Paine thee not each crooked to redress
In trust of her that turneth as a ball;
Great rest standeth in little busyness.
Beware also to spurn against an awl;
Strive not as doth a crockè1 with a wall;
Deemè2 thyself that deemest others' deed;
And Truth thee shall deliver, it is no drede.
That thee is sent, receive in buxomness
The wrastling of this world asketh a fall.
Here is no home, here is but wilderness.
Forth, pilgrim! Forth, beast, out of thy stall!
Look up on high, and thankè God of all.
Waive thy lusts, and let thy ghost thee lead;
And Truth thee shall deliver, it is no drede.
FROM THE CANTERBURY TALES (Prologue).
THE PILGRIMS ASSEMBLE AT THE TABARD INN.
When that Aprilè with his showrès soot
The drought of March hath pierced to the root,
And bathed every vein in such licour,
Of which virtue engendred is the flower;
When Zephyrus eke with his sweetè breath
Inspirèd hath in every holt and heath
The tender croppès, and the youngè sun
Hath in the Ram his halfè course y-run,
And smallè fowlès maken melodie,
That sleepen all the night with open eye,
So pricketh them nature in their courages :-
Then longen folk to gon on pilgrimages,
And palmers for to seeken strangè stronds,
To fernè hallows couth in sundry londs;
And specially from every shire's end
Of Engelond to Canterbury they wend,
The holy blissful martyr9 for to seek
That them hath holpen 10 when that they were sick.
Befell that, in that season on a day,
In Southwark at the Tabard11 as I lay,
7 The sun begins his course in the Zodiac in April.
8 Far hallows, distant shrines, known in sundry lands. 9 St. Thomas à Becket.
11 A sleeveless coat: sign of an inn
Ready to wenden on my pilgrimage
To Canterbury with full devout courage,
At night was come into that hostelry
Well nine and twenty in a company,
Of sondry folk by aventure y-fall
In fellowship;1 and pilgrims were they all,
That to-ward Canterbury wolden ride.
The chambers and the stables weren wide,
And well we weren easèd at the best.
A Knight there was,2 and that a worthy man,
That, from the timè that he first began
To riden out, he loved chivalry,
Truth and honour, freedom and courtesy.
Full worthy was he in his lordès werrè ;3
And thereto had he ridden, no man ferrè,
As well in Christendom as Heatheness,
And ever honoured for his worthiness.
At Alisandre he was when it was won.5
Full oftè-time he had the bordR begun
Aboven allè nations in Pruce.7
In Lettow had he reisèd, and in Ruce,10
No Christen man so oft of his degree.
In Gernade11 at the siege eke had he be12
Of Algesir; and ridden in Belmarie.13
At Lieys 14 was he, and at Satalie,15
When they were won and in the Greatè Sea16
At many a noble army had he be.
At mortal battles had he been fifteen,
And foughten for our faith at Tramisene17
In listès thriès, and aye slain his foe.
This ilke 18 worthy knight had been also
Sometime with the lord of Palatie 19
Again20 another heathen in Turkie.
2 It was common in Chaucer's age for knights to seek employment in foreign countries which were at war.
5 Alexandria in Egypt was taken and afterwards abandoned, 1365, by Pierre de Lusignan, King of Cyprus. 8 Lithuania. 11 The city of Algezir was taken from the Moorish king of Granada in 1344. 12 Been. 13 A Moorish kingdom in Africa.
9 Travelled: German reise, journey.
14 Lieys, in Armenia, taken from the Turks by Pierre de Lusignan, 1367.
15 Taken by the same prince soon after 1352. 16 Mediterranean, on the coast of Palestine. 17 Another Moorish kingdom in Africa.
And evermore he had a soverain prise.1
And, though that he was worthy, he was wise,
And of his port2 as meek as is a maid.
He never yet no villainy ne said
In all his life unto no manner wight :3
He was a very perfit gentle knight.
But for to tellen you of his array :
His horse was good, but he ne was not gay;
Of fustian he weared a gipon,
All besmothered with his habergeon;
For he was late y-come from his voyage,
And wentè for to done his pilgrimage.
With him there was his son, a youngè Squier,
A lover, and a lusty bacheler,
With lockès crull5 as they were laid in press;
Of twenty year of age he was I guess.
