Geoffrey Chaucer, General Prologue

Geoffrey Chaucer, General Prologue, Canterbury Tales

1 Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote
When April with its sweet-smelling showers
2 The droghte of March hath perced to the roote,
Has pierced the drought of March to the root,
3 And bathed every veyne in swich licour
And bathed every vein (of the plants) in such liquid
4 Of which vertu engendred is the flour;
By which power the flower is created;
5 Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth
When the West Wind also with its sweet breath,
6 Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
In every wood and field has breathed life into
7 The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne
The tender new leaves, and the young sun
8 Hath in the Ram his half cours yronne,
Has run half its course in Aries,
9 And smale foweles maken melodye,
And small fowls make melody,
10 That slepen al the nyght with open ye
Those that sleep all the night with open eyes
11 (So priketh hem Nature in hir corages),
(So Nature incites them in their hearts),
12 Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages,
Then folk long to go on pilgrimages,

68 And though that he were worthy, he was wys,
And although he was brave, he was prudent,
69 And of his port as meeke as is a mayde.
And of his deportment as meek as is a maid.

75 Of fustian he wered a gypon
He wore a tunic of coarse cloth
76 Al bismotered with his habergeon,
All stained (with rust) by his coat of mail,
77 For he was late ycome from his viage,
For he was recently come (back) from his expedition,
78 And wente for to doon his pilgrymage.
And went to do his pilgrimage.

89 Embrouded was he, as it were a meede
He was embroidered, as if it were a mead
90 Al ful of fresshe floures, whyte and reede.
All full of fresh flowers, white and red.
91 Syngynge he was, or floytynge, al the day;
Singing he was, or fluting, all the day;

127 At mete wel ytaught was she with alle;
At meals she was well taught indeed;
128 She leet no morsel from hir lippes falle,
She let no morsel fall from her lips,

151 Ful semyly hir wympul pynched was,
Her wimple was pleated in a very seemly manner,
152 Hir nose tretys, hir eyen greye as glas,
Her nose well formed, her eyes gray as glass,
153 Hir mouth ful smal, and therto softe and reed.
Her mouth very small, and moreover soft and red.
154 But sikerly she hadde a fair forheed;
But surely she had a fair forehead;
155 It was almoost a spanne brood, I trowe;
It was almost nine inches broad, I believe;

177 He yaf nat of that text a pulled hen,
He gave not a plucked hen for that text
178 That seith that hunters ben nat hooly men,
That says that hunters are not holy men,

190 Grehoundes he hadde as swift as fowel in flight;
He had greyhounds as swift as fowl in flight;
191 Of prikyng and of huntyng for the hare
Of tracking and of hunting for the hare
192 Was al his lust, for no cost wolde he spare.
Was all his pleasure, by no means would he refrain from it.

229 For many a man so hard is of his herte,
For many a man is so hard in his heart,
230 He may nat wepe, althogh hym soore smerte.
He can not weep, although he painfully suffers.
231 Therfore in stede of wepynge and preyeres
Therefore instead of weeping and prayers
232 Men moote yeve silver to the povre freres.
One may give silver to the poor friars.

235 And certeinly he hadde a murye note:
And certainly he had a merry voice:
Wel koude he synge and pleyen on a rote;
He well knew how to sing and play on a rote (string instrument);

264 Somwhat he lipsed, for his wantownesse,
Somewhat he lisped, for his affectation,
265 To make his Englissh sweete upon his tonge;
To make his English sweet upon his tongue;
266 And in his harpyng, whan that he hadde songe,
And in his harping, when he had sung,
267 His eyen twynkled in his heed aryght
His eyes twinkled in his head exactly
268 As doon the sterres in the frosty nyght.
As do the stars in the frosty night.
269 This worthy lymytour was cleped Huberd.
This worthy friar was called Huberd.

270 A MARCHANT was ther with a forked berd,
There was a MERCHANT with a forked beard,
271 In mottelee, and hye on horse he sat;
Wearing parti-colored cloth, and proudly he sat on his horse;
272 Upon his heed a Flaundryssh bever hat,
Upon his head (he wore a) Flemish beaver hat,
273 His bootes clasped faire and fetisly.
His boots were buckled handsomely and elegantly.
274 His resons he spak ful solempnely,
His opinions he spoke very solemnly,
275 Sownynge alwey th' encrees of his wynnyng.
Concerning always the increase of his profits.

321 Nowher so bisy a man as he ther nas,
There was nowhere so busy a man as he,
322 And yet he semed bisier than he was.
And yet he seemed busier than he was.

