From The Legend of Good Women (Translation)
VI. The Legend of Ariadne
Incipit Legenda Adriane de Athenes.*
You Judge in Hell, Minos, lord of Crete, now your turn comes; now you come into the ring! Not for your sake only do I write this history, but to call to mind once more the great untruth in love of you, Theseus, for which the gods of high heaven are angered and have taken vengeance for your guilt; may you grow red with shame! Now I begin your life. 1893
Minos, great king of Crete, who had a hundred great and strong cities, sent his son Androgeus to school at Athens; where it happened that while he was learning philosophy he was slain in that very city, for no reason but envy. The great Minos, of whom I speak, came to avenge his son's death. Long and hotly he laid siege to Alcathoe. Nevertheless, the walls were so strong, and Nisus, king of that city, was so knightly, that he feared little; he took no heed of Minos or his army until one day the chance arose that the daughter of Nisus stood on the wall and saw all the manner of the siege. It so happened that, watching a skirmish, she set her heart so sorely upon Minos the king for his beauty and his chivalry that she thought she must die. And, to hasten over this long story, she caused Minos to win that place and to have the city all at his will, to save or destroy whom he wished. But he repaid wickedly for her kindness, and would have left her drowning in sorrow and woe, had not the gods had pity upon her. But that story would be too long for me now. 1921
This King Minos also won Athens, and Alcathoe and other towns. And this was the outcome: that Minos so harshly pressed the people of Athens that from year to year they had to give him their own beloved children to be slain, as you shall hear. This Minos had a monster, an evil beast, so cruel that, when a man was brought to him, without pause he would devour him; no defense could help. And truly every third year they cast lots, and as the lot fell, on the rich man or the poor, he had to give up his son and present him to Minos to be saved or destroyed, or let his beast devour him at his will. And Minos did this out of hatred; all his pleasure was set to avenge his son and to make the people of Athens his slaves from year to year as long as he should live. And when this town was won he sailed home. 1942
This evil custom continued a long time, until Aegeus, king of Athens, had to send his own son Theseus, since the lot fell upon him, to be devoured, for there was no reprieve. And this woeful young knight was led forth straight to the court of King Minos and was cast fettered into a prison, until the time when he would be devoured. 1951
Well may you weep, woeful Theseus, who is the king's son, thus condemned! It seems to me you were deeply indebted to any who should save you from cold troubles. And now if any woman should help you, well ought you to be her slave and true lover year by year. But now to return to my tale. 1959
The tower where this Theseus was cast, down in the dark bottom, extremely deep, adjoined the wall of an outer chamber belonging to the two daughters of King Minos, who in much mirth and joy and comfort dwelt in their great chambers above, toward the chief street. By chance, I know not how, it happened that as Theseus was making his complaint one night, the king's daughter, named Ariadne, and her sister Phaedra as well, heard all his complaint, as they stood upon the wall and looked upon the bright moon; they cared not to go to bed early. And they had compassion for his woe; for a king's son to be in such a prison and be devoured seemed to them a great pity. 1976
Then Ariadne spoke to her noble sister and said, "Phaedra, dear sweet sister, can you not hear this woeful lord's son, how piteously he laments his kindred, and the wretched plight he is in, and being entirely guiltless? Now surely, it is a pity. And if you will assent, by my faith he should be helped, however we can!" 1984
Phaedra answered, "Certainly I am as sorry for him as ever I was for any man; and for his assistance the best counsel I know is that we cause the jailer to come secretly and speak with us directly, and bring this woeful man with him. For if he could overcome this monster, then he would be free; there is no other remedy. Let us test him well to his heart's root, whether, if it may be so that he has a weapon, he might dare to fight this fiend and defend himself, to keep and save his life. For you well know that in the prison where he must descend, the beast is in a place that is not dark, and he has room to wield an axe or a sword or staff or knife; so it seems to me he ought to save himself. If he is a man he will do so. And we shall also make him balls of wax and flax, that when the beast fiercely opens his mouth, he shall cast them into his throat, to