cler adj.

2022-07-22 cler

TR3.1352 Thĭs Tróĭlús fŭl ófte hĭre éyĕn twó
TR3.1353 Găn fór tŏ kísse, ănd séyde, “Ŏ éyĕn clérĕ,
TR3.1354 Ĭt wérĕn yé thăt wróughtĕ mé swĭch wó,
TR3.1355 Yĕ húmblĕ néttĕs óf my̆ lády̆ déerĕ!
TR3.1356 Thŏugh thér bĕ mércy̆ wrítĕn ín yŏure chéerĕ,
TR3.1357 Gŏd wóot, thĕ téxt fŭl hárd ĭs, sóth, tŏ fýndĕ!
TR3.1358 Hŏw kóudĕ yé wĭthóutĕn bónd mĕ býndĕ?”

Line Information

Differences among the manuscripts and editions:
English translation (Windeatt: 1998) (Windeatt: 1998): Troilus very often kissed both her eyes and said: ‘O bright eyes, it was you who caused me such misery, you modest nets with which my dear lady caught me! Although there is mercy written in your looks, God knows, the text is truly very hard to find! How could you bind me without a cord?’
Japanese translation (Sasamoto: 2012) (Sasamoto: 2012): トロイルスは何度も彼女も両方の目にキスをして、言った。「ああ、澄んだ瞳よ、おれにこんな悲しみを引き起こしたのはおまえたちだったのだ、おれの愛する人の控えめな捕獲網よ！おまえたちの表情に情けという字が書かれていようとも、誓って、本当に、その意味を解釈することは難しすぎる！縛るものがないのにどうしておれを縛ることができたのか」
Chinese translation (Fang: 1956) (Fang: 1956): 特罗勒斯不住地吻她的两眼，说道，“啊，明亮的眼，是你害了我吃苦，你是我心爱所使用的罗网！你的表情中虽带有怜恕的字样，可是，天晓得，那字迹却不易寻觅，而你不用绳索，又何来这捆缚我的本领？”

Word Information

Etymology: OF
Addresser: Troilus
Addressee: Criseyde
Adjectives with which juxtaposed: N/A
Counterpart in its source (Fil): 3.36
Noun(s) (NPs) modified: external parts of body (eyes)
Attributive/ Predicative: predicative

Information in Previous Studies

OED: Not quoted
MED: Not quoted

Commented in other previous works:
Windeatt (2003: 178): clere: bright
Fisher (1989: 469): clere: beautiful
Benson (1987): N/A
Davis et al. (1979): Not quoted
Donaldson (1975): N/A
Baugh (1963): N/A

Possible Definitions

bright; beautiful

Comments from the Editor

This quotation follows Fil.3.36. Throughout the story, Troilus repeatedly mentions Criseyde’s eyes. In the scene when he first meets her in Deiphebus’s house, he beseeches her to see him ‘frendly’ with ‘the stremes’ of her ‘eyen cleere’ (3.129–30).

See also my comment of ‘cler’ (adj., Tr3.129), for the discussion of Criseyde’s eyes in the story.