TR5.1835 Ǒ yóngě, frésshě fólkěs, hé ǒr shé, TR5.1836 Ǐn whích thǎt lóve ǔp grówěth wíth yǒure ágě, TR5.1837 Rěpéyrěth hóm frǒ wórldly̌ vány̌té, TR5.1838 Ǎnd óf yǒure hérte ǔp cástěth thé vǐságě TR5.1839 Tǒ thílkě Gód thǎt áftěr hís y̌mágě TR5.1840 Yǒw máde, ǎnd thýnkěth ál ny̌s bút ǎ fáirě, TR5.1841 Thǐs wórld thǎt pássěth sóone ǎs flóurěs fáirě.
Line Information
- Differences among the manuscripts and editions:
- English translations (Windeatt: 1998): O all you fresh young people, he or she, in whom love grows as you yourselves grow up, come back home from worldly vanity, and turn your heart’s face up to that God who made you after his own image, and think all this world is nothing but a carnival, that passes away as soon as fairest flowers.
- Japanese translations (Sasamoto: 2012): ああ、潑溂とした若者たちよ、男の子よ、女の子よ、年頃になれば、愛が芽生えようが、虚しい世事から離れて故郷に帰り、自らの像に似せて貴方たちを創りたもうた神に貴方たちの心顔を仰いで関心を示しなさい。そしてこの世は一つの市にすぎないと思いなさい。美しい花のようにすぐに色あせる市にすぎないと。
- Chinese translations (Fang: 1956): “啊，青春的男女们，爱情随着你们的年龄增长，愿你们背转尘世的空幻，回头是岸，把真心眼翘望上帝，他仿佛他的形态造了你们，要知道人世无非是一座浮华的市场，像鲜花在顷刻间就要萎谢一般。
Word Information
- Etymology: OE
- Addresser: Narrator
- Addressee: N/A
- Adjectives with which juxtaposed: N/A
- Counterpart in its source (Fil): N/A (but see 8.29)
- Noun(s) (NPs) modified: plants (flowers, or in a figurative way to refer to human lives)
- Attributive/ Predicative: predicative
Information in Previous Studies
- OED: Not quoted
- MED: Not quoted
- Commented in other previous works:
- Windeatt (2003: 346): floures faire: lovely flowers
- Fisher (1989: 533): floures fayre: pretty flowers
- Benson (1987): N/A
- Davis et al. (1979): Not quoted
- Donaldson (1975): N/A
- Baugh (1963): N/A
Possible Definitions
beautiful, handsome, attractive
Comments from the Editor
Although Chaucer addresses both young men and women, Boccaccio only urges young men to learn from Troiolo and not place faith in young and beautiful ladies because many of them are fickle. See also my comment of ‘benigne’ (adj., Tr5.1869).