| |
| WHAN that Aprille with his shoures soote 1 |
|
| The droghte 2 of Marche hath perced to the roote, |
|
| And bathed every veyne in swich 3 licour, |
|
| Of which vertu engendred is the flour; |
|
| Whan Zephirus eek with his swete breeth |
5 |
| Inspired hath in every holt 4 and heeth |
|
| The tendre croppes, 5 and the yonge sonne |
|
| Hath in the Ram his halfe cours y-ronne, 6 |
|
| And smale fowles maken melodye, |
|
| That slepen al the night with open ye, |
10 |
| (So priketh hem nature in hir corages: 7 |
|
| Than longen folk to goon on pilgrimages, |
|
| And palmers for to seken straunge strondes, 8 |
|
| To ferne halwes, 9 couthe 10 in sondry londes; |
|
| And specially, from every shires ende |
15 |
| Of Engelond, to Caunterbury they wende, |
|
| The holy blisful martir for to seke, |
|
| That hem hath holpen, whan that they were seke. 11 |
|
| Bifel that, in that sesoun on a day, |
|
| In Southwerk at the Tabard as I lay 12 |
20 |
| Redy to wenden on my pilgrimage |
|
| To Caunterbury with ful devout corage, |
|
| At night was come in-to that hostelrye |
|
| Wel 13 nyne and twenty in a compaignye, |
|
| Of sondry folk, by aventure 14 y-falle 15 |
25 |
| In felawshipe, and pilgrims were they alle, |
|
| That toward Caunterbury wolden ryde; |
|
| The chambres and the stables weren wyde, |
|
| And wel we weren esed atte beste. 16 |
|
| And shortly, whan the sonne was to reste, |
30 |
| So hadde I spoken with hem everichon, 17 |
|
| That I was of hir felawshipe anon, |
|
| And made forward 18 erly for to ryse, |
|
| To take our wey, ther as I yow devyse. 19 |
|
| But natheles, 20 whyl I have tyme and space, |
35 |
| Er that I ferther in this tale pace, 21 |
|
| Me thinketh it acordaunt to resoun, |
|
| To telle yew al the condicioun 22 |
|
| Of ech of hem, so as it semed me, |
|
| And whiche 23 they weren, and of what degree; |
40 |
| And eek in what array that they were inne: |
|
| And at a knight than wol I first biginne. |
|
| A KNIGHT ther was, and that a worthy man, |
|
| That fro the tyme that he first bigan |
|
| To ryden out, he loved chivalrye, |
45 |
| Trouthe and honour, fredom 24 and curteisye. |
|
| Ful worthy was he in his lordes werre, 25 |
|
| And thereto 26 hadde he riden (no man ferre 27) |
|
| As wel in cristendom as hethenesse, |
|
| And evere honoured for his worthinesse. |
50 |
| At Alisaundre he was, whan it was wonne; |
|
| Ful ofte tyme he hadde the bord bigonne 28 |
|
| Aboven alle naciouns in Pruce. 29 |
|
| In Lettow 30 hadde he reysed 31 and in Ruce, 32 |
|
| No cristen man so ofte of his degree. |
55 |
| In Gernade 33 at the sege eek hadde he be |
|
| Of Algezir, and riden in Belmarye. 34 |
|
| At Lyeys 35 was he, and at Satalye, 36 |
|
| Whan they were wonne; and in the Grete See 37 |
|
| At many a noble aryve 38 hadde he be, |
60 |
| At mortal batailles hadde he been fiftene, |
|
| And foughten for our feith at Tramissene 39 |
|
| In listes thryes, and ay slayn his foo. |
|
| This ilke 40 worthy knight hadde been also |
|
| Somtyme with the lord of Palatye, 41 |
65 |
| Ageyn another hethen in Turkye: |
|
| And everemore he hadde a sovereyn prys. 42 |
|
| And though that he were worthy, he was wys, |
|
| And of his port 43 as meek as is a mayde. |
|
| He nevere yet no vileinye 44 ne sayde |
70 |
| In al his lyf, un-to no maner wight. 45 |
|
| He was a verray parfit gentil knight. |
|
| But for to tellen yow of his array, |
|
| His hors were goode, but he was nat gay. |
|
| Of fustian 46 he wered a gipoun 47 |
75 |
| Al bismotered 48 with his habergeoun. 49 |
|
| For he was late y-come from his viage, 50 |
|
| And wente for to doon his pilgrimage. |
|
| With him ther was his sone, a yong SQUYER, |
|
| A lovyer, and a lusty bacheler, |
80 |
| With lokkes crulle, 51 as they were leyd in presse. |
|
| Of twenty yeer of age he was, I gesse. |
|
| Of his stature he was of evene lengthe, 52 |
|
| And wonderly delivere, 53 and greet of strengthe. |
|
| And he hadde been somtyme in chivachye, 54 |
85 |
| In Flaundres, in Artoys, and Picardye, |
|
| And born him wel, as of so litel space, 55 |
|
| In hope to stonden in his lady 56 grace. |
|
| Embrouded was he, as it were a mede |
|
| Al ful of fresshe floures, whyte and rede. |
90 |
| Singinge he was, or floytinge, 57 al the day; |
|
| He was as fresh as is the month of May. |
|
| Short was his goune, with sleves longe and wyde. |
|
| Wel coude he sitte on hors, and faire ryde. |
|
| He coude songes make and wel endyte, 58 |
95 |
| Iuste and eek daunce, and wel purtreye and wryte. |
|
| So hote he lovede, that by nightertale 59 |
|
| He sleep namore than doth a nightingale. |
|
| Curteys he was, lowly, and servisable, |
|
| And carf 60 biforn his fader at the table. |
100 |
| A YEMAN hadde he, 61 and servaunts namo 62 |
|
| At that tyme, for him liste 63 ryde so; |
