# The Legend of Good Women/The Legend of Thisbe
### The Legend of Thisbe of Babylon

| | At Babiloine whylom fil it thus, |
| | The whiche toun the queen Semiramus |
| | Leet dichen al about, and walles make |
| | Ful hye, of harde tyles wel y-bake. |
| 710 | Ther weren dwellinge in this noble toun |
| | Two lordes, which that were of greet renoun, |
| | And woneden so nigh, upon a grene, |
| | That ther nas but a stoon-wal hem bitwene, |
| | As ofte in grete tounes is the wone. |
| | And sooth to seyn, that o man hadde a sone, |
| | Of al that londe oon of the lustieste. |
| | That other hadde a doghter, the faireste, |
| | That estward in the world was tho dwellinge. |
| | The name of everich gan to other springe |
| 720 | By wommen, that were neighebores aboute. |
| | For in that contree yit, withouten doute, |
| | Maidens been y-kept, for Ielosye, |
| | Ful streite, lest they diden som folye. |
| | This yonge man was cleped Piramus, |
| | And Tisbe hight the maid, Naso seith thus; |
| | And thus by report was hir name y-shove |
| | That, as they wexe in age, wex hir love; |
| | And certein, as by reson of hir age, |
| | Ther mighte have been bitwix hem mariage, |
| 730 | But that hir fadres nolde hit nat assente; |
| | And bothe in love y-lyke sore they brente, |
| | That noon of alle hir frendes mighte hit lette |
| | But prively somtyme yit they mette |
| | By sleighte, and speken som of hir desyr; |
| | As, wry the gleed, and hotter is the fyr; |
| | Forbede a love, and it is ten so wood. |
| | This wal, which that bitwix hem bothe stood, |
| | Was cloven a-two, right fro the toppe adoun. |
| | Of olde tyme of his fundacioun; |
| 740 | But yit this clifte was so narwe and lyte, |
| | It as nat sene, dere y-nogh a myte. |
| | But what is that, that love can nat espye? |
| | Ye lovers two, if that I shal nat lye, |
| | Ye founden first this litel narwe clifte; |
| | And, with a soun as softe as any shrifte, |
| | They lete hir wordes through the clifte pace, |
| | And tolden, whyl that they stode in the place, |
| | Al hir compleynt of love, and al hir wo, |
| | At every tyme whan they dorste so. |
| 750 | Upon that o syde of the wal stood he, |
| | And on that other syde stood Tisbe, |
| | The swote soun of other receyve, |
| | And thus hir wardeins wolde they deceyve. |
| | And every day this wal they wolde threte, |
| | And wisshe to god, that it were doun y-bete. |
| | Thus wolde they seyn -- "allas! Thou wikked wal, |
| | Through thyn envye thou us lettest al! |
| | Why nilt thou cleve, or fallen al a-two? |
| | Or, at the leste, but thou woldest so, |
| 760 | Yit woldestow but ones lete us mete, |
| | Or ones that we mighte kissen swete, |
| | Than were we covered of our cares colde. |
| | But natheles, yit be we to thee holde |
| | In as muche as thou suffrest for to goon |
| | Our wordes through thy lyme and eek thy stoon. |
| | Yit oghte we with thee ben wel apayd." |
| | And whan thise ydel wordes weren sayd, |
| | The colde wal they wolden kisse of stoon, |
| | And take hir leve, and forth they wolden goon. |
| 770 | And this was gladly in the even-tyde |
| | Or wonder erly, lest men hit espyde; |
| | And longe tyme they wroghte in this manere |
| | Til on a day, whan Phebus gan to clere, |
| | Aurora with the stremes of hir hete |
| | Had dryed up the dew of herbes were; |
| | Unto this clifte, as it was wont to be, |
| | Com Pyramus, and after com Tisbe, |
| | And plighten trouthe fully in hir fey |
| | That ilke same night to stele awey, |
| 780 | And to begyle hir wardiens everichoon, |
| | And forth out of the citee for to goon; |
| | And, for the feldes been so brode and wyde, |
| | For to mete in o place at o tyde, |
| | They sette mark hir meting sholde be |
| | Ther king Ninus was graven, under a tree; |
| | For olde payens that ydoles heried |
| | Useden tho in feldes to ben beried. |
| | And faste by this grave was a welle. |
| | And, shortly of this tale for to telle, |
| 790 | This covenant was affermed wonder faste; |
| | And longe hem thoughte that the sonne laste, |
| | That hit nere goon under the see adoun. |
| | This Tisbe hath so greet affeccioun |
| | And so greet lyking Piramus to see, |
| | That, whan she seigh her tyme mighte be, |
| | At night she stal awey ful prively |
| | With her face y-wimpled subtiny; |
| | For alle her frendes -- for to save her trouthe -- |
| | She hath for-sake; allas! and that is routhe |
| 800 | That ever woman wolde be so trewe |
| | To trusten man, but she the bet him knewe! |
| | And to the tree she goth a ful good pas, |
| | For love made her so hardy in this cas; |
| | And by the welle adoun she gan her dresse. |
| | Allas! than comth a wilde leonesse |
| | Out of the wode, withouten more areste, |
| | With blody mouthe, of strangling of a beste, |
| | To drinken of the welle, ther as she sat; |
| | And, whan that Tisbe had espyed that, |
| 810 | She rist her up, with a ful drery herte, |
| | And in a cave with dredful foot she sterte, |
| | For by the mone she seigh hit wel with-alle. |
| | And, as she ran, her wimpel leet she falle, |
| | And took noon heed, so sore she was a-whaped. |
