Excerpt from Poetical Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, Vol. 8: Edited With a Memoir
In the printed editions this poem is called The Complaint of the Black Knight, and Speght adds the following short explanation of its purport: - "The heavy complaint of a knight for that he cannot win his ladies grace." In The Envoy the poet dedicates it to one whom he addresses by the title of "Princesse;" but whether this be a mere hyperbolical compliment, expressive of the power which his mistress exercises over his heart, or whether it denotes her actual rank, the context affords no clue to determine.
That the poem is rightly attributed to Chaucer there can be little doubt. It has been included in all the editions of his collected works; and Tyrwhitt, whose sound judgment entitles his opinion on such questions to the highest respect, pronounces in favour of its authenticity. The opening is a palpable imitation of that of The Romaunt of the Rose, from which most of the allegorical personages who, for a moment appear upon the scene, are also borrowed. The phraseology and versification are certainly characteristic of Chaucer"s manner.
The text of this edition is founded upon that of the MS. entitled Fairfax 16, in the Bodleian Library, compared, in cases of difficulty with that marked Arch. Seld. B. 24.
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