gret adj. & adv. & n.

2022-09-08 gret

TR1.603 “Lóve, ăyéins thĕ whích whŏsó dĕféndĕth
TR1.604 Hy̆msélvĕn móst, hy̆m áldĕrlést ăváyllĕth,
TR1.605 Wĭth dísĕspéyr sŏ sórwfŭllí me ŏfféndĕth,
TR1.606 Thăt stréight ŭntó thĕ déth my̆n hértĕ sáillĕth.
TR1.607 Thĕrtó dĕsír sŏ brénny̆nglý me ăssáillĕth,
TR1.608 Thăt tó bĕn sláyn ĭt wére ă gréttĕr jóiĕ
TR1.609 Tŏ mé thăn kýng ŏf Grécĕ bén ănd Tróyĕ.

Line Information

Differences among the manuscripts and editions:
English translations (Windeatt: 1998): Love—against which whoever defends himself most, does himself least good of all—attacks me so sadly with despair that my heart is sailing straight towards death. At the same time, I’m feeling an attack of such burning desire that it would be a greater happiness to me to be killed than to be king of Greece and Troy!
Japanese translations (Sasamoto: 2012): 〈愛の神〉に対して誰がぎりぎりまでわが身を守ろうとも、それに対する守りは全く役に立たない。神は悲壮なくらいに必死になって襲ってくるので、おれの心はまっしぐらに死へと船出しているのだ。それと同時に愛欲の炎が身を焦がさんばかりに襲うので、おれにはギリシャやトロイアのの王になるより、その炎に焼き殺されるほうがどんなにか幸せだろう。
Chinese translations (Fang: 1956): 一个人任凭他竭尽再大的力量丝毫不能防止爱情的侵蚀，这爱情害得我好苦，我的一颗心已被摔得粉碎了。我的情欲在燃烧，灼伤了我的心，我宁愿一死，比当上希腊和特罗亚两国之王还要痛快。

Word Information

Etymology: OE
Addresser: Troilus
Addressee: Pandarus
Adjectives with which juxtaposed: N/A
Counterpart in its source (Fil): 2.7
Noun(s) (NPs) modified: pleasure (joie)
Attributive/ Predicative: attributive

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

considerable in degree

Comments from the Editor

This stanza differs slightly from its source. Troilus claims that he would rather die than be the king of both Greece and Troy, thus indicating that he has totally forsaken his responsibility as a knight. There is no such speech in Fil. Rather, Troiolo acknowledges he has considered killing himself 1,000 times.