This is one of the main poems for the collection. The High Queen of the People of the North is the teller of the tale, and is meant to be an equivalent to The Wife of Bath. It is at the moment unfinished. The portion posted here covers what would be the prologue to the Wife's tale in Chaucer's work, plus a little after.
This tale starts in the traditional iambic hexameter (12-syllable lines) used in the rest of the collection, then deviates to free verse because I needed to figure out the story and the meter was hampering me from doing so.
As the poem (as it stands) is quite long, I have put it under a "Read More" break.
This tale starts in the traditional iambic hexameter (12-syllable lines) used in the rest of the collection, then deviates to free verse because I needed to figure out the story and the meter was hampering me from doing so.
As the poem (as it stands) is quite long, I have put it under a "Read More" break.
After returning from fighting the wicked beast,
Laina to the high queen's dwelling was well conveyed,
There to rest from her injuries, which were quite grave,
And to obtain relief for her uneasy mind,
For the creature did cause much terror in that way.
There did she bathe, and had her wounds fully tended,
When she was well enough to sit up and converse,
The high queen invited her to sit in her lounge
Where when weary she retired with her maidens
To rest and speak of those things women only speak of
While with other women; of love and men and such.
Laina, anxious for company as she was,
Accepted the invitation of the queen,
And rested on a couch among the others.
She was not used to such luxury
As she had had here, or so much rest,
Yet she found she liked it, and did feel guilty
For having such a selfish desire in her heart.
For long ago had she learned to be content
Even though she had little and was poor.
And yet, had not the good Philip warned her
That by going out into the great world
She would see many things and have her view
Expanded so much that envy and selfishness
Might rise and tempt her heart? Still, her mother
Had said pleasure in right things was not evil,
And after her ordeal she was glad to rest.
Now, on this day, one of the maidens of the queen
Had become engaged to a lord of the court,
And therefore, all the talk in the lounge was of this,
And of the grand ceremonies of marriage
That are practiced by the people of the north.
Laina, who knew little of such matters,
Simply listened to all the talk,
And dreamed silently of what it might be like
To be about to be married.
Eventually the High Queen silenced them and spoke:
"Fair ladies, if you would desire advice on marriage,
Look no further; for you know that in my long life
I have known many men, and can speak much of them.
Among our people a woman may have more
Than one husband at once, if she wishes,
And I have several of my own."
"But why, Your Majesty," asked Laina suddenly,
"Would a woman desire many husbands?
I, for one, would rather love one man,
And devote myself unto him forever.
Indeed, such is the custom where I dwell,
For by our goddess are we commanded so to do."
The High Queen smiled. "Dear Laina, you are young," said she,
"And I do not doubt know little of life.
Our beliefs and ways are different than yours,
And we do not deny ourselves pleasure here
Even though we are at this time sore oppressed.
To have one husband to devote one's life to,
That certainly is a lovely dream to have.
But, in reality, love is only an emotion,
And emotions are by their very nature fleeting.
Marriage is a commitment, true,
To remain together no matter the trial,
But even the strongest woman can become bored
Of having only one man to love.
In the old times, this restlessness lead to trouble,
To much unfaithfulness and fornication,
So that even the purest of maidens could not
Walk the city streets alone without fear.
So, after consulting the gods, it was decreed
That women should not be limited in spouses,
For before then, men could take many wives,
But women were the wife of one husband only.
The only taboo is that it cannot be a relative,
For that has troubles of its own."
At these words Laina did blush with shame,
For where she came from it was not common
To speak of such things so openly.
Then did Velexa, the maid who was to be married,
Ask of Laina why she blushed.
"I am, as Her Majesty says, unlearned," replied she,
"And of matters relating to love especially so.
I am not used to hearing such things spoken of."
"Do you know," asked Velexa, "anything of
The ways of men and women in the world,
That is, of marriage and childbearing?"
"Oh yes," said Laina. "We did keep animals,
And they did mate and bear young.
And in order that I might understand
That, at an age my parents felt appropriate,
They did briefly explain unto me,
What our goddess expects of a man and woman
Who are bound together in marriage.
But never did they speak in such terms
As Her Majesty now uses."
