hard adj.

2022-09-15 hard

TR4.1457 “Ǐt ís fǔl hárd tǒ háltěn úněspíěd
TR4.1458 By̌fóre ǎ crépěl, fór hě kán thě cráft;
TR4.1459 Yǒure fáděr ís ǐn sléght ǎs Árgǔs éyěd;
TR4.1460 Fǒr ál bě thát hǐs móeble ǐs hým bǐráft,
TR4.1461 Hǐs óldě sléighte ǐs yét sǒ wíth hy̌m láft
TR4.1462 Yě shál nǎt blénde hy̌m fór yǒure wómmǎnhédě,
TR4.1463 Ně féyne ǎríght; ǎnd thát ǐs ál my̌ drédě.

Line Information

Differences among the manuscripts and editions:
English translations (Windeatt: 1998): “It’s very hard to pretend to limp undetected in front of a cripple, because he understands the art. When it comes to trickery, your father has as many eyes as Argus. For although his property is taken from him, his old cunning still remains so much with him that you won’t deceive him for all your woman’s ways, nor pretend successfully, and that’s my whole fear.
Japanese translations (Sasamoto: 2012): 『足の不自由な人の前で見破られないで足を不自由に装うことは大変難しい。そんな人はあしの引きずり方を知っているから』と。アルゴスと同じ位多くの目を備えたお父上は目ざとい。お父上は財産を剥奪されていても、老練さはまだ消えていない。君は娘の身であってお父上を騙せないし、見かけでもうまくいかない。そういうわけで俺は恐れている。
Chinese translations (Fang: 1956): 在跛者前面跛行而想不让他看出你的破绽是很不容易的，因他完全懂得你的一套；你的父亲能玩花样，和百眼的阿格斯相同，他的产业虽被没收，但他的老技俩仍在，管你怎样用你女人的手腕，恐怕难于瞒得过他；这是我最担心的一点。

Word Information

Etymology: OE
Addresser: Troilus
Addressee: Criseyde
Adjectives with which juxtaposed: N/A
Counterpart in its source (Fil): N/A
Noun(s) (NPs) modified: Others (to pretend to limp undetected in front of cripple)
Attributive/ Predicative: predicated

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

not easy, difficult

Comments from the Editor

Lines 4.1450–63 find no counterpart in Fil and in this part Troilus tries to persuade Criseyde, but in a tone extremely similar to Pandarus’s. With the proverb it is ‘hard to halten unespied byfore a crepel’, Troilus emphasises that Calchas is an extremely cunning man. Argus is a mythical monster which has one hundred eyes.