HAN that Aprillé1 with his schowrés swoote
The drought of Marche hath percéd to the
roote,
And bathed every veyne in swich licoùr,1
Of which vertue engendred is the flour;
Whan Zephirus eek with his sweté breethe
Enspired hath in every holte and heethe
1 It has been thought advisable to mark the letter e and cer
tain syllables which, contrary to modern usage, have to be pronounced separately, by the accent', and certain other syllables which require to have stress laid on them after the French manner, by the accent'.
The tendre croppés, and the yongé sonne
Hath in the Ram his halfé cours i-ronne,
And smalé fowlés maken melodie,
That slepen al the night with open eye,
So priketh hem natùre in here coràges:-
Thanne longen folk to gon on pilgrimages,
And palmers for to seeken straungé strondés,
To ferne halwés, kouthe in sondry londés ;
And specially, from every schirés ende
Of Engélond, to Caunterbury they wende,
The holy blisful martir for to seeke,
That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke.
Byfel that, in that sesoun on a day,
In Southwerk at the Tabard as I lay,
Redy to wenden on my pilgrimage
To Caunterbury with ful devout coràge,
At night was come into that hostelrie
Wel nyne and twenty in a compainye,
Of sondry folk, by aventure i-falle
In felaweschipe, and pilgryms were thei alle,
That toward Caunterbury wolden ryde.
The chambres and the stables weren wyde,
And wel we weren eséd atté beste.
And schortly, whan the sonné was to reste,
So hadde I spoken with hem everychon,
That I was of here felaweschipe anon,
And madé forward erly for to ryse,
To take our wey ther as I yow devyse.
But nathéles, whil I have tyme and space,
Or that I forther in this talé pace,
Me thinketh it acordaunt to resoùn,
To tellé yow al the condicioùn
Of eche of hem, so as it seméde me,
And whiche they weren, and of what degre; And eek in what array that they were inne: And at a knight than wol I first bygynne.
A KNIGHT ther was, and that a worthy man,
That from the tymé that he first bigan
To ryden out, he lovede chyvalrye,
Trouthe and honoùr, fredom and curteisie.
Ful worthi was he in his lordés werre,
And therto hadde he ridden, noman ferre,
As wel in Cristendom as in hethenesse,
And evere honoured for his worthinesse.
At Alisaundre he was whan it was wonne,
Ful ofté tyme he hadde the bord bygonne
Aboven allé naciouns in Prucè.
In Lettowe hadde he reysed and in Rucè,
No cristen man so ofte of his degre.
In Gernade atté siegé hadde he be
Of Algesir, and riden in Belmarie.
At Lieys was he, and at Satalie,
Whan they were wonne; and in the Greeté see At many a noble arive hadde he be.
At mortal batailles hadde he ben fiftene,
And foughten for oure feith at Tramassene
In lystes thriés, and ay slayn his foo.
This ilké worthi knight hadde ben also
Somtymé with the lord of Palatye,
Ageyn another hethen in Turkye :
And everemore he hadde a sovereyn prys.
And though that he was worthy, he was wys,
And of his port as meke as is a mayde.
He nevere yit no vileinye ne sayde
In al his lyf, unto no maner wight.
He was a verray perfight gentil knight.
But for to tellen you of his array,
His hors was good, but he ne was nought
Of fustyán he werede a gepoùn
Al bysmotered with his habergeoun.
For he was late ycome from his viàge,
And wenté for to doon his pilgrimage.
With him ther was his sone, a yong SQUYÈR,
A lovyere, and a lusty bacheler,
With lokkés 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 delyvere, and gret of strengthe.
And he hadde ben somtyme in chivachie,
In Flaundres, in Artoys, and Picardie,
And born him wel, as of so litel space,
In hope to stonden in his lady grace.
Embrowded was he, as it were a mede
Al ful of fresshé flourés, white and reede.
Syngynge he was, or floytynge, al the day;
He was as fressh as is the moneth of May.
Schort was his goune, with sleevés longe and
wyde.
Wel cowde he sitte on hors, and fairé ryde.
He cowdé songés make and wel endite,
Juste and eek daunce, and wel purtreye and write.
So hote he lovede, that by nightertale
He sleep nomore than doth a nightyngale.
Curteys he was, lowely, and servysable,
And carf byforn his fader at the table.
A YEMAN hadde he, and servaùntz nomoo
At that tyme, for him lusté rydé soo;
And he was clad in coote and hood of grene.
A shef of pocok arwés brighte and kene
Under his belte he bar ful thriftily.
Wel cowde he dresse his takel yemanly
His arwés drowpede nought with fetheres lowe.
And in his hond he bar a mighty bowe.
A not-heed hadde he with a broun visàge.
Of woode-craft wel cowde he al the usage.
Upon his arm he bar a gay bracer,
And by his side a swerd and a bokeler,
And on that other side a gay daggere,
Harneysed wel, and scharp as poynt of spere;
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