encumber his teeth and satisfy his hunger. And as soon as Theseus shall see the beast choke, he shall leap on him to slay him before they can come any closer together. This weapon the jailer shall hide, before that time, secretly within the prison. And because that dwelling-place winds much in and out, and has such intricate paths--for it is shaped like a maze, and for this I have in mind a remedy--that by means of a ball of twine he may directly return the way he went, following the thread continually. And when he has overcome the beast, then he may flee away from this horror and can take the jailer with him, and advance him at home in his country, since he is son of so great a lord. This is my counsel, if he should dare to take it." 2025
Why should I make a longer story? The jailer came, and Theseus with him; and when all was thus agreed, down fell Theseus upon his knee before Ariadne: "True lady of my life," he said, "I, a sorrowful man, condemned to die, will not part from you, after this stroke of fortune, so long as I have life or breath, but I will thus remain in your service, so that as an unknown outcast I will serve you forevermore, until my heart shall die. I will forsake my own heritage, and, as I said, be a page of your court, if you stoop to grant me so great a grace to have my meat and drink here; and for my sustenance I will still labor just as you will have it, so that not Minos, who never saw me with the sight of his eyes, nor any other man, shall be able to recognize me, so cunningly and well shall I bear myself and so skillfully and wretchedly disguise myself, so that I shall be detected by no man in this world. 2046
"This I will do to preserve my life and to remain in the presence of you, who do me this excellent kindness. And I will send this worthy man here, now the jailer, to my father, and for reward he shall be one of the greatest men of my country. And if I yet dare say it, my fair lady, I am a king's son, and a knight. Would to God, if it could be, that you were in my land, all three of you, and I with you to bear you company, then you would see if I lie about this. And if I offer you humbly to be your page and serve you here, if I should not serve you as humbly there I pray to Mars to grant me such favor that a shameful death may there fall upon me, and death and poverty upon all my friends; and that after my death my spirit may roam by night and walk to and fro; and that I may have the shameful name of traitor, by reason of which may my spirit walk! And if I ever claim higher station, unless you stoop to give it to me, may I die a shameful death, as I have said! Have mercy, lady! I can say nothing else!" 2073
Theseus was a handsome knight to behold, and young, only twenty-three years old. Whosoever had seen his countenance would have wept for pity of his woe. Therefore this Ariadne in this way answered to his offer and his appealing look: "For a king's son," she said, "and a knight as well to serve me in such a low degree, may God forbid it, for the shame of all women; and may God grant me that such a thing may never happen, but send you grace and cunning of heart to defend yourself and slay your foe in knightly fashion; and may God grant hereafter that I may find you so kind to me and to my sister here that I regret not to have saved you from death! Yet it would be better if I were your wife, since you are as gently born as I and have a kingdom not far from here, than that I should allow you to die guiltless or let you serve as a page. It is not a reasonable offer for one of your kindred, but what is it that a man will not do for fear? As for my sister, since it is so that she must go with me if I depart, or else suffer death, and I too, arrange for her to be faithfully wedded to your son at your home-coming. This is the final end of this thing. Swear to it here, by all that may be sworn on. 2102
"Yes, my lady," he said, "or else may I be entirely torn to pieces by the Minotaur tomorrow! And here take my heart's blood in pledge, if you will; if I had a knife or spear, I would let it out and vow upon it, for I know only then you will believe me. By Mars, who is chief in my creed, so I may live and not fail tomorrow to achieve my battle, I would never flee from this place until you should see the very proof of my words. For now if I am to tell the truth to you, in my own country I have loved you for many days, though you knew it not, and most desired to see you of any earthly creature living. By my faith I swear and assure you that for these seven years I have been your servant. Now I have you, and you also have me, my dear heart, Duchess of Athens!" 2122
