From The Legend of Good Women (Translation)
II. The Legend of Thisbe of Babylon
Incipit Legenda Tesbe Babilonie, martiris.*
At Babylon, the town around which Queen Semiramis had a ditch and a very high wall built with hard well-baked tiles, this is what happened. In this noble town there dwelt two lords of high reputation; and they dwelt upon a green so close to each other that there was only a stone wall between them, as there often is in great towns. One of these men had a son, one of the most attractive in all that land; and the other had a daughter, the fairest who dwelt then in the eastern world. The name of each was brought to the other by women who were their neighbors. For in that country, even now in truth, maidens are closely and jealously guarded, lest they act foolishly. 723
This young man was called Pyramus, and the maid called Thisbe; Ovid says thus. And so their praise was brought to each other by report, so that as they grew in years their love grew. And certainly, as for their age, there might have been marriage between them, except that their fathers would not agree to it. And both alike burned so sorely in love that none of all their friends could hinder them from meeting secretly, sometimes by deceit, and speaking a bit about their longings. Cover the coals and the fire is hotter; forbid love, and it is ten times as raging. 736
This wall that stood between them was split in two, from the top right down, since long ago when it was built; yet this crack was so narrow and small that it was not visible to the tiniest extent. But what is it love cannot find? You two lovers, to tell the truth, you first found this narrow little crack! And they let their words, with voices as soft as any shrift,* pass through the crack, and as they stood there, told all their love-complaints and all their woe every time when they dared. He stood upon the one side of the wall, Thisbe upon the other, to hear the sweet sound of each other's voice; and thus they would deceive their guardians. Every day they would threaten this wall and wish to God it were beaten down. Thus they would say: "Alas, you wicked wall! Through your envy you hinder us entirely. Why will you not split apart, or fall in two? Or at least, if you will not do so, yet would you at least let us meet once, or once permit us to kiss sweetly? Then would we be recovered from our painful cares. But nevertheless we are indebted to you, inasmuch as you allow us to send our words through your mortar and stone. We still ought to be well pleased with you." 766
When these vain words were uttered, they would kiss the cold stone wall and take their leave and depart. And they were glad to do this in the evening or very early, lest people saw them. And for a long time they did thus, until one day, when Phoebus was clear and Aurora* with her hot beams had dried up the dew on the wet herbs, Pyramus came to this crack, as he was accustomed, and then came Thisbe, and by their faith they pledged their honor to steal away that same night, and to beguile all their guardians and flee from the city; and, because the fields were so broad and large, that they might meet at one place at one time, they appointed their meeting to be under a tree where King Ninus was buried. (For old pagans who worshipped idols used then to be buried in fields.) And near this grave was a spring. And, to tell this tale shortly, this covenant was very strongly confirmed. To them it seemed that the sun delayed for a long time before it went down under the sea. 792
This Thisbe had so great a feeling and desire to see Pyramus that when she saw her time she stole away secretly at night with her face deceptively wimpled.* To keep her pledge she forsook all her friends, Alas! It is pity that a woman should ever be so faithful to trust man, unless she knew him better! She went to the tree at a swift pace, for her love made her so hardy; and down beside the spring she settled herself. Alas! Without more ado a wild lioness, with mouth bloody from strangling some beast, came out of the wood to drink at the spring where Thisbe was sitting. And when Thisbe saw that, she started up, with heart all terrified, and with fearful foot fled into a cave, which she saw well by the moon. And as she ran she let fall her wimple and did not notice it, so sorely was she dismayed, and so glad of her escape as well. And thus she sat in hiding very quietly. When the lioness had drunk her fill, she roamed about the spring, and soon found the wimple, and tore it all to pieces with her bloody mouth. When this was done, she delayed no longer but made her way to the woods. 822
At last this Pyramus came, but, alas, he had stayed too long at home. The moon shone, and he could see well, and in his way, as he came speedily, he cast his eyes down to the ground, and as he looked down he saw the wide tracks of a lion in the sand, and he suddenly shuddered in his heart and grew pale and his hair stood on end; and he came nearer, and found the torn wimple. "Alas! "he said. "Alas, the day that I was born! This one night will slay both us lovers! How should I ask mercy of Thisbe, when I am he who have slain her, alas! My prayer to you to come has slain you! Alas, to tell a woman to go by night to a place where peril might occur! And I so slow! Alas! If only I had been here in this place a furlong before you! Now may whatever lion there is in this forest tear apart my body; or whatever wild beast there is, now may it gnaw my heart!" 844
And with these words he sprang to the wimple, and kissed it often, and wept over it sorely and said, "Alas, wimple! There is nothing else, except that you shall feel my blood as well as you have felt the bleeding of Thisbe. And with these words he struck himself to the heart. The blood gushed out of the wound as broad as water when the pipe is broken. 852
Now Thisbe, who knew nothing of this, thought as she sat in fear, "If it so happens that my Pyramus has come here and cannot find me, he may hold me false and cruel as well." And she came out and searched for him both with her heart and with her eyes, and thought," I will tell him about my dread both for the lioness and for all my behavior." 861
And at last she came upon her lover, all bloody, beating on the ground with his heels; and at this she started back, and her heart began to toss like the waves, and she grew pale as a boxwood tree. For a short moment she observed him and then well recognized that he was Pyramus, her dear heart. 868
Who could write what a deadly expression Thisbe had now, and how she tore her hair, and how she tormented herself, and how she lay on the ground and swooned, and how she wept his wound full of tears; how she mingled his blood with her lamentation, and did paint herself with his blood; how she embraced the dead body, alas! How did this woeful Thisbe act then; how she kissed his frosty mouth so cold! "Who has done this! Who has been so ruthless, to slay my beloved! O, speak, my Pyramus! I am your Thisbe who calls you! "And at this she lifted up his head. This woeful man, in whom still remained some life, when he heard the name of Thisbe cried, cast his heavy, death-like eyes upon her and down again, and yielded up his spirit. 886
Thisbe arose without noise or outcry, and saw her wimple, and his scabbard empty, and his sword as well, which had put him to death. Then she spoke thus: "My sorrowful hand," she said, "is strong enough for such a task in my behalf, for love shall give me strength and boldness, I believe, to make my wound large enough. Dead I will follow you, and I will be the cause and partner also of your death," she said. "And though nothing except death alone could truly separate you from me, you shall now no more part from me than from death, for I will go with you. And now, you wretched, jealous fathers of ours, we who were once your children, we pray you that without more ill-will we may lie together in one grave, since love has brought us this pitiful end. And may the righteous God grant every lover, that truly loves, more prosperity than ever Pyramus and Thisbe had! And let no woman of gentle blood be so overconfident as to place herself in such hazard. Yet God forbid a woman may be only as true in loving as any man! And for my part I shall without delay make this plain." 912
And with these words she seized his sword immediately, which was warm and hot with her lover's blood, and struck herself to the heart. 916
And thus are Pyramus and Thisbe gone. Of faithful men I find in all my books only a few more besides this Pyramus, and therefore I have spoken thus of him. For it is a rare delight to us men to find a man who can be tender and true in love. Here you may see that, whatsoever lover he may be, a woman has mind and daring to do as well as he. 923
Explicit legenda Tesbe.*
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32 Incipit Legenda Tesbe Babilonie, martiris. Here begins the Legend of Thisbe of Babylon, Martyr.
33 Soft as any shrift: as soft as any words spoken in the confessional chamber in the sacrament of penance.
34 Phoebus and Aurora. The sun and the dawn.
35 Wimpled. With her face covered by a wimple (a headdress).
36 Explicit legenda Tesbe. Here ends the legend of Thisbe.
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.]
