Geoffrey Chaucer "Merciless Beauty" translation

Merciles Beaute ("Merciless Beauty")

by Geoffrey Chaucer

loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

Your eyes slay me suddenly;

their beauty I cannot sustain,

they wound me so, through my heart keen.

Unless your words heal me hastily,

my heart's wound will remain green;

for your eyes slay me suddenly;

their beauty I cannot sustain.

By all truth, I tell you faithfully

that you are of life and death my queen;

for at my death this truth shall be seen:

your eyes slay me suddenly;

their beauty I cannot sustain,

they wound me so, through my heart keen.

Original text:

Your yën two wol sle me sodenly,

I may the beaute of hem not sustene,

So woundeth hit through-out my herte kene.

And but your word wol helen hastily

My hertes wounde, whyl that hit is grene,

Your yën two wol sle me sodenly;

may the beaute of hem not sustene.

Upon my trouthe I sey yow feithfully,

That ye ben of my lyf and deth the quene;

For with my deth the trouthe shal be sene.

Your yën two wol sle me sodenly,

I may the beaute of hem not sustene,

So woundeth hit through-out my herte kene.

Geoffrey Chaucher (c. 1340-1400) is generally considered to be the first major English poet and the greatest English poet of the Medieval Period. He is best known for "The Canterbury Tales" but he was also a master of lyric forms such as the roundel. Chaucer has been called the "Father of English literature". He was the first writer buried in Poets' Corner of Westminster Abbey. Keywords/Tags: Chaucer, roundel, rondel, translation, medieval love poem, courtship, romance, romantic love, romanticism, interpretation, modernization, merciless, beauty, heart, wound, keen, eyes, slay, sustain, words, heal, queen, life, death, relationship