Stanza 1
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| | | Ane doolie sessoun to ane cairfull dyte | gloomy season; woeful composition; (n) | | | | Suld correspond, and be equiualent. | Should; be in harmony with | | | | Richt sa it wes quhen I began to wryte | | | | | This tragedie, the wedder richt feruent | weather; severe/wintry (n) | | | 5 | Quhen Aries in middis of the Lent, | (n) | | | | Schouris of haill can fra the North discend | Caused showers of hail to descend from the north | | | | That scantlie fra the cauld I micht defend. | scarcely; protect myself |
Stanza 2
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| | | Zit neuertheles within myne oratur | study/oratory | | | | I stude, quhen Titan had his bemis bricht | stood; bright beams (n) | | | 10 | Withdrawin doun, and sylit vnder cure | concealed; under cover | | | | And fair Venus the bewtie of the nicht | | | | | Vprais, and set vnto the West full richt | ascended | | | | Hir goldin face in oppositioun | | | | | Of God Phoebus direct discending doun. | |
Stanza 3
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| | 15 | Throw out the glas hir bemis brast sa fair | vwindow; burst | | | | That I micht se on euerie syde me by | | | | | The Northin wind had purifyit the Air | | | | | And sched the mistie cloudis fra the sky, | dispersed | | | | The froist freisit the blastis bitterly | gales became icy | | | 20 | Fra Pole Artick come quhisling loud and schill, | Pole Star; whistling; shrill | | | | And causit me remufe aganis my will. | stand back [from the window] |
Stanza 4
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| | | For i traistit that Venus luifis Quene | vtrusted; love's | | | | To quhome sum tyme I hecht obedience, | some time ago I vowed obedience (n) | | | | My faidit hart of lufe scho wald mak grene, | | | | 25 | And therupon with humbill reuerence, | consequently | | | | I thocht to pray hir hie Magnificence, | decided; high | | | | Bot for greit cald as than I lattit was | great cold; as before; prevented | | | | And in my Chalmer to the fyre can pas | chamber; went |
Stanza 5
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| | | Thocht lufe be hait, zit in ane man of age | Though love be hot; old age | | | 30 | It kendillis nocht sa sone as in zoutheid, | kindles/ignites; youth | | | | Of quhome the blude is flowing in ane rage, | | | | | And in the auld the curage doif and deid: | old age; sexual desire; dull; dead | | | | Of quhilk the fyre outward is best remeid | which; remedy | | | | To help be Phisike quhair that nature faillit | by medicine; failed | | | 35 | I am expert, for baith I haue assaillit. | tried |
Stanza 6
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| | | I mend the fyre and beikit me about | warmed myself up | | | | Than tuik ane drink my spreitis to comfort | spirits | | | | And armit me weill fra the cauld thairout | outside | | | | To cut the winter nicht and mak it schort. | | | | 40 | I tuik ane Quair and left all vther sport. | took a book; diversions (n) | | | | Writtin be worthie chaucer glorious | by | | | | Of fair Creisseid, and worthie Troylus. | |
Stanza 7
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| | | And thair I fand efter that Diomeid | found that once (n) | | | | Ressauit had that Lady bricht of hew. | Received/welcomed; bright of complexion | | | 45 | How Troilus neir out of wit abraid, | went nearly out of [his] mind | | | | And weipit soir with visage paill of hew, | wept sorely with a face pale of hue | | | | For quhilk wanhope his teiris can renew | despair | | | | Quhill Esperus reioisit him agane | Until hope gladdened | | | | Thus quhyle in Joy he leuit quhyle in pane. | now; lived; pain | | | | Louers be war and tak gude heid about | |
Stanza 8
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| | 50 | Of hir behest he had greit comforting | promise; comfort | | | | Traisting to Troy that scho suld mak retour, | Trusting; return | | | | Quhilk he desyrit maist of eirdly thing | earthly | | | | For quhy scho was his only Paramour, | Because; lover/mistress | | | | Bot quhen he saw passit baith day and hour | | | | 55 | Of hir ganecome, than sorrow can oppres | return | | | | His wofull hart in cair and heuines. | distress |
Stanza 9
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| | | Of his distres me neidis nocht reheirs, | I need not retell | | | | For worthie Chauceir in the samin buik | same/aforementioned book | | | | In gudelie termis, and in Ioly veirs | fine verse | | | 60 | Compylit hes his cairis, quha will luik. | Compiled; for all who wish to read (n) | | | | To brek my sleip ane vther quair I tuik, | put off; a second book | | | | In quhilk I fand the fatall destenie | | | | | Of fair Cresseid, that endit wretchitlie. | |
Stanza 10
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| | | Quha wait gif all that Chauceir wrait was trew | knows if (n) | | | 65 | Nor I wait nocht gif this narratioun | know; narrative | | | | Be authoreist or fenzeit of the new | authoritative; newly composed | | | | Be sum Poeit, throw his inuentioun | (n) | | | | Maid to report the Lamentatioun | | | | | And wofull end of this lustie Creisseid, | luisty/beautiful | | | 70 | And quhat distres scho thoillit, and quhat deid. | suffered/endure; what kind of death |
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