|
| And he was clad in cote and hood of grene; |
|
| A sheef 64 of pecok arwes brighte and kene |
|
| Under his belt he bar ful thriftily, |
105 |
| (Wel coude he dresse his takel yemanly: |
|
| His arwes drouped noght with fetheres lowe), |
|
| And in his hand he bar a mighty bowe. |
|
| A not-heed 65 hadde he, with a broun visage. |
|
| Of wode-craft wel coude 66 he al the usage. |
110 |
| Upon his arm he bar a gay bracer, 67 |
|
| And by his syde a swerd and a bokeler, |
|
| And on that other syde a gay daggere, |
|
| Harneised 68 wel, and sharp as point of spere; |
|
| A Cristofre 69 on his brest of silver shene |
115 |
| An horn he bar, the bawdrik 70 was of grene; |
|
| A forster was he, soothly, as I gesse. |
|
| Ther was also a Nonne, a PRIORESSE, |
|
| That of hir smyling was ful simple and coy; |
|
| Hir gretteste ooth was but by seynt Loy; 71 |
120 |
| And she was cleped 72 madame Eglentyne. |
|
| Ful wel she song the service divyne, |
|
| Entuned in hir nose ful semely; |
|
| And Frensh she spak ful faire and fetisly, 73 |
|
| After the scole of Stratford atte Bowe, 74 |
125 |
| For Frensh of Paris was to hir unknowe. |
|
| At mete wel y-taught was she with-alle; |
|
| She leet no morsel from hir lippes falle, |
|
| Ne wette hir fingres in hir sauce depe. |
|
| Wel coude she carie a morsel, and wel kepe, |
130 |
| That no drope ne fille up-on hir brest. |
|
| In curteisye was set ful moche hir lest. 75 |
|
| Hir over lippe 76 wyped she so clene, |
|
| That in hir coppe was no ferthing 77 sene |
|
| Of grece, whan she dronken hadde hir draughte. |
135 |
| Ful semely after hir mete she raughte, 78 |
|
| And sikerly 79 she was of greet disport, 80 |
|
| And ful plesaunt, and amiable of port, |
|
| And peyned hir to countrefete chere 81 |
|
| Of court, and been estatlich 82 of manere, |
140 |
| And to ben holden digne 83 of reverence. |
|
| But, for to speken of hir conscience, 84 |
|
| She was so charitable and so pitous, |
|
| She wolde wepe, if that she sawe a mous |
|
| Caught in a trappe, if it were deed or bledde. |
145 |
| Of smale houndes had she, that she fedde |
|
| With rosted flesh, or milk and wastel breed. 85 |
|
| But sore weep she if oon of hem were deed, |
|
| Or if men smoot it with a yerde 86 smerte: |
|
| And al was conscience 87 and tendre herte. |
150 |
| Ful semely 88 hir wimpel 89 pinched 90 was; |
|
| Hir nose tretys; 91 hir eyen greye as glas; |
|
| Hir mouth ful smal, and ther-to softe and reed; |
|
| But sikerly she hadde a fair forheed. |
|
| It was almost a spanne brood, I trowe; |
155 |
| For, hardily, 92 she was nat undergrowe. |
|
| Ful fetis 93 was hir cloke, as I was war. |
|
| Of smal coral aboute hir arm she bar |
|
| A peire 94 of bedes, gauded 95 al with grene; |
|
| And ther-on heng a broche of gold ful shene, |
160 |
| On which ther was first write a crowned A, |
|
| And after, Amor vincit omnia. 96 |
|
| Another NONNE with hir hadde she, |
|
| That was hir chapeleyne, and PREESTES thre. |
|
| A MONK ther was, a fair for the maistrye, 97 |
165 |
| An out-rydere, 98 that lovede venerye; 99 |
|
| A manly man, to been an abbot able. |
|
| Ful many a deyntee hors hadde he in stable: |
|
| And, whan he rood, men mighte his brydel here |
|
| Ginglen in a whistling wynd as clere, |
170 |
| And eek as loude as dooth the chapel-belle, |
|
| Ther-as 100 this lord was keper of the celle. 101 |
|
| The reule of seint Maure or of seint Beneit, |
|
| By-cause that it was old and som-del streit, 102 |
|
| This ilke monk leet olde thinges pace, |
175 |
| And held after the newe world the space. |
|
| He yaf 103 nat of that text a pulled 104 hen, |
|
| That seith, that hunters been nat holy men; |
|
| Ne that a monk, whan he is cloisterlees 105 |
|
| Is likned til a fish that is waterlees; |
180 |
| This is to seyn, a monk out of his cloistre. |
|
| But thilke text held he nat worth an oistre. |
|
| And I seyde his opinioun was good. |
|
| What sholde he studie, and make him-selven wood, 106 |
|
| Upon a book in cloistre alwey to poure, |
185 |
| Or swinken 107 with his handes, and laboure, |
|
| As Austin bit? 108 How shal the world be served? |
|
| Lat Austin have his swink to him reserved. |
|
| Therfor he was a pricasour 109 aright; |
|
| Grehoundes he hadde, as swifte as fowel in flight; |
190 |
| Of priking 110 and of hunting for the hare |
|
| Was al his lust, for no cost wolde he spare. |
|
| I seigh 111 his sleves purfiled 112 at the hond |
|
| With grys, 113 and that the fyneste of a lond; |
|
| And, for to festne his hood under his chin, |
195 |
| He hadde of gold y-wroght a curious pin: |
|
| A love-knot in the gretter ende ther was. |
|
| His heed was balled, that shoon as any glas, |
|
| And eek his face, as he hadde been anoint. |
|
| He was a lord ful fat and in good point; 114 |
200 |