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About this text

  • Title: Apollonius of Tyre
  • Editors: Tom Bishop, Andrew Forsberg

  • Copyright Tom Bishop and Andrew Forsberg. This text may be freely used for educational, non-profit purposes; for all other uses contact the Editor.
    Author: John Gower
    Editors: Tom Bishop, Andrew Forsberg
    Not Peer Reviewed

    Apollonius of Tyre

    [Qualiter, sicut deus destinauit, pater filiam inuentam recognouit.]
    How, as God ordained, the father recognized the restored daughter.
    1740 With that he sobreth his corage
    And put awey his hevy chiere.
    Bot of hem tuo a man mai liere
    What is to be so sibb of blod:
    Non wiste of other hou it stod,
    1745And yit the fader ate laste
    His herte upon this maide caste,
    That he hire loveth kindely,
    And yit he wiste nevere why.
    Bot al was knowe er that thei wente;
    1750For god, which wot here hol entente,
    Here hertes bothe anon descloseth.
    This king unto this maide opposeth,
    And axeth ferst what was hire name,
    And wher sche lerned al this game,
    1755And of what ken that sche was come.
    And sche, that hath hise wordes nome,
    Ansuerth and seith, "My name is Thaise,
    That was som time wel at aise:
    In Tharse I was forthdrawe and fed,
    1760Ther lerned I, til I was sped,
    Of that I can. Mi fader eke
    I not wher that I scholde him seke;
    He was a king, men tolde me:
    Mi Moder dreint was in the See."
    1765Fro point to point al sche him tolde,
    That sche hath longe in herte holde,
    And nevere dorste make hir mone
    Bot only to this lord al one,
    To whom hire herte can noght hele,
    1770Torne it to wo, torne it to wele,
    Torne it to good, torne it to harm.
    And he tho toke hire in his arm,
    Bot such a joie as he tho made
    Was nevere sen; thus be thei glade,
    1775That sory hadden be toforn.
    For this day forth fortune hath sworn
    To sette him upward on the whiel;
    So goth the world, now wo, now wel:
    This king hath founde newe grace,
    1780So that out of his derke place
    He goth him up into the liht,
    And with him cam that swete wiht,
    His doghter Thaise, and forth anon
    Thei bothe into the Caban gon
    1785Which was ordeigned for the king,
    And ther he dede of al his thing,
    And was arraied realy.