lesse adj. comp.

2023-06-24 Uncategorized

TR5. 617 Ănd óf hy̆msélf y̆mágĕnéd hĕ óftĕ
TR5. 618 Tŏ bén dĕfét, ănd pále, ănd wáxĕn léssĕ

TR5. 619 Thăn hé wăs wónt, ănd thát mĕn séydĕn sóftĕ,
TR5. 620 “Whăt máy ĭt bé? Whŏ kán thĕ sóthĕ géssĕ
TR5. 621 Whĭ Tróĭlús hăth ál thĭs hévy̆néssĕ?”
TR5. 622 Ănd ál thĭs nás bŭt hís măléncŏlíĕ,
TR5. 623 Thăt hé hădde óf hy̆msélf swĭch fántăsíĕ.

Line Information

Differences among the manuscripts and editions:
English translations (Windeatt: 1998): And he often imagined himself to be changed for the worse, and pale and thinner than he used to be, and that people were saying quietly: ‘What can the matter be? Has anyone guessed the truth, why Troilus is so despondent?’ And it was only because of his depression that he had such delusions about himself.
Japanese translations (Sasamoto: 2012): 彼はしばしば自ら想像した。自分は以前よりも醜くなり、顔色悪く、痩せたと。そして人びとはひそひそ噂して言った。「どうしたのだろう。なぜトロイルス様はこんなに意気消沈しておられるのか、誰も見当がつかない」と。彼は自分自身についてこのような幻想を抱いたのは、ひとえに彼の憂鬱のせいだった。
Chinese translations (Fang: 1956): 他常想像自己变得如此消瘦苍白，也许人们都在私语着，“这是怎么回事？谁能猜得透特罗勒斯为何这样愁容满面，这样心事重重？”其实他这类幻思都还是抑郁所致。

Word Information

Etymology: OE
Addresser: T(N)
Addressee: N/A
Adjectives with which juxtaposed: defet, pale
Counterpart in its source (Fil): 5.60
Noun(s) (NPs) modified: human beings (male: Troilus)
Attributive/ Predicative: predicative

Information in Previous Studies

OED: Not quoted
MED: 1. (a) Smaller in size or spatial extent; maken ~, to reduce (sth.) to smaller parts; more and ~, greater and smaller; (s.v. lē̆s(se, adj. (comparative))

Commented in other previous works:
Windeatt (2003: 295): waxen lesse: grown thinner
Fisher (1989: 513): woxen lesse: shrunken
Benson (1987: 568): waxen lesse: grown smaller
Davis et al. (1979): smaller (s.v. lasse/lesse, adj.)
Donaldson (1975): N/A
Baugh (1963): N/A

Possible Definitions

smaller in size, thinner

Comments from the Editor

See my comment of ‘defet’ (ppl. (&n.), Tr5.618).