TR3. 148 Quǒd Pándǎrús, “Lǒ, hére ǎn hárd rěquéstě,
TR3. 149 Ǎnd résǒnáble, ǎ lády̌ fór tǒ wérně!
TR3. 150 Nǒw, nécě mýn, by̌ nátǎl Jóvěs féstě,
TR3. 151 Wěre Í ǎ gód, yě shólděn stérve ǎs yérně,
TR3. 152 Thǎt hérěn wél thǐs mán wǒl nóthǐng yérně
TR3. 153 Bǔt yóure hǒnóur, ǎnd sén hy̌m álmǒst stérvě,
TR3. 154 Ǎnd bén sǒ lóth tǒ súffrěn hým yǒw sérvě.”

Line Information

• Differences among the manuscripts and editions:
• English translations (Windeatt: 1998): ‘Well,’ said Pandarus, ‘there’s a hard request—and reasonable—for a lady to refuse! Now, my niece, by the feast of Jupiter, god of nativities, if I were a god you would die very quickly, when you hear very well that this man desires nothing but your honour, and see him nearly die, and are so reluctant to let him serve you.’
• Japanese translations (Sasamoto: 2012): パンダルスは言った。「ああ、これは難しい頼みごとだ。道理で、恋人は断るのだ！さて、姪よ、誕生を司るユーピテルの祭祀にかけて私が神であれば、すぐにお前は死なねばならぬ。お前は若君のお前の名誉以外何も望まないというお話を聞き、若君が死にそうなのを見たのに、お前は若君が仕えることを許可しようとしないからだ。」
• Chinese translations (Fang: 1956): “呀，这个要求很合理，”膨大瑞道，“一个有身份得女子是难于抗拒的！我的甥女，我若是天上的神，应把你在穹父的诞席上处死，你听了这个人所渴望的无非是你的恩遇，你宁可看着他死，却不肯直捷地答应他来伺候你。”

Word Information

• Etymology: L
• Addresser: Pandarus
• Addressee: Criseyde
• Adjectives with which juxtaposed: N/A
• Counterpart in its source (Fil): N/A
• Noun(s) (NPs) modified: supernatural beings (Jove)
• Attributive/ Predicative: attributive 

Information in Previous Studies

• OED: A. adj.¹ †1. Presiding over birthdays or births. (s.v. natal, adj.1 and n.1)
• MED: 1. (c) of a god: presiding over?birthdays or?births (s.v. nātāl, adj.)

• Commented in other previous works:
• Windeatt (2003: 129): natal Joves feste: the feast of Jupiter (who presides over nativities)
• Fisher (1989: 450): by natal Joves feste: by the feast of Jupiter who presides over birthdays (beginnings)
• Benson (1987: 516): natal Joves feste: the feast of Jupiter (?); see n
• Davis et al. (1979): presiding over birthdays (s.v. natal, adj.)
• Donaldson (1975): N/A
• Baugh (1963: 128): by natal Joves feste: probably, as Skeat suggested, by the feast of Jupiter as the god who presided over nativities. If Chaucer had meant Jupiter’s natal feast (Root), he could have written Joves natal feste with no violence to the meter.

Possible Definitions

presiding over birthdays

Comments from the Editor

See my comment of ‘hard’ (adj., Tr3.148).