GEOFFREY CHAUCER (1340-1400)

THE PROLOGUE

Whan that Aprille with his shoures sote The droghte of Marche hath perced to the❘ rote,

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 holt1 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 yë,
(So priketh hem nature in hir corages2):
Than longen folk to goon on pilgrimages
(And palmers for to seken straunge
strondes)

ΙΟ

Ful worthy was he in his lordes werre,
And therto hadde he riden (no man ferre11)
As wel in Cristendom as hethenesse,
And ever honoured for his worthinesse. 50
At Alisaundre he was, whan it was wonne;
Ful ofte tyme he hadde the bord bi-
gonne12

Aboven alle naciouns in Pruce.

In Lettow hadde he reysed13 and in Ruce, No Cristen man so ofte of his degree.

55

Of Algezir, and riden in Belmarye.

At Lyeys was he, and at Satalye,
Whan they were wonne; and in the Grete

I

14 disembarkation. 16 no sort of person.

70

A lovyere, and a lusty bacheler,
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,7
And wonderly deliver, and greet of
strengthe.

10

And he had been somtyme in chivachye,9
In Flaundres, in Artoys, and Picardye, 86
And born him wel, as of so litel space,
In hope to stonden in his ladyll grace.
Embrouded12 was he, as it were a mede13
Al ful of fresshe floures, whyte and rede. 90
Singinge he was, or floytinge,14 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, 95
Iuste15 and eek daunce, and wel purtreye16

and wryte.

So hote1 he lovede, that by nightertale18 He sleep namore than dooth a nightingale.

Curteys he was, lowly, and servisable, And carf biforn his fader at the table. 100

A YEMAN hadde he, and servaunts namo At that tyme, for him liste19 ryde so; And he was clad in cote and hood of grene; A sheef of pecock-arwes brighte and kene Under his belt he bar ful thriftily, (Wel coude he dresse his takel20 yemanly: His arwes drouped noght with fetheres lowe),

105

And in his hand he bar a mighty bowe. A not-heed21 hadde he, with a broun visage.

22

Of wode-craft wel coude he al the usage.110
Upon his arm he bar a gay bracer,2
And by his syde a swerd and a bokeler,
And on that other syde a gay daggere,

Harneised 23 wel, and sharp as point of spere;'

A Cristofre24 on his brest of silver shene.115 An horn he bar, the bawdrik 25 was of grene; A forster26 was he, soothly, as I gesse.

Ther was also a Nonne, a PRIORESSE, That of hir smyling was ful simple and coy;

119

Hir gretteste ooth was but by sëynt Loy,
And she was cleped27 madame Eglentyne.
Ful wel she song the service divyne,
Entuned in hir nose ful semely;
And Frensh she spak ful faire and fetisly,28
After the scole of Stratford atte Bowe, 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.29
Hir over lippe wyped she so clene,
That in hir coppe was no ferthing sene
Of grece, whan she dronken hadde hir
draughte.

32

135

Ful semely after hir mete she raughte,30
And sikerly31 she was of greet disport,
And full plesaunt, and amiable of port,33
And peyned hir34 to countrefete chere35
Of court, and been estatlich36 of manere,140
And to ben holden digne3 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.

38

145

And eek his face, as he had been anoint.
He was a lord ful fat and in good point;"
His eyen stepe,16 and rollinge in his heed,
That stemed17 as a forneys of a leed;18
His botes souple, his hors in greet estat.
Now certeinly he was a fair prelat;
He was nat pale as a for-pyned19 goost. 205
A fat swan loved he best of any roost.
His palfrey was as broun as is a berye.
A FRERE there was, a wantown and a

This ilke monk leet olde thinges pace,"
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;

180

Ne that a monk, whan he is cloisterlees,
Is lykned til a fish that is waterlees;
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,9

Upon a book in cloistre alwey to poure, 185
Or swinken 10 with his handes, and laboure,
As Austin bit? How shal the world be
served?

Lat Austin have his swink to him reserved. Therfore he was a pricasour11 aright; Grehoundes he hadde, as swifte as fowel in flight;

190

Of priking12 and of hunting for the hare
Was al his lust, for no cost wolde he spare.
I seigh his sleves purfiled13 at the hond
With grys,14 and that the fyneste of a
lond;

And, for to festne his hood under his chin,