Of his stature he was of even length,
And wonderly deliver, and great of strength.
And he had been sometime in chevachie7
In Flaunders, in Artois, and Picardie,
And borne him well as in so little space,
In hope to stonden in his lady grace.
Embroided was he, as it were a mead
All full of freshè flowers white and red;
Singing he was or floiting all the day :
He was as fresh as is the month of May.
Short was his gown, with sleevès long and wide:
Well could he sit on horse and fairè ride
He coulde songès make and well endite,9
Just,10 and eke dance, and well pourtray,11 and write.
So hot he loved that by nightertale 12
He slept no more than doth the nightingale.
Courteis 13 he was, lowly and servisable,"
And carf 15 beforn his fader 16 at the table.
There was also a Nun, a Prioress,
That of her smiling was full simple and coy;
Her greatest oathè was but "by Saint Loy";1
And she was clepèd Madame Églentine.
Full well she song the servicè divine,
Entuned in her nose full seemely;
And French she spak full fair and fetisly,2
After the school of Stratford atte Bow,
For French of Paris was to her unknow.
At meatè well y-taught was she withal;
She let no morsel from her lippès fall,
Ne wet her finger in her saucè deep.
Well couth she carry a morsel, and well keep,
That no dropè ne fell upon her breast.
In curtesie was set full much her lest.3
Her over-lippè wipèd she so clean
That in her cup there was no ferthing seen
Of grease when she dronken had her draught.
Full seemély after her meat she raught.
And sickerly she was of great disport,
And full pleasaunt, and amiable of port ;
And painèd her to counterfeitè chere?
Of Court, and been estately 8 of manere,
And to been holden digne9 of reverence.
But for to speaken of her conscience :
She was so charitable and so pitous 10
She wolde weep if that she saw a mouse
Caught in a trap, if it were dead or bled.
Of smallè houndès had she, that she fed
With roasted flesh, or milk and wastel-bread.11
But sore wept she if one of them were dead,
Or if men smote it with a yerde smart :12
And all was conscience and tender heart.
Full seemely her wimple 13 pinchèd was;
Her nose was straight, her eyen grey as glass;
Her mouth full small, and thereto soft and red;
But sikerly she had a fair forehead.
It was almost a spannè broad I trow,
For hardely 14 she was not undergrow.
Full fetis was her cloak, as I was ware.
2 Neatly. 3 Pleasure.
7 To imitate courtly behaviour.
10 Full of pity.
13 A covering for the neck.
1 Saint Louis. 6 Very cheerful. 9 To be held worthy. 22 With a smart rod.
To be stately of manner.
11 Cake-bread.
14 Certainly.
Of small coral about her arm she bare
A pair of beadès 1 gauded 2 all with green;
And thereon hong a brooch of gold full sheen,
On which there was first written a crownèd A,
And, after, Amor vincit omnia.
THE CLERK 3 OF OXENFORD.4
A Clerk there was of Oxenford also,
That unto logic haddè long y-go.5
As leanè was his horse as is a rake;
And he was not right fat, I undertake,
But looked hollow and thereto soberly.
Full threadbare was his overest courtepy ;6
For he had geten him yet no benefice,
Ne was so worldly for to have office.
For him was liefer have at his bed-head
Twenty bookes clad in black and red,
Of Aristotle and his philosophy,
Than robès rich, or fithel, or gay sautrie.
But al-be that he was a philosophre,
Yet hadde he but litel gold in cofre;
But all that he might of his friendès hent,
On bookès and his learning he it spent,
And busily gan for the soulès pray
Of them that gave him wherewith to scholay.9
Of study took he most cure and most heed.
Not one word spake he morè than was need;
And that was said in form and reverence,
And short and quick, and full of high sentence.
Souning in moral virtue was his speech,
And gladly wold he learn and gladly teach.
A Frankelein was in this company;
White was his beard as is the daiesy.
Of his complexion he was sanguine;
Well loved he by the morrow 11 a sop in wine.
To liven in delight was ever his won,12
For he was Epicurus' owen son,
1 Two strings of beads. 2 The gaudies were the bigger beads in a roll for prayer. 3 Scholar preparing for the church.
6 Upper coat of coarse cloth. 7 He would rather have. 11 Morning.
8 Or fiddle or harp. 12 Wont.
|