Sir Orfeo (from The Middle English Breton Lays)

主題 Topic	Medieval English Breton lay
書刊名 Title	Sir Orfeo (from The Middle English Breton Lays)
作者 Author	Anonymous; Ed. Anne Laskaya and Eve Salisbury
出版社 Publisher	Medieval Institute Publications
出版年 Year	1995
語言 Language	English
裝訂 Binding	□ 平裝 Paperback　　　　□ 精裝 Hardcover
頁數 Pages
ISBN (10 / 13)
Bibliography Reference	(STC, Duff, GW . . .)
來源網址 Web Link	Camelot On-line: http://d.lib.rochester.edu/teams/text/laskaya-and-salisbury-middle-english-breton-lays-sir-orfeo 參考資料： 蘇其康。《歐洲傳奇文學風貌：中古時期的騎士歷險與愛情謳歌》。台北：書林，2005。
劇本簡介撰稿者	郭如蘋、洪沛茵
撰寫日期 Date	June 28, 2016

A.   簡介 Introduction (within 100 words, Chinese or English)

本詩約於1330-40寫成，英國無先例，但古典的源頭顯而易見。在希臘神話裡，歐菲奧斯Orpheus是一名極有才華的詩人和音樂家，他的演奏驚天地、泣鬼神。其妻子死後，他在地府演奏一曲，欲藉由其甜美樂音感動冥王。冥王於是答應樂師所求，讓他把妻子帶回陽間，唯一條件是在他出陰間大門前，不得回頭看妻子。歐菲奧斯帶著妻子匆匆離去，但在大門前迫不及待回頭看了妻子一眼，從此愛妻便煙消雲散，再也找不回來。歐菲奧斯從此意志消沉，又碰上酒神的門徒，這些放蕩形骸的野人在醉酒之下把他殺害，故事以悲劇收場。但放在傳奇裡，則是以圓滿的結局結束。

