Canterbury Tales
Geoffrey Chaucer

Chaucer's original Middle English

Modern English translations in notes window	Chaucer's original Middle English
D.L. Purvis translation	In NOTES frame
Litrix web site translation	In DEFINTIONS frame
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Sources for text

1. Whan that Aprille, with hise shoures soote,
2. The droghte of March hath perced to the roote
3. And bathed every veyne in swich licour,
4. Of which vertu engendred is the flour;
5. Whan Zephirus eek with his swete breeth
6. Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
7. The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne
8. Hath in the Ram his halfe cours yronne,
9. And smale foweles maken melodye,
10. That slepen al the nyght with open eye-
11. So priketh hem Nature in hir corages-
12. Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages
13. And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes
14. To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes;
15. And specially, from every shires ende
16. Of Engelond, to Caunturbury they wende,
17. The hooly blisful martir for the seke
18. That hem hath holpen, whan that they were seeke.
19. Bifil that in that seson, on a day,
20. In Southwerk at the Tabard as I lay,
21. Redy to wenden on my pilgrymage
22. To Caunterbury, with ful devout corage,
23. At nyght were come into that hostelrye
24. Wel nyne and twenty in a compaignye
25. Of sondry folk, by aventure yfalle
26. In felaweshipe, and pilgrimes were they alle,
27. That toward Caunterbury wolden ryde.
28. The chambres and the stables weren wyde,
29. And wel we weren esed atte beste;
30. And shortly, whan the sonne was to reste,
31. So hadde I spoken with hem everychon
32. That I was of hir felaweshipe anon,
33. And made forward erly for to ryse
34. To take our wey, ther as I yow devyse.
35. But nathelees, whil I have tyme and space,
36. Er that I ferther in this tale pace,
37. Me thynketh it acordaunt to resoun
38. To telle yow al the condicioun
39. Of ech of hem, so as it semed me,
40. And whiche they weren, and of what degree,
41. And eek in what array that they were inne;
42. And at a knyght than wol I first bigynne.

Exploring The Waste Land - [Home] [E-mail] File date: Sunday, September 29, 2002