Pain In Troius By Chaucer

Men endure three types of pain: back, tooth, and heart. The narrator in this poem by Chaucer seems to be making a plea to God. Troilus, the narrator, is the subject in question. Is he heartbroken? The first stanza suggests he is, but also, he is unable to go against these feelings. His love is so deep that he must endure these feelings. He can’t help himself from giving in to the pain. Troilus loves Criseyde so much that he is willing to knowingly put himself through pain in order to feel her love. Troilus is first asking if the feelings he has are truly love. He even reaches out to God. He questions love and God. He asks God how love can be so terrible if it is so good, and vice versa. Questioning the threshold of those ideas in which he holds most dear is what leads Troilus to make his “plea.” Troilus pleas to God. He wants God to tell him what to do, or to tell him why he feels this way. I find this interesting. The paradox involved is a travesty. Troilus wants love to be good, but if it is good then the way …show more content…
Chaucer’s translation is beautiful, but the translation lacks a certain original beauty. Poetry and song are impossible to re-create in exact form. When translated, a poem loses beauty and artistry. Alliteration is lost from the Italian version. For example, “Se bona, onde l’effecto aspro…” is alliterated in Italian but both translations are not as such. The plain English version is written with almost no alliteration. Lack of alliteration for this poem results in a boring and tedious read. Although the English version is helpful for those who don’t know Italian, the English version is not as appealing. The Chaucer version, however, is alliterated better than the plain English, with lines such as “O quikke deeth, O sweete harm so quantitee…” and “if that at myn owene lust I brenne, From whennes cometh my wailing and my plainte?” Beauty is there, but the beauty is not quite what it once