Canterbury Tales and Other Poems - Geoffrey Chaucer (best desktop ebook reader .txt) 📗

be extinct.

 

13. “Geoffrey Chaucer, bard, and famous mother of poetry, is buried in this sacred ground.”

 

14. Railings.

 

15 Translation of the epitaph: This tomb was built for Geoffrey Chaucer, who in his time was the greatest poet of the English. If you ask the year of his death, behold the words beneath, which tell you all. Death gave him rest from his toil, 25th of October 1400. N Brigham bore the cost of these words in the name of the Muses. 1556.

 

16. See the Prologue to Chaucer’s Tale of Sir Thopas.

 

17. See the “Goodly Ballad of Chaucer,” seventh stanza.

 

18. See the opening of the Prologue to “The Legend of Good Women,” and the poet’s account of his habits in “The House of Fame”.

 

THE CANTERBURY TALES.

 

THE PROLOGUE.

 

WHEN that Aprilis, with his showers swoot, sweet The drought of March hath pierced to the root, And bathed every vein in such licour,

Of which virtue engender’d is the flower; When Zephyrus eke with his swoote breath Inspired hath in every holt* and heath grove, forest The tender croppes and the younge sun *twigs, boughs Hath in the Ram <1> his halfe course y-run, And smalle fowles make melody,

That sleepen all the night with open eye, (So pricketh them nature in their corages*); *hearts, inclinations Then longe folk to go on pilgrimages,

And palmers <2> for to seeke strange strands, To *ferne hallows couth* in sundry lands; distant saints known<3>

And specially, from every shire’s end

Of Engleland, to Canterbury they wend, The holy blissful Martyr for to seek,

That them hath holpen*, when that they were sick. *helped Befell that, in that season on a day,

In Southwark at the Tabard <4> as I lay, Ready to wenden on my pilgrimage

To Canterbury with devout corage,

At night was come into that hostelry

Well nine and twenty in a company

Of sundry folk, *by aventure y-fall who had by chance fallen In fellowship, and pilgrims were they all, into company.* <5>

That toward Canterbury woulde ride.

The chamber, and the stables were wide, And well we weren eased at the best. we were well provided And shortly, when the sunne was to rest, with the best

So had I spoken with them every one,

That I was of their fellowship anon,

And made forword* early for to rise, promise To take our way there as I you devise. *describe, relate But natheless, while I have time and space, Ere that I farther in this tale pace,

Me thinketh it accordant to reason,

To tell you alle the condition

Of each of them, so as it seemed me,

And which they weren, and of what degree; And eke in what array that they were in: And at a Knight then will I first begin.

 

A KNIGHT there was, and that a worthy man, That from the time that he first began To riden out, he loved chivalry,

Truth and honour, freedom and courtesy.

Full worthy was he in his Lorde’s war, And thereto had he ridden, no man farre, farther As well in Christendom as in Heatheness, And ever honour’d for his worthiness

At Alisandre <6> he was when it was won.

Full often time he had the board begun Above alle nations in Prusse.<7>

In Lettowe had he reysed,* and in Russe, *journeyed No Christian man so oft of his degree.

In Grenade at the siege eke had he be

Of Algesir, and ridden in Belmarie. <8>

At Leyes was he, and at Satalie,

When they were won; and in the Greate Sea At many a noble army had he be.

At mortal battles had he been fifteen, And foughten for our faith at Tramissene.

In listes thries, and aye slain his foe.

This ilke* worthy knight had been also *same <9>

Some time with the lord of Palatie,

Against another heathen in Turkie:

And evermore *he had a sovereign price*. He was held in very And though that he was worthy he was wise, high esteem.

And of his port as meek as is a maid.

He never yet no villainy ne said

In all his life, unto no manner wight.

He was a very perfect gentle knight.

But for to telle you of his array,

His horse was good, but yet he was not gay.

Of fustian he weared a gipon*, short doublet Alle besmotter’d with his habergeon,* soiled by his coat of mail.

For he was late y-come from his voyage, And wente for to do his pilgrimage.

 

With him there was his son, a younge SQUIRE, A lover, and a lusty bacheler,

With lockes crulle* as they were laid in press. *curled Of twenty year of age he was I guess.

Of his stature he was of even length,

And *wonderly deliver*, and great of strength. wonderfully nimble

And he had been some time in chevachie, cavalry raids In Flanders, in Artois, and Picardie,

And borne him well, *as of so little space*, in such a short time

In hope to standen in his lady’s grace.

Embroider’d was he, as it were a mead

All full of freshe flowers, white and red.

Singing he was, or fluting all the day; He was as fresh as is the month of May.

Short was his gown, with sleeves long and wide.

Well could he sit on horse, and faire ride.

He coulde songes make, and well indite, Joust, and eke dance, and well pourtray and write.

So hot he loved, that by nightertale night-time He slept no more than doth the nightingale.

