alone adj.

  alone 
TR5.1023 Rĕtórny̆ng ín hĭre sóule ăy úp ănd dówn
TR5.1024 Thĕ wórdĕs óf thĭs sódĕyn Díŏmédĕ,
TR5.1025 Hĭs gréte ĕstát, ănd pérĕl óf thĕ tówn,
TR5.1026 Ănd thát shĕ wás ăllóne ănd háddĕ nédĕ
TR5.1027 Ŏf fréndĕs hélp; ănd thús by̆gán tŏ brédĕ
TR5.1028 Thĕ cáusĕ whí, thĕ sóthĕ fór tŏ téllĕ,
TR5.1029 Thăt shé tŏok fúlly̆ púrpŏs fór tŏ dwéllĕ.

Line Information

  • Differences among the manuscripts and editions:
  • English translation (Windeatt: 1998): always turning over in her soul, up and down, the words of this impetuous Diomede, his high rank, and the city’s danger, and that she was alone and had need of friends’ help; and thus began to develop, to tell the truth, the reason why she fully resolved to say.
  • Japanese translation (Sasamoto: 2012): 心をあちこち巡らしながら、この性急なディオメーデの愛の告白や、彼の高い地位、トロイアの町の危機的状況、しかも自分は孤独であり、友の助けを必要とすることを慮った。そこで、真実を言えば、こうして彼女の心に、留まろうと固く決意する訳が育み始めたのである。
  • Chinese translation (Fang: 1956): 心中盘算着急性儿戴沃密得所说的话，想着他的爵位，想到城国的危急，以及自己孤苦伶仃的情况，正需要友人的照顾；老实说来，这些事都开始在她心中栽下了根，使她渐渐打定了主意，情愿停留下来。

Word Information

  • Etymology: OE
  • Addresser: C(N)
  • Addressee: N/A
  • Adjectives with which juxtaposed: N/A
  • Counterpart in its source (Fil): N/A
  • Noun(s) (NPs) modified: human beings (female: Criseyde)
  • Attributive/ Predicative: predicative

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

with no help from others

Comments from the Editor

Chaucer adds this scene, in which Criseyde contemplates Diomede’s words and her circumstances, gradually making up her mind to stay. “Allone” in the above quotation should not be taken as “being on one’s own” for Criseyde has her father beside her. Instead, as the subsequent “hadde nede Of frendes help” also shows, this adjective is better understood as “with no help from others.”