"The ways in which animals mate
Is no good parallel for the ways of men,
Or indeed of the ways in which we mate,"
Said the queen, overhearing Laina's words,
"Except in the simplest, basest terms.
And yet that aspect is not unimportant.
For while here women may seem to be supreme,
It was not always so; and in the world
Where you dwell, Laina, it is not so at all.
A woman's chief strength, her chief power in this world,
Is not her mind or her piety neither,
But her body; with this vital weapon
Can a woman have power over a man.
With this arsenal have I become great,
To the point that I rule even over my husbands.
I did it with the first three, old and rich,
Who at their deaths swelled the royal coffers,
And submitted to my strong will well enough.
The fourth is young, and thinks only of pleasure
And how to indulge himself as much in it
As he possibly can. Now mirth is all well,
But even too much pleasure can be boring
After a while, as can too much of any good thing.
"As for my latest, he is too cunning,
And will not bend as easily to my will.
He is not of our kind, but of a similar people
Of the isles within the sea; him I married
To bring to an end a troublesome war.
He resents it, for he loved a girl
Of the people of the sea, a royal fish-girl,
And had hoped to marry her, but
His family would not hear of it.
So he is always alternating between abuse and sweet words
As if just barely trying to make our union work.
If it were not for the political nature of the union,
I swear I would have it dissolved immediately."
"My goodness," said Laina, "it seems too much trouble
To follow such a custom; I stand therefore
By what I said before, even if by doing what
You do, Your Majesty, a woman may have power over men."
"I rather agree with you," said Velexa, frowning.
"Then allow me to prove my point another way,"
Said the High Queen rather haughtily,
"By way of a story old and good."
"If you are going to tell a story," asked Laina,
"Might I collect it, Your Majesty? For so
Was I charged to do by the Holy Ones who
Gave me the quest I now follow."
"Oh yes, with that magical amulet and book,"
Said the High Queen. "You spoke of them before.
Very well, let them be brought."
For it seems all Laina's posesssions
Had been stored for safekeeping while she was there.
"But, dear Laina," said Velexa, as they waited,
"Why would you want a story from here?
Our people are of much different beliefs than you.
Therefore for moral instruction they would not be much good."
"That is true," replied Laina, "but as you have said,
Your people retreated to this hidden land
Because you faced much prejudice from my people.
Perhaps if they heard one of your stories,
They might begin to understand your ways."
This reply pleased them all,
For well known was it among the northern people
The judgment Laina's people showed toward them.
Laina to the high queen's dwelling was well conveyed,
There to rest from her injuries, which were quite grave,
And to obtain relief for her uneasy mind,
For the creature did cause much terror in that way.
There did she bathe, and had her wounds fully tended,
When she was well enough to sit up and converse,
The high queen invited her to sit in her lounge
Where when weary she retired with her maidens
To rest and speak of those things women only speak of
While with other women; of love and men and such.
Laina, anxious for company as she was,
Accepted the invitation of the queen,
And rested on a couch among the others.
She was not used to such luxury
As she had had here, or so much rest,
Yet she found she liked it, and did feel guilty
For having such a selfish desire in her heart.
For long ago had she learned to be content
Even though she had little and was poor.
And yet, had not the good Philip warned her
That by going out into the great world
She would see many things and have her view
Expanded so much that envy and selfishness
Might rise and tempt her heart? Still, her mother
Had said pleasure in right things was not evil,
And after her ordeal she was glad to rest.
Now, on this day, one of the maidens of the queen
Had become engaged to a lord of the court,
And therefore, all the talk in the lounge was of this,
And of the grand ceremonies of marriage
That are practiced by the people of the north.
Laina, who knew little of such matters,
Simply listened to all the talk,
And dreamed silently of what it might be like
To be about to be married.
Eventually the High Queen silenced them and spoke:
"Fair ladies, if you would desire advice on marriage,
Look no further; for you know that in my long life
I have known many men, and can speak much of them.
Among our people a woman may have more
Than one husband at once, if she wishes,
And I have several of my own."
"But why, Your Majesty," asked Laina suddenly,
"Would a woman desire many husbands?
I, for one, would rather love one man,
And devote myself unto him forever.