331 A FRANKELEYN was in his compaignye.
A FRANKELEYN was in his company.
332 Whit was his berd as is the dayesye;
His beard was white as a daisy;
333 Of his complexioun he was sangwyn.
As to his temperament, he was dominated by the humor blood.
334 Wel loved he by the morwe a sop in wyn;
He well loved a bit of bread dipped in wine in the morning;
335 To lyven in delit was evere his wone,
His custom was always to live in delight,
336 For he was Epicurus owene sone,
For he was Epicurus' own son,
337 That heeld opinioun that pleyn delit
Who held the opinion that pure pleasure
338 Was verray felicitee parfit.
Was truly perfect happiness.
339 An housholdere, and that a greet, was he;
He was a householder, and a great one at that;
340 Seint Julian he was in his contree.
He was Saint Julian (patron of hospitality) in his country.
341 His breed, his ale, was alweys after oon;
His bread, his ale, was always of the same (good) quality;
342 A bettre envyned man was nowher noon.
Nowhere was there any man better stocked with wine.
343 Withoute bake mete was nevere his hous,
His house was never without baked pies
344 Of fissh and flessh, and that so plentevous
Of fish and meat, and that so plentiful
345 It snewed in his hous of mete and drynke;
That in his house it snowed with food and drink;
346 Of alle deyntees that men koude thynke,
Of all the dainties that men could imagine,
347 After the sondry sesons of the yeer,
In accord with the various seasons of the year,
348 So chaunged he his mete and his soper.
So he varied his midday meal and his supper.
349 Ful many a fat partrich hadde he in muwe,
He had very many fat partridges in pens,
350 And many a breem and many a luce in stuwe.
And many a bream and many a pike in his fish pond.
351 Wo was his cook but if his sauce were
Woe was his cook unless his sauce was
352 Poynaunt and sharp, and redy al his geere.
Hotly spiced and sharp, and ready all his cooking equipment.

491 Wyd was his parisshe, and houses fer asonder,
His parish was wide, and houses far apart,
492 But he ne lefte nat, for reyn ne thonder,
But he did not omit, for rain nor thunder,
493 In siknesse nor in meschief to visite
In sickness or in trouble to visit
494 The ferreste in his parisshe, muche and lite,
Those living farthest away in his parish, high-ranking and low,
495 Upon his feet, and in his hand a staf.
Going by foot, and in his hand a staff.
496 This noble ensample to his sheep he yaf,
He gave this noble example to his sheep,

499 And this figure he added eek therto,
And this metaphor he added also to that,
500 That if gold ruste, what shal iren do?
That if gold rust, what must iron do?
501 For if a preest be foul, on whom we truste,
For if a priest, on whom we trust, should be foul
502 No wonder is a lewed man to ruste;
It is no wonder for a layman to go bad;

503 And shame it is, if a prest take keep,
And it is a shame, if a priest is concerned:
504 A shiten shepherde and a clene sheep.
A shit-stained shepherd and a clean sheep.
505 Wel oghte a preest ensample for to yive,
Well ought a priest to give an example,
506 By his clennesse, how that his sheep sholde lyve.
By his purity, how his sheep should live.

525 He waited after no pompe and reverence,
He expected no pomp and ceremony,
526 Ne maked him a spiced conscience,
Nor made himself an overly fastidious conscience,

560 He was a janglere and a goliardeys,
He was a loudmouth and a buffoon,
561 And that was moost of synne and harlotries.
And that was mostly of sin and deeds of harlotry.

573 Now is nat that of God a ful fair grace
Now is not that a very fair grace of God
574 That swich a lewed mannes wit shal pace
That such an unlearned man's wit shall surpass
575 The wisdom of an heep of lerned men?
The wisdom of a heap of learned men?

603 Ther nas baillif, ne hierde, nor oother hyne,
There was no farm manager, nor herdsman, nor other servant,
604 That he ne knew his sleighte and his covyne;
Whose trickery and treachery he did not know;
605 They were adrad of hym as of the deeth.
They were afraid of him as of the plague.

615 This Reve sat upon a ful good stot
This Reeve sat upon a very good horse
616 That was al pomely grey and highte Scot.
That was all dapple gray and was called Scot.

629 Ther nas quyk-silver, lytarge, ne brymstoon,
There was no mercury, lead monoxide, nor sulphur,
630 Boras, ceruce, ne oille of tartre noon,
Borax, white lead, nor any oil of tarter,
631 Ne oynement that wolde clense and byte,
Nor ointment that would cleanse and burn,
632 That hym myghte helpen of his whelkes white,
That could cure him of his white pustules,

639 A fewe termes hadde he, two or thre,
He had a few legal terms, two or three,
640 That he had lerned out of som decree --
That he had learned out of some text of ecclesiastical law
641 No wonder is, he herde it al the day;
That is no wonder, he heard it all the day;
642 And eek ye knowen wel how that a jay
And also you know well how a jay
643 Kan clepen "Watte" as wel as kan the pope.
Can call out "Walter" as well as the pope can.

663 In daunger hadde he at his owene gise
In his control he had as he pleased
664 The yonge girles of the diocise,
The young people of the diocese,
665 And knew hir conseil, and was al hir reed.
And knew their secrets, and was the adviser of them all.

739 Crist spak hymself ful brode in hooly writ,
Christ himself spoke very plainly in holy writ,
740 And wel ye woot no vileynye is it.
And you know well it is no rudeness.
741 Eek Plato seith, whoso kan hym rede,
Also Plato says, whosoever knows how to read him,
742 The wordes moote be cosyn to the dede.
The words must be closely related to the deed.

769 “Ye goon to Caunterbury—God yow speede,
“You go to Canterbury—God give you success,
770 The blisful martir quite yow youre meede!
May the blessed martyr give you your reward!

819 And therupon the wyn was fet anon;
And thereupon the wine was fetched immediately;
820 We dronken, and to reste wente echon,
We drank, and each one went to rest,
821 Withouten any lenger taryynge.
Without any longer tarrying.