TR5.813 Ănd, sáve hĭre brówĕs jóynĕdén y̆féerĕ,
TR5.814 Thĕr nás nŏ lák, ĭn áught Ĭ kán ĕspíĕn.
TR5.815 Bŭt fór tŏ spékĕn óf hĭre éyĕn cléerĕ,
TR5.816 Lŏ, tréwĕlý, thĕy wrítĕn thát hĭre sýĕn
TR5.817 Thăt Párădís stŏod fórmĕd ín hĭre ýĕn.
TR5.818 Ănd wíth hĭre ríchĕ béăute éverĕ mórĕ
TR5.819 Strŏf lóve ĭn híre ăy, whích ŏf hém wăs mórĕ.

Line Information

• Differences among the manuscripts and editions:
• English translation (Windeatt: 1998) (Windeatt: 1998): And except that her eyebrows were joined together in the middle, there was no flaw in her, as far as I can see. But to speak of her bright eyes — well, truly, those who saw her write that paradise stood mirrored in her eyes. And love continually strove in her with her rich beauty, as to which of them was greater.
• Japanese translation (Sasamoto: 2012) (Sasamoto: 2012): 両眉がつきそうであるという以外、理解する限り、欠点はなかった。彼女の澄んだ瞳について言うと、ほら何と、正直なところ、彼女を見た人は瞳の中に楽園が作られ映っていたと書いている。そして彼女の豊かな美に対して愛は彼女の中で絶えずどちらが優れているかと競い合っていた。
• Chinese translation (Fang: 1956) (Fang: 1956): 除却两眉相接之外，我不知道她还有什么缺点，至于她那明媚的眼睛，见过她的人确曾描拟道，天堂就建立在那中间。爱情和艳色在她身上较量着高低，见不出有任何分别。

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: 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: 303): cleere: bright
• Fisher (1989): N/A
• 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 portrait of Criseyde finds no counterpart in Fil, and Chaucer probably has taken this from Joseph’s Ylias, 4.156-62. Chaucer considers Criseyde’s joined eyebrows as her only flaw. Fisher (1989: 516) provides a more detailed explanation of this: ‘joined eyebrows were considered a mark of beauty in ancient Greece and the Near East, although in Western medieval tradition they were thought to be defects and perhaps to indicate undesirable qualities such as sadness, fickleness, and cruelty’.