Indeed, such is the custom where I dwell,
For by our goddess are we commanded so to do."
The High Queen smiled. "Dear Laina, you are young," said she,
"And I do not doubt know little of life.
Our beliefs and ways are different than yours,
And we do not deny ourselves pleasure here
Even though we are at this time sore oppressed.
To have one husband to devote one's life to,
That certainly is a lovely dream to have.
But, in reality, love is only an emotion,
And emotions are by their very nature fleeting.
Marriage is a commitment, true,
To remain together no matter the trial,
But even the strongest woman can become bored
Of having only one man to love.
In the old times, this restlessness lead to trouble,
To much unfaithfulness and fornication,
So that even the purest of maidens could not
Walk the city streets alone without fear.
So, after consulting the gods, it was decreed
That women should not be limited in spouses,
For before then, men could take many wives,
But women were the wife of one husband only.
The only taboo is that it cannot be a relative,
For that has troubles of its own."
At these words Laina did blush with shame,
For where she came from it was not common
To speak of such things so openly.
Then did Velexa, the maid who was to be married,
Ask of Laina why she blushed.
"I am, as Her Majesty says, unlearned," replied she,
"And of matters relating to love especially so.
I am not used to hearing such things spoken of."
"Do you know," asked Velexa, "anything of
The ways of men and women in the world,
That is, of marriage and childbearing?"
"Oh yes," said Laina. "We did keep animals,
And they did mate and bear young.
And in order that I might understand
That, at an age my parents felt appropriate,
They did briefly explain unto me,
What our goddess expects of a man and woman
Who are bound together in marriage.
But never did they speak in such terms
As Her Majesty now uses."
"The ways in which animals mate
Is no good parallel for the ways of men,
Or indeed of the ways in which we mate,"
Said the queen, overhearing Laina's words,
"Except in the simplest, basest terms.
And yet that aspect is not unimportant.
For while here women may seem to be supreme,
It was not always so; and in the world
Where you dwell, Laina, it is not so at all.
A woman's chief strength, her chief power in this world,
Is not her mind or her piety neither,
But her body; with this vital weapon
Can a woman have power over a man.
With this arsenal have I become great,
To the point that I rule even over my husbands.
I did it with the first three, old and rich,
Who at their deaths swelled the royal coffers,
And submitted to my strong will well enough.
The fourth is young, and thinks only of pleasure
And how to indulge himself as much in it
As he possibly can. Now mirth is all well,
But even too much pleasure can be boring
After a while, as can too much of any good thing.
"As for my latest, he is too cunning,
And will not bend as easily to my will.
He is not of our kind, but of a similar people
Of the isles within the sea; him I married
To bring to an end a troublesome war.
He resents it, for he loved a girl
Of the people of the sea, a royal fish-girl,
And had hoped to marry her, but
His family would not hear of it.
So he is always alternating between abuse and sweet words
As if just barely trying to make our union work.
If it were not for the political nature of the union,
I swear I would have it dissolved immediately."
"My goodness," said Laina, "it seems too much trouble
To follow such a custom; I stand therefore
By what I said before, even if by doing what
You do, Your Majesty, a woman may have power over men."
"I rather agree with you," said Velexa, frowning.
"Then allow me to prove my point another way,"
Said the High Queen rather haughtily,
"By way of a story old and good."
"If you are going to tell a story," asked Laina,
"Might I collect it, Your Majesty? For so
Was I charged to do by the Holy Ones who
Gave me the quest I now follow."
"Oh yes, with that magical amulet and book,"
Said the High Queen. "You spoke of them before.
Very well, let them be brought."
For it seems all Laina's posesssions
Had been stored for safekeeping while she was there.
"But, dear Laina," said Velexa, as they waited,
"Why would you want a story from here?
Our people are of much different beliefs than you.
Therefore for moral instruction they would not be much good."
"That is true," replied Laina, "but as you have said,
Your people retreated to this hidden land
Because you faced much prejudice from my people.
Perhaps if they heard one of your stories,
They might begin to understand your ways."
This reply pleased them all,
For well known was it among the northern people
The judgment Laina's people showed toward them.