Obrázky stránek
PDF
ePub

And eek ye knowen wel, how that a lay
Can clepen 'Watte,'1 as well as can the pope.
But who-so coude in other thing him grope2,
Thanne hadde he spent al his philosophye;
Ay Questio quid iuris's wolde he crye.
He was a gentil harlot and a kynde;
A bettre felawe sholde men noght fynde.
He wolde suffre for a quart of wyn
A good felawe to have his [wikked sin]
A twelf-month, and excuse him atte fulle:
And prively a finch eek coude he pulles.
And if he fond owher a good felawe,
He wolde techen him to have non awe,
In swich cas, of the erchedeknes curss,
But-if a mannes soule were in his purs10;
For in his purs he sholde y-punisshed be.
'Purs is the erchedeknes helle,' seyde he.
But wel I woot he lyed right in dede;
659
Of cursing oghte ech gulty man him drede11-
For curs wol slee right as assoilling12 saveth-
And also war him of a significavit 13.

In daunger14 hadde he at his owne gyse15
The yonge girles16 of the diocyse,
And knew hir counseil, and was al hir reed17.
A gerland hadde he set up-on his heed,
As greet as it were for an ale-stake18;
A bokeler hadde he maad him of a cake.

[blocks in formation]

But of his craft, fro Berwik unto Ware30,
650 Ne was ther swich another pardoner.
For in his male31 he hadde a pilwe-beer32,
Which that, he seyde, was our lady veyl33:
He seyde, he hadde a gobet34 of the sey135
That seynt Peter hadde, whan that he wente
Up-on the see, til Iesu Crist him hente36,
He hadde a croys37 of latoun3s, ful of stones,
And in a glas he hadde pigges bones.
But with thise relikes, whan that he fond
A povre person dwelling up-on lond39,
Up-on a day he gat him more moneye
Than that the person gat in monthes tweye.
And thus with feyned flaterye and Iapesto,
He made the person and the peple his apes.
But trewely to tellen, atte laste,

With him ther rood a gentil Pardoner
Of Rouncivale19, his frend and his compeer, 670
That streight was comen fro the court of Rome.
Ful loude he song, ‘Com hider, love, to me.'
This somnour bar to him a stif burdoun20,
Was nevere trompe21 of half so greet a soun.
This pardoner hadde heer as yelow as wex,
But smothe it heng, as doth a strike of flex22;
By ounces 23 henge his lokkes that he hadde24,
And ther-with he his shuldres overspradde;
But thinne it lay, by colpons25 oon and oon;
But hood, for Iolitee, ne wered he noon,
For it was trussed up in his walet.
IIim thoughte26, he rood al of the newe Iet27;
Dischevele, save his cappe, he rood al bare.
Swiche glaringe eyen hadde he as an hare.

[blocks in formation]

himself

12 absolution

13 writ of excommuni

15 control

680

[blocks in formation]

26 it seemed to him

He was in chirche a noble ecclesiaste.
Wel coude he rede a lessoun or a storie,
But alderbest41 he song an offertorie;
For wel he wiste, whan that song was songe,
He moste preche, and wel affyle42 his tonge,
To winne silver, as he ful wel coude;
Therefore he song so meriely and loude.

700

710

720

Now have I told you shortly, in a clause,
Thestat, tharray, the nombre, and eek the cause
Why that assembled was this compaignye
In Southwerk, at this gentil hostelrye,
That highte the Tabard, faste by the Belle.
But now is tyme to yow for to telle
How that we baren us that ilke night,
Whan we were in that hostelrye alight.
And after wol I telle of our viage,
And al the remenaunt of our pilgrimage.
But first I pray yow of your curteisye,
That ye narette it nat my vileinye43,

Thogh that I pleynly speke in this matere,
To telle yow hir wordes and hir chere++ ;
Ne thogh I speke hir wordes proprely45.
For this ye knowen al-so wel as I,

Who-so shal telle a tale after a man,

[blocks in formation]

gin

730

36 caught, 1. e., con

verted

37 cross

38 brass

39 in the country

40 tricks

41 best of all

42 file, polish

43 attribute it not to

my ill-breeding

cation

27 fashion

34 piece

44 appearance

45 exactly

14 in his jurisdiction

35 sail

He moot reherce, as ny1 as evere he can,
Everich a word, if it be in his charge3,
Al4 speke he never so rudeliche and large;
Or elles he moot telle his tale untrewe,
Or feyne thing, or fynde wordes newe.
He may nat spare, al-thogh he were his brother;
He moot as wel seye o word as another.
Crist spak him-self ful brode in holy writ,
And wel ye woot, no vileinye is it.
Fek Plato seith, who-so that can him redes,
The wordes moter be cosin to the dede.
Also I prey yow to foryeve it me,
Als have I nat set folk in hir degree
Here in this tale, as that they sholde stonde;
My wit is short, ye may wel understonde.

