TR4. 197 Ŏ Júvĕnál, lŏrd, tréwe ĭs thý sĕnténcĕ,
TR4. 198 Thăt lítĕl wýtĕn fólk whăt ís tŏ yérnĕ,
TR4. 199 Thăt théy nĕ fýnde ĭn híre dĕsír ŏfféncĕ;
TR4. 200 Fŏr clóude ŏf érrŏur lét hĕm tó dĭscérnĕ
TR4. 201 Whăt bést ĭs. Ánd lŏ, hére ĕnsámple ăs yérnĕ:
TR4. 202 Thĭs fólk dĕsírĕn nów dĕlívĕráuncĕ
TR4. 203 Ŏf Ántĕnór, thăt bróught hĕm tó mĕscháuncĕ,

Line Information

• Differences among the manuscripts and editions:
• English translations (Windeatt: 1998): O Lord Juvenal, your maxim is true: that people so little know what is to be desired that they discover disaster in what they crave, for a cloud of error hinders them from discerning what is best. Here is an example forthwith: these people now desire the release of Antenor, who brought them to disaster;
• Japanese translations (Sasamoto: 2012): おおユウェナーリスよ、ああ、貴方の文は真実を表す、人びとは何を望んだらよいのかほとんど分からず、自分たちの望みの中に被害の因があるのを見出せない。誤信の雲のために、何が最善か見分けることを妨げられているのだ。しかも、ほら、これが直ちに見られる実例だ。この人たちは自分たちを不幸に導いたアンテノールの救助を今望んでいる。
• Chinese translations (Fang: 1956): 啊，求文那尔！你老先生所讲的话确是有理，你说，人们往往满不知道自己的需要，最有利的前途竟会看不清楚，好似被一层错误之云遮蔽住，因而自遭灾祸；啰，这里就是一个明证。这些人要求释放恩吞诺，不料就是他使他们遭受了厄运！

Word Information

• Etymology: OE
• Addresser: Narrator
• Addressee: N/A
• Adjectives with which juxtaposed: N/A
• Counterpart in its source (Fil): N/A
• Noun(s) (NPs) modified: language or speech (Juvenal’s words)
• Attributive/ Predicative: predicative

Information in Previous Studies

• OED: Not quoted
• MED: 11a. (b) of an opinion, etc.: sound, reliable; of a proverb, sentence, etc.: true to reality, apt, percipient; of nomenclature: doing justice to reality; of a grammatical rule: borne out; also, as noun in phrase: for ~, as sound conclusions; (s.v. treu(e,adj.)

• 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

true to reality

Comments from the Editor

Chaucer quotes Juvenal’s Satires (10.2–4) and states that the parliament has made a poor decision.