despitous adj.

2022-08-25 despitous

TR5.197 Tŏ Tróie ĭs cóme thĭs wófŭl Tróĭlús,
TR5.198 Ĭn sórwe ăbóvĕn állĕ sórwĕs smértĕ,
TR5.199 Wĭth félŏun lóok ănd fácĕ díspĭtóus.
TR5.200 Thŏ sódĕynlý dŏun fróm hĭs hórs hĕ stértĕ,
TR5.201 Ănd thŏrúgh hĭs pálĕis, wíth ă swóllĕn hértĕ,
TR5.202 Tŏ cháumbre hĕ wénte; ŏf nóthy̆ng tóok hĕ hédĕ,
TR5.203 Nĕ nón tŏ hým dăr spéke ă wórd fŏr drédĕ.

Line Information

Differences among the manuscripts and editions:
English translations (Windeatt: 1998): This unhappy man has returned to Troy in sorrow bitter beyond all sorrows, with sullen look and a cruel face. Then he suddenly jumped down from his horse and went through his palace to his room, his heart swollen with grief. (He took no notice of anything, and no one dared speak a word to him for fear.)
Japanese translations (Sasamoto: 2012): 痛ましいトルロイスは、この上ない悲痛に打ち沈み、敵意に満ちた様子に冷酷な顔つきをしてトロイアに戻る。それから突然馬からぱっと飛び降り、胸が膨らむほど悲しみ一杯になって、宮殿の中を通り抜け、自分の部屋に入った。どんなものにも注意を向けず、誰もこわくて彼に一言も話しかけようとしなかった。
Chinese translations (Fang: 1956): 伤心的特罗勒斯回到特罗亚，悲痛异常，愁容满面。赶紧下了马，心头湧胀，三两步跨过宫殿，来到房中；任何人都不理会，谁也不敢同他讲一句话。

Word Information

Etymology: OF
Addresser: Narrator
Addressee: N/A
Adjectives with which juxtaposed: feloun
Counterpart in its source (Fil): 5.15
Noun(s) (NPs) modified: external parts of body (Troilus’s face)
Attributive/ Predicative: predicative

Information in Previous Studies

OED: Not quoted
MED: (Quoted) 3. (b) ruthless, cruel (death); fierce, terrible (thing, act, or experience); angry (look); raging (river); harsh (medicine) (s.v. dē̆spītǒus, adj.)

Commented in other previous works:
Windeatt (2003: 277): dispitous: pitiless
Fisher (1989: 507): dispitous: angry
Benson (1987: 563): dispitous: cruel
Davis et al. (1979): Davis et al. (1979): (Quoted) (?) sad or fierce (s.v. despitous, adj.) (1975):
Donaldson (1975: 941): despitous: cruel
Baugh (1963: 185): dispitous: cruel, contemptuous

Possible Definitions

cruel; fierce; angry; sad

Comments from the Editor

This stanza concurs with Fil. 5.15. Chaucer adopts his “feloun” in this stanza from Boccaccio’s “fellone” and “dispitous” (5.199), which in this case means angry. This may have been influenced by “niquitoso” in Fil.