| | And eek so glad of that she was escaped; |
| | And thus she sit, and darketh wonder stille. |
| | Whan that this leonesse hath dronke her fille, |
| | Aboute the welle gan she for to winde, |
| | And right anoon the wimpel gan she finde, |
| 820 | And with her blody mouth hit al to-rente. |
| | Whan this was doon, no lenger she ne stente, |
| | But to the wode her wey than hath she nome. |
| | And, at the laste, this Piramus is come, |
| | But al to longe, allas! at hoom was he. |
| | The mone shoon, men mighte wel y-see, |
| | And in his weye, as that he com ful faste, |
| | His eyen to the grounde adoun he caste, |
| | And in the sonde, as he beheld adoun, |
| | He seigh the steppes brode of a leoun, |
| 830 | And in his herte he sodeinly agroos, |
| | And pale he wex, therwith his heer aroos, |
| | And neer he com, and fond the wimpel torn. |
| | "Allas!" quode he, "the day that I was born! |
| | This o night wol us lovers bothe slee! |
| | How sholde I axen mercy of Tisbe |
| | Whan I am he that have yow slain, allas! |
| | My bidding hath yow slain, as in this cas. |
| | Allas! to bidde a woman goon by nighte |
| | In place ther as peril fallen mighte, |
| 840 | And I so slow! allas, I ne hadde be |
| | Here in this place a furlong-wey or ye! |
| | Now what leoun that be in this foreste, |
| | My body mote he renden, or what beste |
| | That wilde is, gnawen mote he now myn herte!" |
| | And with that worde he to the wimpel sterte, |
| | And kiste hit ofte, and weep on hit ful sore, |
| | And seide, "wimpel, allas! ther nis no more |
| | But thou shalt fele as wel the blood of me |
| | As thou hast felt the bleding of Tisbe!" |
| 850 | And with that worde he smoot him to the herte. |
| | The blood out of the wounde as brode sterte |
| | As water, whan the conduit broken is. |
| | Now Tisbe, which that wiste nat of this, |
| | But sitting in her drede, she thoghte thus, |
| | "If hit so falle that my Piramus |
| | Be comen hider, and may me nat y-finde, |
| | He may me holden fals and eek unkinde." |
| | And out she comth, and after him gan espyen |
| | Bothe with her herte and with her yen, |
| 860 | And thoghte, "I wol him tellen of my drede |
| | Bothe of the leonesse and al my dede." |
| | And at the laste her love than hath she founde |
| | Beting with his heles on the grounde, |
| | Al blody, and therwith-al a-bak she sterte, |
| | And lyke the wawes quappe gan her herte, |
| | And pale as box she wex, and in a throwe |
| | Avysed her, and gan him wel to knowe, |
| | That hit was Piramus, her herte dere. |
| | Who coude wryte whiche a deedly chere |
| 870 | Hath Tisbe now, and how her heer she rente, |
| | And how she gan her-selve to turmente, |
| | And how she lyth and swowneth on the grounde, |
| | And how she weep of teres ful his wounde, |
| | How medeleth she his blood with her compleynte, |
| | And with his blood her-selven gan she peynte; |
| | How clippeth she the dede cors, allas? |
| | How doth this woful Tisbe in this cas! |
| | How kisseth she his frosty mouth so cold! |
| | "Who hath doon this, and who hath been so bold |
| 880 | To sleen my leef? O spek, my Piramus! |
| | I am thy Tisbe, that thee calleth thus!" |
| | And therwith-al she lifteth up his heed. |
| | This woful man, that was nat fully deed, |
| | Whan that he herde the name of Tisbe cryen, |
| | On her he caste his hevy deedly yen |
| | And doun again, and yeldeth up the gost. |
| | Tisbe rist up, withouten noise or bost, |
| | And seigh her wimpel and his empty shethe, |
| | And eek his swerd, that him hath doon to dethe; |
| 890 | Than spak she thus: "my woful hand," quod she, |
| | "Is strong y-nogh in swiche a werk to me; |
| | For love shal yive me strengthe and hardinesse |
| | To make my wounde large y-nogh, I gesse. |
| | I wol thee folwen deed, and I wol be |
| | Felawe and cause eek of thy deeth," quod she. |
| | "And thogh that nothing save the deeth only |
| | Mighte thee fro me departe trewely, |
| | Thou shalt no more departe now fro me |
| | Than fro the deeth, for I wol go with thee! |
| 900 | "And now, ye wrecched Ielous fadres oure, |
| | We, that weren whylom children youre, |
| | We prayen yow, withouten more envye, |
| | That in o grave y-fere we moten lye, |
| | Sin love hath brought us to this pitous ende! |
| | And rightwis god to every lover sende, |
| | That loveth trewely, more prosperitee |
| | Than ever hadde Piramus and Tisbe! |
| | And lat no gentil woman her assure |
| | To putten her in swiche an aventure. |
| 910 | But god forbede but a woman can |
| | Been as trewe and loving as a man! |
| | And, for my part, I shal anoon it kythe!" |
| | And, with that worde, his swerd she took as swythe, |
| | That warm was of her loves blood and hoot, |
| | And to the herte she her-selven smoot. |
| | And thus ar Tisbe and Piramus ago. |
| | Of trewe men I finde but fewe mo |
| | In alle my bokes, save this Piramus, |
| | And therfor have I spoken of him thus. |
| 920 | For hit is deyntee to us men to finde |
| | A man that can in love be trewe and kinde. |
| | Heer may ye seen, what lover so he be, |
| | A woman dar and can as wel as he. |
| | Explicit Legenda Tisbe. |