The poet dreams romantic
of unearthly beautiful women
and he mocks the ordinary people
He's bluffing he will reveal
the women's secret
their fondest heart's desire
In the end he promises
loyalty to an old woman
whose words laugh at him
"Women want to be the boss
of their husband and their lover
not allow them a life of their own"
like in the land of Meagrebeast
where this truth is lied
by women who are jealous
and who defend their husbands
so they don't have to go to bed
with their wrong
Meagrebeast: Chichevache ("Meagre cow"), the name which Geoffrey Chaucer gave to Chichifache ("Uglyface"), the werewolf, which, according to a French legend, only fed itself with obedient wives and was therefore very skinny
And the panther-bull Bicorn ("Two-horn") devours kind husbands, so he is plump and stuffed
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343-1400) closes the "Clerk's Tale" with a song about Griselda, in which he refers to Meagre cow
Collection "Mastress"
