Fang: 1956): 啊，你们三个司复仇的女魔，黑夜魔王的女儿们—美格蕾，亚莱克托，和希西凤妮—你们永在痛楚中哭诉；啊，你残忍的马尔斯，窟令纳之父，愿你们助我唱完这第四卷，让我详述特罗勒斯如何丧失了生命和爱情。
Word Information
- Etymology: OF
- Addresser: Narrator
- Addressee: N/A
- Adjectives with which juxtaposed: N/A
- Counterpart in its source (Fil): N/A
- Noun(s) (NPs) modified: supernatural beings (Mars)
- Attributive/ Predicative: attributive
Information in Previous Studies
- OED: Not quoted
- MED: Not quoted
- Commented in other previous works:
- Windeatt (2003): N/A
- Fisher (1989): N/A
- Benson (1987): N/A
- Davis et al. (1979): Not quoted
- Donaldson (1975): N/A
- Baugh (1963): N/A
Possible Definitions
unrelenting, cruel, pitiless
Comments from the Editor
Chaucer invokes Furies and Mars to help him in writing this book. He says that a sad companion best suits a sorrowful person and a sad expression a sorrowful tale (see my comment of ‘cruel’ [adj., Tr1.9]).
Notably, several manuscripts (Cl and Cp) present this proem (1–28) as a conclusion to Book III (just as 3.94 closes Book III of Fil).
In addition, ‘Quyryne’ refers to Romulus, the mythical founder of Rome.