当阿西特过着幸福的生活时，故事发生了转变，绝望的帕拉蒙在监狱里哀悼。这位被囚禁的骑士被囚禁了六年之久，一直拖着镣铐，几乎看不到光明;他立刻失去了自由和爱情;他的牢狱使他痛苦万分，他的激情更使他痛苦:他不敢希望自己的镣铐被解开，也不希望从爱情中解脱出来。然而，当第六个循环年过去了，双子城里的五月迎来了太阳，这究竟是偶然的，还是命运的使然，在一个没有月亮的夜晚，在一个朋友的帮助下，这位监狱里的帕拉蒙逃走了。他事先准备了一种酒和蜂蜜混合在一起的愉快的饮料，加了大量的鸦片;他把这个带给了他的主人，他不知不觉地吞下了昏昏欲睡的水，安然地打着呼噜，直到早晨，他的感官在沉睡中被束缚，在长久的遗忘中被淹没。黑夜很短，小心翼翼的帕拉蒙在太阳升起之前寻找下一个隐蔽的地方。城市附近有一片茂密的森林，他迈着很大的步子向森林走去(因为他飞不了多远，而且害怕白天)。由于没有人追他，他打算避光，等那友好的黑夜的褐色阴影对他的逃亡有利时再去底比斯。当他来到他的国家，他的下一个计划是所有的底比斯种族武装起来加入，和忒修斯战争，直到他失去了自己的生命，或者赢得了美丽的艾米丽的妻子。因此，当他的思想被缠绵的白昼迷惑时，让我们把我们的风格转向温柔的阿尔赛特; Who little dreamt how nigh he was to care, Till treacherous fortune caught him in the snare. The morning-lark, the messenger of day, Saluted in her song the morning gray; And soon the sun arose with beams so bright, That all the horizon laughed to see the joyous sight; He with his tepid rays the rose renews, And licks the dropping leaves, and dries the dews; When Arcite left his bed, resolved to pay Observance to the month of merry May, Forth on his fiery steed betimes he rode, That scarcely prints the turf on which he trod: At ease he seemed, and prancing o'er the plains, Turned only to the grove his horse's reins, The grove I named before, and, lighting there, A woodbind garland sought to crown his hair; Then turned his face against the rising day, And raised his voice to welcome in the May: ?For thee, sweet month, the groves green liveries wear, If not the first, the fairest of the year: For thee the Graces lead the dancing hours, And Nature's ready pencil paints the flowers: When thy short reign is past, the feverish sun The sultry tropic fears, and moves more slowly on. So may thy tender blossoms fear no blight, Nor goats with venomed teeth thy tendrils bite, As thou shalt guide my wandering feet to find The fragrant greens I seek, my brows to bind.? His vows addressed, within the grove he strayed, Till Fate or Fortune near the place conveyed His steps where secret Palamon was laid. Full little thought of him the gentle knight, Who flying death had there concealed his flight, In brakes and brambles hid, and shunning mortal sight; And less he knew him for his hated foe, But feared him as a man he did not know. But as it has been said of ancient years, That fields are full of eyes and woods have ears, For this the wise are ever on their guard, For unforeseen, they say, is unprepared. Uncautious Arcite thought himself alone, And less than all suspected Palamon, Who, listening, heard him, while he searched the grove, And loudly sung his roundelay of love: But on the sudden stopped, and silent stood, (As lovers often muse, and change their mood Now high as heaven, and then as low as hell, Now up, now down, as buckets in a well: For Venus, like her day, will change her cheer, And seldom shall we see a Friday clear. Thus Arcite, having sung, with altered hue Sunk on the ground, and from his bosom drew A desperate sigh, accusing Heaven and Fate, And angry Juno's unrelenting hate: ?Cursed be the day when first I did appear; Let it be blotted from the calendar, Lest it pollute the month, and poison all the year. Still will the jealous Queen pursue our race? Cadmus is dead, the Theban city was: Yet ceases not her hate; for all who come From Cadmus are involved in Cadmus' doom. I suffer for my blood: unjust decree, That punishes another's crime on me. In mean estate I serve my mortal foe, The man who caused my country's overthrow. This is not all; for Juno, to my shame, Has forced me to forsake my former name; Arcite I was, Philostratus I am. That side of heaven is all my enemy: Mars ruined Thebes; his mother ruined me. Of all the royal race remains but one