Courteous he was, lowly, and serviceable, And carv’d before his father at the table.<10>

 

A YEOMAN had he, and servants no mo’

At that time, for *him list ride so* it pleased him so to ride

And he was clad in coat and hood of green.

A sheaf of peacock arrows<11> bright and keen Under his belt he bare full thriftily.

Well could he dress his tackle yeomanly: His arrows drooped not with feathers low; And in his hand he bare a mighty bow.

A nut-head <12> had he, with a brown visiage: Of wood-craft coud* he well all the usage: knew Upon his arm he bare a gay bracer, *small shield And by his side a sword and a buckler, And on that other side a gay daggere,

Harnessed well, and sharp as point of spear: A Christopher on his breast of silver sheen.

An horn he bare, the baldric was of green: A forester was he soothly* as I guess. *certainly There was also a Nun, a PRIORESS,

That of her smiling was full simple and coy; Her greatest oathe was but by Saint Loy; And she was cleped* Madame Eglentine. *called Full well she sang the service divine, Entuned in her nose full seemly;

And French she spake full fair and fetisly properly After the school of Stratford atte Bow, For French of Paris was to her unknow.

At meate was she well y-taught withal; She let no morsel from her lippes fall, Nor wet her fingers in her sauce deep.

Well could she carry a morsel, and well keep, That no droppe ne fell upon her breast.

In courtesy was set full much her lest*. *pleasure Her over-lippe wiped she so clean,

That in her cup there was no farthing* seen speck Of grease, when she drunken had her draught; Full seemely after her meat she raught: reached out her hand And sickerly she was of great disport*, surely she was of a lively And full pleasant, and amiable of port, disposition

And pained her to counterfeite cheer took pains to assume Of court,* and be estately of mannere, a courtly disposition*

And to be holden digne* of reverence. *worthy But for to speaken of her conscience,

She was so charitable and so pitous, full of pity She woulde weep if that she saw a mouse Caught in a trap, if it were dead or bled.

Of smalle houndes had she, that she fed With roasted flesh, and milk, and *wastel bread.* finest white bread

But sore she wept if one of them were dead, Or if men smote it with a yarde* smart: *staff And all was conscience and tender heart.

Full seemly her wimple y-pinched was;

Her nose tretis;* her eyen gray as glass;<13> *well-formed Her mouth full small, and thereto soft and red; But sickerly she had a fair forehead.

It was almost a spanne broad I trow;

For *hardily she was not undergrow*. certainly she was not small

Full fetis* was her cloak, as I was ware. *neat Of small coral about her arm she bare

A pair of beades, gauded all with green; And thereon hung a brooch of gold full sheen, On which was first y-written a crown’d A, And after, *Amor vincit omnia.* love conquers all

Another Nun also with her had she,

[That was her chapelleine, and PRIESTES three.]

 

A MONK there was, a fair for the mast’ry, above all others<14>

An out-rider, that loved venery*; *hunting A manly man, to be an abbot able.

Full many a dainty horse had he in stable: And when he rode, men might his bridle hear Jingeling <15> in a whistling wind as clear, And eke as loud, as doth the chapel bell, There as this lord was keeper of the cell.

The rule of Saint Maur and of Saint Benet, <16>

Because that it was old and somedeal strait This ilke* monk let olde thinges pace, *same And held after the newe world the trace.

He *gave not of the text a pulled hen,* he cared nothing That saith, that hunters be not holy men: for the text

Ne that a monk, when he is cloisterless; Is like to a fish that is waterless;

This is to say, a monk out of his cloister.

This ilke text held he not worth an oyster; And I say his opinion was good.

Why should he study, and make himselfe wood mad <17>

Upon a book in cloister always pore,

Or swinken* with his handes, and labour, *toil As Austin bid? how shall the world be served?

Let Austin have his swink to him reserved.

Therefore he was a prickasour* aright: hard rider Greyhounds he had as swift as fowl of flight; Of pricking and of hunting for the hare riding Was all his lust, for no cost would he spare. pleasure I saw his sleeves purfil’d at the hand worked at the end with a With gris, and that the finest of the land. fur called “gris”*

And for to fasten his hood under his chin, He had of gold y-wrought a curious pin; A love-knot in the greater end there was.

His head was bald, and shone as any glass, And eke his face, as it had been anoint; He was a lord full fat and in good point; His eyen steep,* and rolling in his head, *deep-set That steamed as a furnace of a lead.

His bootes supple, his horse in great estate, Now certainly he was a fair prelate;

He was not pale as a forpined* ghost; *wasted A fat swan lov’d he best of any roast.

His palfrey was as brown as is a berry.

 

A FRIAR there was, a wanton and a merry, A limitour <18>, a full solemne man.

In all the orders four is none that can knows So much of dalliance and fair language.

He had y-made full many a marriage

Of younge women, at his owen cost.

Unto his order he was a noble post;

Full well belov’d, and familiar was he With franklins *over all* in his country, everywhere

And eke with