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The Prologue to the Canterbury Tales
Lines 1– 200
Geoffrey Chaucer (1340(?)–1400)
WHAN that Aprille with his shoures soote The droghte of Marche hath perced to the roote, And bathed every veyne in swich licour, Of which vertu engendred is the flour; Whan Zephirus eek with his swete breeth^5 Inspired hath in every holt and heeth The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne Hath in the Ram his halfe cours y-ronne, And smale fowles maken melodye, That slepen al the night with open ye,^10 (So priketh hem nature in hir corages: Than longen folk to goon on pilgrimages, And palmers for to seken straunge strondes, To ferne halwes, couthe 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. Bifel that, in that sesoun on a day, In Southwerk at the Tabard as I lay^20 Redy to wenden on my pilgrimage To Caunterbury with ful devout corage, At night was come in-to that hostelrye Wel nyne and twenty in a compaignye, Of sondry folk, by aventure y-falle^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. And shortly, whan the sonne was to reste,^30 So hadde I spoken with hem everichon, That I was of hir felawshipe anon, And made forward erly for to ryse, To take our wey, ther as I yow devyse. But natheles, whyl I have tyme and space,^35 Er that I ferther in this tale pace, Me thinketh it acordaunt to resoun, To telle yew al the condicioun
Of ech of hem, so as it semed me, And whiche 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 and curteisye. Ful worthy was he in his lordes werre, And thereto hadde he riden (no man ferre ) 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 Aboven alle naciouns in Pruce. In Lettow hadde he reysed and in Ruce, No cristen man so ofte of his degree.^55 In Gernade at the sege eek hadde he be Of Algezir, and riden in Belmarye. At Lyeys was he, and at Satalye, Whan they were wonne; and in the Grete See At many a noble aryve hadde he be,^60 At mortal batailles hadde he been fiftene, And foughten for our feith at Tramissene In listes thryes, and ay slayn his foo. This ilke worthy knight hadde been also Somtyme with the lord of Palatye,^65 Ageyn another hethen in Turkye: And everemore he hadde a sovereyn prys. And though that he were worthy, he was wys, And of his port as meek as is a mayde. He nevere yet no vileinye ne sayde^70 In al his lyf, un-to no maner wight. 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 he wered a gipoun^75 Al bismotered with his habergeoun. For he was late y-come from his viage, 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, as they were leyd in presse. Of twenty yeer of age he was, I gesse. Of his stature he was of evene lengthe, And wonderly delivere, and greet of strengthe.
That no drope ne fille up-on hir brest. In curteisye was set ful moche hir lest. Hir over lippe wyped she so clene, That in hir coppe was no ferthing sene Of grece, whan she dronken hadde hir draughte.^135 Ful semely after hir mete she raughte, And sikerly she was of greet disport, And ful plesaunt, and amiable of port, And peyned hir to countrefete chere Of court, and been estatlich of manere,^140 And to ben holden digne of reverence. But, for to speken of hir conscience, 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. But sore weep she if oon of hem were deed, Or if men smoot it with a yerde smerte: And al was conscience and tendre herte.^150 Ful semely hir wimpel pinched was; Hir nose tretys; 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, she was nat undergrowe. Ful fetis was hir cloke, as I was war. Of smal coral aboute hir arm she bar A peire of bedes, gauded 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. Another NONNE with hir hadde she, That was hir chapeleyne, and PREESTES thre. A MONK ther was, a fair for the maistrye,^165 An out-rydere, that lovede venerye; 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 this lord was keper of the celle. The reule of seint Maure or of seint Beneit, By-cause that it was old and som-del streit, This ilke monk leet olde thinges pace,^175 And held after the newe world the space.
He yaf nat of that text a pulled hen, That seith, that hunters been nat holy men; Ne that a monk, whan he is cloisterlees 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, Upon a book in cloistre alwey to poure,^185 Or swinken with his handes, and laboure, As Austin bit? How shal the world be served? Lat Austin have his swink to him reserved. Therfor he was a pricasour aright; Grehoundes he hadde, as swifte as fowel in flight;^190 Of priking and of hunting for the hare Was al his lust, for no cost wolde he spare. I seigh his sleves purfiled at the hond With grys, 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;^200