As I seyde erst, and doon yow som confort.
And if yow lyketh alle, by oon assent,
Now for to stonden at26 my Iugement,
And for to werken as I shal yow seye,
To-morwe, whan ye ryden by the weye,
Now, by my fader soule, that is deed,
But27 ye be merye, I wol yeve yow myn heed.
Hold up your hond, withoute more speche.'

740 Our counseil was nat longe for to seche28;

Greet chere made our hoste us everichon10, And to the soper sette he us anon; And served us with vitaille at the beste.

Strong was the wyn, and wel to drinke us leste11.

A semely man our hoste was with-alle
For to han been a marshal in an halle;
A large man he was with eyen stepe12,

751

A fairer burgeys13 was ther noon in Chepe14: Bold of his speche, and wys, and wel y-taught, And of manhod him lakkede right naught.

Fek therto he was right a mery man,

And after soper pleyen15 he bigan,

And spak of mirthe amonges othere thinges,

780

Us thoughte it was noght worth to make it wys29,

And graunted him with-outen more avys30,
And bad him seye his verdit, as him leste.

'Lordinges,' quod he, 'now herkneth for the beste;

792

But tak it not, I prey yow, in desdeyn;
This is the poynt, to speken short and pleyn,
That ech of yow, to shorte with our weye31,
In this viage, shal telle tales tweye,
To Caunterbury-ward, I mene it so,
And hom-ward he shal tellen othere two,
Of aventures that whylom han bifalle.
And which of yow that bereth him best of alle

That is to seyn, that telleth in this cas
Tales of best sentence and most solas32,
Shal han a soper at our aller cost

Whan that we hadde maad our rekeninges16; 760 I wol my-selven gladly with yow ryde,

And seyde thus: 'Now, lordinges, trewely

Ye ben to me right welcome hertely:

For by my trouthe, if that I shal nat lye,
I ne saugh17 this yeer so mery a compaignye
At ones in this herberwe18 as is now.
Fayn wolde I doon yow mirthe, wiste I how19.
And of a mirthe I am right now bithoght,
To doon yow ese20, and it shal coste noght.

Ye goon to Caunterbury; God yow spede, 769
The blisful martir21 quyte22 yow your mede23.
And wel I woot, as ye goon by the weye,
Ye shapen24 yow to talen25 and to pleye;
For trewely, confort ne mirthe is noon
To ryde by the weye doumb as a stoon;
And therefor wol I maken yow disport,

[blocks in formation]

street, Cheapside).

[blocks in formation]

Right at myn owne cost, and be your gyde..
And who-so wol my Iugement withseyезз
Shal paye al that we spenden by the weye.
And if ye vouche-sauf that it be so,
Tel me anon, with-outen wordes mo,
And I wol erly shape34 me therfore.'

swore

This thing was graunted, and our othes

With ful glad herte, and preyden him also
That he wold vouche-sauf for to do so,
And that he wolde been our governour,
And of our tales luge and reporteur,
And sette a soper at a certeyn prys;
And we wold reuled been at his devys35,
In heigh and lowe; and thus, by oon assent,
We been acorded to his Iugement.

And ther-up-on the wyn was fet36 anoon;
We dronken, and to reste wente echoon,
With-outen any lenger taryinge.
A-morwe, whan that37 day bigan to springe,
Up roos our host, and was our aller cokas,

810

820

3 i. e., in the tale com

mitted to him

4 although

5 freely

6 Chaucer

could not

read Greek

7 must

8 although

9 entertainment

10 every one

11 it pleased

12 bright

13 citizen

15 to play, jest

16 paid our bills

17 saw not

18 inn

19 give you fun if I 26 by

knew how

20 give you recreation

21 Thomas à Becket

22 requite (give)

23 reward

24 plan

25 to tell tales

27 unless

28 seek

29 a matter of delibera

tion

30 consideration

31 to shorten our way

with

32 amusement

33 gainsay

34 prepare

35 decision

36 fetched

37 when

38 cock of us all (whe

woke them up)

