“Alas!” quoth he, “Arcita, cousin mine, Of all our strife, God wot, the fruit is thine. Thou walkest now in Thebes at thy large, And of my woe thou givest little charge. Thou mayst, since thou hast wisdom and manhead, Assemble all the folk of our kindréd, And make a war so sharp on this countrý, That by some áventure, or some treatý, Thou mayst have her to lady and to wife, For whom that I must needës lose my life. For as by way of possibility, Since thou art at thy large, of prison free, And art a lord, great is thine ávantage, More than is mine, that sterve here in a cage. For I must weep and wail, while that I live, With all the woe that prison may me give, And eke with pain that love me gives also, That doubles all my torment and my woe.”
Therewith the fire of jealousy upstart Within his breast, and hent him by the heart So woodly, that he like was to behold The box-tree, or the ashes dead and cold. Then said; “O cruel goddess, that govérn This world with binding of your word etern, And writen in the table of adamant Your parlement and your eternal grant, What is mankind more unto you y-hold Than is the sheep, that rouketh in the fold! For slain is man, right as another beast, And dwelleth eke in prison and arrest, And hath sicknéss, and great adversity, And oftentimës guiltëless, pardie. What governance is in your prescience, That guiltëless tormenteth innocence? And yet increaseth this all my penance, That man is bounden to his observance For Goddë’s sake to letten of his will, Whereas a beast may all his lust fulfil. And when a beast is dead, he hath no pain; But man after his death must weep and plain, Though in this worldë he have care and woe: Withoutë doubt it mayë standen so.
“The answer of this leave I to divinës, But well I wot, that in this world great pine is: Alas! I see a serpent or a thief That many a truë man hath done mischief, Go at his large, and where him list may turn. But I must be in prison through Saturn, And eke through Juno, jealous and eke wood, That hath well nigh destroyed all the blood Of Thebes, with his wastë wallës wide. And Venus slay’th me on that other side For jealousy, and fear of him, Arcite.”