文學｜淺談喬叟《坎特伯里故事集》傳奇故事中女性人物地位與處境

There was a duc that highte Theseus;
Of Atthenes he was lord and governour,
And in his tyme swich a conqeuerour,
That gretter was ther noon under the sonne.
Ful many a riche contree hadde he wonne;
What with his wisdom and his chivalrie,
He conquered al the regne of femenye,
That whilom was ycleped Scithia,
And wedded the queene Ypolita,
And broghte hire hoom with hym in his contree
With muchel gloire and greet solempnytee,
And eek hir yonge suster Emelye.

Ther as this fresshe Emelye the shene
Was in hire walk, and romed up and doun.
This sorweful prisoner, this Palamoun,
…
That thurgh a wyndow, thikke of many a barre
Of rien greet and square as any sparre,
He cast his eye upon Emelya,
And therwithal he bleynte and cride, a!
As though he stongen were unto the herte.

And for to lede the moore in blisse hir lyves,
Of his free wyl he swoor hire as a knight
That nevere in al his lyf he, day ne nyght,
Ne sholde upon hym take no maistrie
Agayn hir wyl, ne folwe hir wyl in al,
As any lobere to his lady shal,
Save that the name of soveraynetee,
That wolde he have for shame of his degree.

And so bifel that th’excellent renoun
Of the emperoures doghter, Dame Custacne,
Reported was, with every circumstance,
Unto thise surryen merchantz in swich wyse.

And by the pope’s mediacioun,
And al the chirche, and al the chivalrie,
That in destruccioun of mawmettrie,
And in encrees of cristes lawe deere,
They been accorded, so as ye shal heere:
How that the Sowdan and his baronage
And alle his liges sholde ycristned be,
And he shal han Custacne in marriage