[blocks in formation]

And there our host bigan his hors areste,
And seyde; 'Lordinges, herkneth if yow leste.
Ye woot your forwards, and I it yow recorde.
If even-song and morwe-song acorde,
Lat se now who shal telle the firste tale.
As evere mote I drinke wyn or ale,
Who-so be rebel to my lugement

Shal paye for al that by the weye is spent.
Now draweth cut5, er that we ferrers

[blocks in formation]

Ne studieth noght10; ley hond to, every man.'
Anon to drawen every wight bigan,
And shortly for to tellen, as it was,
Were it by aventure11, or sort12, or cas13,
The sothe14 is this, the cut fil to the knight,
Of which ful blythe and glad was every wight;
And telle he moste his tale, as was resoun,
By forward and by composicioun 15,

As ye han herd; what nedeth wordes mo?
And whan this goode man saugh it was so,
As he that wys was and obedient
To kepe his forward by his free assent,
He seyde: 'Sin16 I shal beginne the game,
What, welcome be the cut, a17 Goddes name!
Now lat us ryde, and herkneth what I seye.'

Ful sooty was hir bour, and eek hir halle27,
In which she eet ful many a sclendre meel.
Of poynaunt sauce hir neded28 never a deel.
No deyntee morsel passed thurgh hir throte;
Hir dyete was accordant to hir cote.
Repleccioun29 ne made hir nevere syk;
Attempree dyete was al hir phisyk,
And exercyse, and hertes suffisaunce.
The goute lette30 hir no-thing for to daunce, 20
Ne poplexye shente31 nat hir heed;
No wyn ne drank she, neither whyt ne reed;
Hir bord was served most with whyt and blak,
Milk and broun breed, in which she fond no
lak,

Seynd32 bacoun, and somtyme an ey33 or tweye,

For she was as it were a maner deye34.

A yerd she hadde, enclosed al aboute With stikkes, and a drye dich with-oute, In which she hadde a cok, hight Chauntecleer, In al the land of crowing nas35 his peer. His vois was merier than the merye orgon36

30

851 On messe-dayes37 that in the chirche gon;
Wel sikerer3s was his crowing in his logge39,
Than is a clokke, or an abbey orlogge40.
By nature knew he ech ascensioun41
Of equinoxial in thilke toun;
For whan degrees fiftene were ascended,
Thanne crew he, that it mighte nat ben

And with that word we riden forth our weye; And he bigan with right a mery chere18 His tale anon, and seyde in this manere.

THE NONNE PREESTES TALE*

[blocks in formation]

Here biginneth the Nonne Preestes Tale of the His bile++ was blak, and as the leet45 it shoon;

Cok and Hen, Chauntecleer and
Pertelote.

A povre widwe somdel stope19 in age,

Was whylom20 dwelling in a narwe21 cotage, Bisyde a grove, stondyng in a dale.

This widwe, of which I telle yow my tale,

Lyk asur were his legges, and his toon46; His nayles whytter than the lilie flour,

22 since that

23 her property (chat

tels) and her in

come

24 supported

25 daughters

26 was called

27 Bower and hall are

terms applicable to a castle; used here humorously of the probably one-room cottage.

28 (reflexive) she need

33 egg

34 sort of dairy-woman

35 was not

36 organs

37 mass-days

38 surer

39 lodging

40 horologe

41 he knew the time every hour of the day (for 15° of the equinoctial are passed each hour of the twenty-four)

42 so that it couldn't be improved upon

ed

1 faster than a walk

2 Two miles on the way

to Canterbury.

3 agreement

4 remind you of it

5 lots

6 further

7 separate

8 decision

9 nearer

10 don't meditate

11 chance

12 fate

13 accident

14 truth

15 contract

16 since

17 in

18 expression

19 advanced

20 once upon a time

21 narrow

* In the Ellesmere MS. this is the twentieth tale. Sir John, the "Nun's Priest," was an escort of Madame Eglentyne; see Prologue, 164. His tale is an old one, found in various languages.

