Allas, this noble Januarie free,
Amydde his lust and his prosperitee,
Is woxen blynd, and that al sodeynly.
He wepeth and he wayleth pitously;
And therwithal the fyr of jalousie,
Lest that his wyf sholde falle in som folye,
So brente his herte that he wolde fayn
That som man bothe hire and hym had slayn.
– Geoffrey Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales, The Merchant’s Tale. January, amid all his pleasure and prosperity, is suddenly struck blind. This physical blindness reflects the metaphorical blindness of his self-delusion and self-deception. He grows increasingly jealous and possessive of his wife and lest she fall into some folly he wishes that some man would kill them both. The description of the fire of jealousy burning his heart is a good example of metaphor.