B.   文本摘錄 Extracts (4-6 Pages)

We redeth oft and findeth y-write,   
And this clerkes wele it wite,
Layes that ben in harping
Ben y-founde of ferli thing:
Sum bethe of wer and sum of wo,                                      5
And sum of joie and mirthe also,
And sum of trecherie and of gile,
Of old aventours that fel while;
And sum of bourdes and ribaudy,
And mani ther beth of fairy.                                        10  
Of al thinges that men seth,   
Mest o love, forsothe, they beth.
In Breteyne this layes were wrought,   
First y-founde and forth y-brought,                                 15
Of aventours that fel bi dayes,
Wherof Bretouns maked her layes.
When kinges might ovr y-here   
Of ani mervailes that ther were,
Thai token an harp in gle and game                                  20
And maked a lay and gaf it name.
Now of this aventours that weren y-falle
Y can tel sum, ac nought alle.
Ac herkneth, lordinges that ben trewe,   
Ichil you telle of "Sir Orfewe."                                    25
Orfeo mest of ani thing   
Lovede the gle of harping.   
Siker was everi gode harpour
Of him to have miche honour.
Himself he lerned forto harp,                                       30
And leyd theron his wittes scharp;
He lerned so ther nothing was   
A better harpour in no plas.
In al the warld was no man bore   
That ones Orfeo sat bifore -                                        35
And he might of his harping here -
Bot he schuld thenche that he were
In on of the joies of Paradis,
Swiche melody in his harping is.
   Orfeo was a king,                                                40
In Inglond an heighe lording,
A stalworth man and hardi bo;   
Large and curteys he was also.   
His fader was comen of King Pluto,
And his moder of King Juno,                                         45
That sum time were as godes yhold
For aventours that thai dede and told.
This king sojournd in Traciens,   
That was a cité of noble defens -
For Winchester was cleped tho                                       50
Traciens, withouten no.
   The king hadde a quen of priis
That was y-cleped Dame Heurodis,   
The fairest levedi, for the nones,
That might gon on bodi and bones,                                   55
Ful of love and godenisse -
Ac no man may telle hir fairnise.
   Bifel so in the comessing of May   
When miri and hot is the day,
And oway beth winter schours,                                       60 
And everi feld is ful of flours,
And blosme breme on everi bough
Over al wexeth miri anought,
This ich quen, Dame Heurodis
Tok to maidens of priis,                                            65
And went in an undrentide
To play bi an orchardside,
To se the floures sprede and spring   
And to here the foules sing.
Thai sett hem doun al thre                                          70
Under a fair ympe-tre,   
And wel sone this fair quene
Fel on slepe opon the grene.
The maidens durst hir nought awake,
Bot lete hir ligge and rest take.                                   75
So sche slepe til after none,   
That undertide was al y-done.
Ac, as sone as sche gan awake,
Sche crid, and lothli bere gan make;   
Sche froted hir honden and hir fete,                                80
And crached hir visage - it bled wete -
Hir riche robe hye al to-rett
And was reveyd out of hir wit.   
The two maidens hir biside
No durst with hir no leng abide,                                    85
Bot ourn to the palays ful right
And told bothe squier and knight
That her quen awede wold,
And bad hem go and hir at-hold.
Knightes urn and levedis also,                                      90
Damisels sexti and mo.   
In the orchard to the quen hye come,
And her up in her armes nome,
And brought hir to bed atte last,
And held hir there fine fast.                                       95
Ac ever she held in o cri
And wold up and owy.
   When Orfeo herd that tiding
Never him nas wers for nothing.
He come with knightes tene                                         100
To chaumber, right bifor the quene,
And bi-held, and seyd with grete pité,
"O lef liif, what is te,   
That ever yete hast ben so stille
And now gredest wonder schille?                                    105
Thy bodi, that was so white y-core,
With thine nailes is all to-tore.
Allas! thy rode, that was so red,
Is al wan, as thou were ded;   
And also thine fingres smale                                       110
Beth al blodi and al pale.
Allas! thy lovesum eyyen to
Loketh so man doth on his fo!
A, dame, ich biseche, merci!
Lete ben al this reweful cri,                                      115
And tel me what the is, and hou,
And what thing may the help now."
Tho lay sche stille atte last
And gan to wepe swithe fast,
And seyd thus the King to:                                         120
"Allas, mi lord, Sir Orfeo!
Sethen we first togider were,
Ones wroth never we nere;
Bot ever ich have yloved the
As mi liif and so thou me;                                         125
Ac now we mot delen ato;
Do thi best, for y mot go."
"Allas!" quath he, "forlorn icham!
Whider wiltow go, and to wham?
Whider thou gost, ichil with the,                                  130
And whider y go, thou schalt with me."
"Nay, nay, Sir, that nought nis!
Ichil the telle al hou it is:
As ich lay this undertide
And slepe under our orchardside,                                   135
Ther come to me to fair knightes,   
Wele y-armed al to rightes,
And bad me comen an heighing
And speke with her lord the king.
And ich answerd at wordes bold,                                    140
Y durst nought, no y nold.   
Thai priked oyain as thai might drive; 1
Tho com her king, also blive,
With an hundred knightes and mo,
And damisels an hundred also,                                      145
Al on snowe-white stedes;
As white as milke were her wedes.   
Y no seighe never yete bifore
So fair creatours y-core.
The king hadde a croun on hed;                                     150
It nas of silver, no of gold red,   
Ac it was of a precious ston -
As bright as the sonne it schon.
And as son as he to me cam,
Wold ich, nold ich, he me nam,                                     155
And made me with him ride
Opon a palfray bi his side;   
And brought me to his palays,   
Wele atird in ich ways,
And schewed me castels and tours,                                  160
Rivers, forestes, frith with flours,
And his riche stedes ichon.
And sethen me brought oyain hom
Into our owhen orchard,
And said to me thus afterward,                                     165
"'Loke, dame, tomorwe thatow be
Right here under this ympe-tre,
And than thou schalt with ous go
And live with ous evermo.
And yif thou makest ous y-let,                                     170
Whar thou be, thou worst y-fet,   
And totore thine limes al
That nothing help the no schal;
And thei thou best so totorn,
Yete thou worst with ous y-born."'                                 175
   When King Orfeo herd this cas,
"O we!" quath he, "Allas, allas!
Lever me were to lete mi liif
Than thus to lese the quen, mi wiif!"
He asked conseyl at ich man,                                       180
Ac no man him help no can.
Amorwe the undertide is come
And Orfeo hath his armes y-nome,
And wele ten hundred knightes with him,
Ich y-armed, stout and grim;                                       185
And with the quen wenten he
Right unto that ympe-tre.
Thai made scheltrom in ich a side   
And sayd thai wold there abide
And dye ther everichon,                                            190
Er the quen schuld fram hem gon.
Ac yete amiddes hem ful right
The quen was oway y-twight,
With fairi forth y-nome.
Men wist never wher sche was bicome.                               195  
Tho was ther criing, wepe and wo!
The king into his chaumber is go,
And oft swoned opon the ston,
And made swiche diol and swiche mon
That neighe his liif was y-spent -                                 200
Ther was non amendement.
He cleped togider his barouns,
Erls, lordes of renouns,
And when thai al y-comen were,
"Lordinges," he said, "bifor you here                              205
Ich ordainy min heighe steward   
To wite mi kingdom afterward;
In mi stede ben he schal
To kepe mi londes overal.
For now ichave mi quen y-lore,                                     210
The fairest levedi that ever was bore,
Never eft y nil no woman se.
Into wildernes ichil te
And live ther evermore
With wilde bestes in holtes hore;                                  215
And when ye understond that y be spent,
Make you than a parlement,
And chese you a newe king.
Now doth your best with al mi thing."
   Tho was ther wepeing in the halle                               220
And grete cri among hem alle;
Unnethe might old or yong
For wepeing speke a word with tong.