43 embattled

29 surfeit

30 hindered

31 hurt

32 singed (broiled)

45 jet

44 bill

AR tagg

And lyk the burned gold was his colour.
This gentil cok hadde in his governaunce
Sevene hennes, for to doon all his plesaunce,
Whiche were his sustres and his paramours,
And wonder lyk to him, as of colours.
Of whiche the faireste hewed on hir throte
Was clepeds faire damoysele Pertelote.
Curteys she was, discreet, and debonaire,
And compaignable, and bar hir-self so faire,
Sin thilke day that she was seven night old,
That trewely she hath the herte in hold
Of Chauntecleer loken in every lith5,
He loved hir so, that wel him was therwith.
But such a Ioye was it to here hem singe,
Whan that the brighte sonne gan to springe,
In swete accord, 'my lief is faren in londes.'
For thilke tyme, as I have understonde,
Bestes and briddes coude speke and singe.

We alle desyren, if it mightę be,
To han housbondes hardy, wyse, and free16,.
And secree17, and no nigard, ne no fool,
Ne him that is agast of every tool18,
Ne noon avauntour19, by that God above!
How dorste ye sayn for shame unto youre love,

50 That any thing mighte make yow aferd?
Have ye no mannes herte, and han a berd? 100
Allas! and conne ye been agast of swevenis?
No-thing, God wot, but vanitee, in sweven is.
Swevenes engendren of replecciouns,
And ofte of fume, and of complecciouns20,
Whan humours21 been to22 habundant in a

wight.

Certes this dreem, which ye han met23 to-night,
Cometh of the grete superfluitee

110

60 Of youre rede colera24, pardee,
Which causeth folk to dremen in here25 dremes
Of arwes26, and of fyr with rede lemes27,
Of grete bestes, that they wol hem byte,
Of contek2s, and of whelpes grete and lyte;
Right as the humour of malencolye29
Causeth ful many a man, in sleep, to crye,
For fere of blake beres, or boles30 blake,
Or elles, blake develes wole him take.
Of othere humours coude I telle also,
That werken many a man in sleep ful wo;
But I wol passe as lightly as I can.

And so bifel, that in a dawenynge,
As Chauntecleer among his wyves alle
Sat on his perche, that was in the halle,
And next him sat this faire Pertelote,
This Chauntecleer gan gronen in his throte,
As man that in his dreem is dreccheds sore.
And whan that Pertelote thus herde him rore,
She was agast, and seyde, 'o herte deere,
What eyleth yow, to grone in this manere? 70
Ye ben a verray sleper, fy for shame!'
And he answerde and seyde thus, 'madame,
I pray yow, that ye take it nat agrief:
By God, me mette10 I was in swich meschief
Right now, that yet myn herte is sore afright.
Now God, quod he, 'my swevene11 rede12

aright,

And keep my body out of foul prisoun!

areste13

Me mette, how that I romed up and doun
Withinne our yerde, wher as I saugh a beste,
Was lyk an hound, and wolde han maad
80
Upon my body, and wolde han had me deed.
His colour was bitwixe yelwe and reed;
And tipped was his tail, and bothe his eres
With blak, unlyk the remenant of his heres;
His snowte smal, with glowinge eyen tweye.
Yet of his look for fere almost I deye;
This caused me my groning, douteles.'

'Avoy14!' quod she, 'fy on yow, herteles15!
Allas!' quod she, 'for, by that God above,
Now han ye lost myn herte and al my love; 90
I can nat love a coward, by my feith.
For certes, what so any womman seith,

119

Lo Catoun31, which that was so wys a man, Seyde he nat thus, ne do no fors32 of dremes? Now, sire,' quod she, 'whan we flee fro the

[blocks in formation]

1 burnished

2 in respect to

3 named

4 gracious

5 locked in every limb

6 my beloved is gone to

the country, gone

away

7 at that

8 troubled

9 amiss

10 I dreamed

11 dream

12 interpret

13 seizure

14 away

15 heartless one

16 liberal

17 trusty

18 weapon

19 boaster

20 temperaments

21 The four causes and

classes of disease

(see Prologue,

420).

22 too

23 dreamed

24 red cholera

(caused

by too much bile
and blood)

25 their

26 arrowS

27 gleams

28 contest

29 Due to excess of bile.

30 bulls

31 Dionysius Cato

32 take no notice

33 do now (pleonastic)

34 profit

35 nature

36 beware

And if it do, I dar wel leye a grote1,
That ye shul have a fevere terciane,
Or an agu, that may be youre bane.
A day or two ye shul have digestyves
Of wormes, er ye take your laxatyves,
Of lauriol, centaure, and fumeteres,

Or elles of ellebort, that groweth there,
Of catapuces, or of gaytres beryis,

This night I shal be mordred ther19 I lye.
Now help me, dere brother, or I dye;
140 In alle haste com to me,' he sayde..

