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