This lady smiled at his steadfastness, and at his earnest words and his look, and spoke all softly to her sister in this way. "Now my sister," she said, "now we are duchesses, both you and I, and assured of royal rank in Athens, and both likely to be queens afterwards; and we have saved from his death a king's son, as it is ever the custom of well-born women to save a man of gentle blood if they can, in an honest cause, and most of all if he is in the right. It seems to me that no person ought to blame us for this, nor give us an evil name." 2135
And to explain this matter briefly, Theseus took leave of her, and every point in this covenant was carried out as you have heard me relate. His weapon, his ball of flax, all the things that I have named, were laid by the jailer right in the house where this Minotaur had his dwelling, near the door where Theseus should enter. And Theseus was led to his death, and he came forth to this Minotaur, and following the instruction of Ariadne he overcame the beast and slew him; and by the ball of flax he came out again secretly when he had slain the beast. 2149
Through the jailer he got a barge and loaded it with his wife's treasure, and he took his wife and her fair sister, and the jailer as well, and with all three of them stole away from the land by night, and turned toward the land of Oenopia, where he had a familiar friend. There they feasted and danced and sang. And he had in his arms this Ariadne who had preserved him from the beast. Soon he got himself another ship there, and a great number of his countrymen as well, took his leave, and sailed homeward. 2162
And on an island amid the wild sea, where there dwelt no creature save wild beasts, and many of them, he brought his ship ashore. And he remained on that island half a day, and he said must rest himself on land, and his mariners did as he desired. And, to tell the matter briefly, while Ariadne his wife lay sleeping, because her sister was fairer than she, he took Phaeda by the hand and forth he went to ship, and like a traitor stole off, while this Ariadne still slept. And toward his country he swiftly sailed—-may the wind drive him to twenty devils!--and found his father drowned in the sea. 2178
I wish to speak no more of him, in faith. These false lovers, may poison be their destruction! But I will return to Ariadne, who for weariness was overtaken with sleep. So sorrowfully her heart may awaken! Alas! Now my heart has pity for you! Right at dawn she awakes and gropes in the bed and found nothing. "Alas!" she said, "that ever I was created! I am betrayed!" And she rent her hair, and hastened barefoot to the shore, and cried, "Theseus! My sweet heart! Where are you--that I cannot find you and may be slain thus by beasts?" 2192
The hollow rocks answered her; she saw no man. And the moon still shone, and high upon a rock she climbed speedily, and saw his barge sailing in the sea. Her heart grew cold and she said, "Milder than you I find the wild beasts!" Had he who thus betrayed her not sinned? "O, return," she cried, "for the pity and sin of it! Your ship does not have all its crew!" She stuck her kerchief up on a pole, in case he should indeed see it and remember that she was left and return and find her on the shore. But she did this all for nothing; he had gone his way. And down she fell swooning on a stone; and she arose, and in all her sorrow she kissed the prints of his feet where he had passed. 2209
And then she spoke in this way to her bed: "You bed," she said, "which has received two, you shall answer for two, and not for one only! Where has your greater part gone? Alas, what will become of me, wretched creature! Even if a ship or a boat should come here, I dare not for fear go home to my country. I cannot counsel myself in this situation!" 2217
Why should I tell more of her lament? It was so long, it would be a heavy thing to tell; Ovid records all in Ariadne's epistle. But I shall tell it quickly to the end. The gods helped her, out of pity; and in the sign of Taurus men may see the gems of her crown shining brightly.* I will speak no more of this tale; but this is how this false lover could beguile his true love. May the devil repay him for his trouble! 2227
Explicit Legenda Adriane de Athenes.*
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48 Incipit Legenda Adriane de Athenes. Here begins the Legend of Ariadne of Athens.
49 Taurus. Chaucer tampers with this part of the tale. In sympathy Bacchus places the crown of Ariadne on in the heavens as the Corona Borealis (Northern Crown) constellation. As it is opposite Taurus, it shows brightly when the sun is in Taurus.
50 Explicit Legenda Adriane de Athenes. Here ends the Legend of Ariadne of Athens.
Translated and Edited by Gerard NeCastro
© Copyright, 2007, All Rights Reserved
Citation. Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Legend of Good Women. NeCastro, Gerard, ed. and trans. eChaucer: https://www.echaucer.com. [Site Visit Date.]