Of erbe yve, growing in our yerd, that mery is;
Pekke hem up right as they growe, and ete

hem in.

Be mery, housbond, for your fader kyn!
Dredeth no dreem; I can say yow namore.'

'Madame,' quod he, 'graunt mercy of your
lore.

151

But natheles, as touching dauns Catoun,
That hath of wisdom such a gret renoun,
Though that he bad no dremes for to drede,
By God, men may in olde bokes rede
Of many a man, more of auctoritee
Than evere Catoun was, so moot I thee,
That al the revers10 seyn of this sentence11,
And han wel founden by experience,
That dremes ben significaciouns,
As wel of Ioye as tribulaciouns
That folk enduren in this lyf present.
Ther nedeth make of this noon argument;
The verray preve12 sheweth it in dede.
Oon of the gretteste auctours that men rede13
Seith thus, that whylom two felawes wente
On pilgrimage, in a ful good entente;
And happed so, thay come into a toun,
Wher as ther was swich congregacioun
Of peple, and eek so streit1 of herbergage15,
That they ne founde as muche as o cotage, 170
In which they bothe mighte y-logged be.
Wherfor thay mosten, of necessitee,
As for that night, departen compaignye;
And ech of hem goth to his hostelrye,
And took his logging as it wolde falle.
That oon of hem was logged in a stalle,
Fer16 in a yerd, with oxen of the plough;
That other man was logged wel y-nough,
As was his aventure17, or his fortune,
That us governeth alle as in commune18.
And so bifel, that, long er it were day,
This man mette in his bed, ther as he lay,
How that his felawe gan up-on him calle,
And seyde, 'allas! for in an oxes stalle

1 wager a groat (four

This man out of his sleep for fere abrayde20;
But whan that he was wakned of his sleep,
He turned him, and took of this no keep21, 196
Him thoughte22 his dreem nas but a vanitee.
Thus twyes in his sleping dremed he.
And atte thridde tyme yet his felawe

Com, as him thoughte, and seide, 'I am now
slawe23;

Bihold my bloody woundes, depe and wyde!
Arys up erly in the morwe-tyde24,
And at the west gate of the toun,' quod he,
'A carte ful of donge ther shaltow see,
In which my body is hid ful prively;
Do thilke carte arresten 25 boldely.
My gold caused my mordre, sooth to sayn;'
And tolde him every poynt how he was slayn,

With a ful pitous face, pale of hewe.

200

And truste wel, his dreem he fond ful trewe;

For on the morwe, as sone as it was day,
To his felawes in he took the way;

And whan that he cam to this oxes stalle,

210

160 After his felawe he bigan to calle.
The hostiler answerde him anon,
And seyde, 'sire, your felawe is agon,
As sone as day he wente out of the toun.'
This man gan fallen in suspecioun,
Remembring on his dremes that he mette,
And forth he goth, no lenger wolde he lette26,
Unto the west gate of the toun, and fond
A dong-carte, as it were to donge lond,
That was arrayed in that same wyse
As ye han herd the dede man devyse27;
And with an hardy herte he gan to crye
Vengeaunce and Iustice of this felonye: - 220
'My felawe mordred is this same night,
And in this carte he lyth gapinge upright.
I crye out on the ministres28,' quod he,
'That sholden kepe and reulen this citee;
Harrow! allas! her lyth my felawe slayn!'
What sholde I more un-to this tale sayn?
The peple out-sterte, and caste the cart to
grounde,

180

9 so may I thrive (a

And in the middel of the dong they founde
The dede man, that mordred was al newe. 229

O blisful God, that art so Iust and trewe!
Lo, how that thou biwreyest29 mordre alway!
Mordre wol out, that se we day by day.
Mordre is so wlatsom30 and abhominable
To God, that is so Iust and resonable,

pence)

2 tertian (every third

3 laurel, centaury, fumi

day)

tory

4 hellebore

strong affirmative;

ср. 1. 246)

10 opposite

11 opinion

12 proof

13 Cicero

19 murdered where

25 have..stopped

5 spurge

6 dog-wood

7 great thanks

8 lord,

14 scant

20 started up

26 delay

15 lodging-places

21 heed

27 relate

16 afar

22 it seemed to him

28 officers

master (Latin

17 luck

23 slain

29 makest known

dominus)

18 in general

24 morning-time

30 hateful

« PředchozíPokračovat »