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, |
13 |
And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes, |
And professional pilgrims to seek foreign shores, |
14 |
To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes |
To distant shrines, known in various lands |
15 |
And specially from every shires ende |
And specially from every shire's end |
16 |
Of Engelond to Caunterbury they wende, |
Of England to Canterbury they travel, |
17 |
The hooly blisful martir for to seke, |
To seek the holy blessed martyr, |
18 |
That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke. |
Who helped them when they were sick. |
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19 |
Bifil that in that seson on a day, |
It happened that in that season on one day, |
20 |
In Southwerk at the Tabard as I lay |
In Southwark at the Tabard Inn as I lay |
21 |
Redy to wenden on my pilgrymage |
Ready to go on my pilgrimage |
22 |
To Caunterbury with ful devout corage, |
To Canterbury with a very devout spirit, |
23 |
At nyght was come into that hostelrye |
At night had come into that hostelry |
24 |
Wel nyne and twenty in a compaignye |
Well nine and twenty in a company |
25 |
Of sondry folk, by aventure yfalle |
Of various sorts of people, by chance fallen |
26 |
In felaweshipe, and pilgrimes were they alle, |
In fellowship, and they were all pilgrims, |
27 |
That toward Caunterbury wolden ryde. |
Who intended to ride toward Canterbury. |
28 |
The chambres and the stables weren wyde, |
The bedrooms and the stables were spacious, |
29 |
And wel we weren esed atte beste. |
And we were well accommodated in the best way. |
30 |
And shortly, whan the sonne was to reste, |
And in brief, when the sun was (gone) to rest, |
31 |
So hadde I spoken with hem everichon |
I had so spoken with everyone of them |
32 |
That I was of hir felaweshipe anon, |
That I was of their fellowship straightway, |
33 |
And made forward erly for to ryse, |
And made agreement to rise early, |
34 |
To take oure wey ther as I yow devyse. |
To take our way where I (will) tell you. |
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35 |
But nathelees, whil I have tyme and space, |
But nonetheless, while I have time and opportunity, |
36 |
Er that I ferther in this tale pace, |
Before I proceed further in this tale, |
37 |
Me thynketh it acordaunt to resoun |
It seems to me in accord with reason |
38 |
To telle yow al the condicioun |
To tell you all the circumstances |
39 |
Of ech of hem, so as it semed me, |
Of each of them, as it seemed to me, |
40 |
And whiche they weren, and of what degree, |
And who they were, and of what social rank, |
41 |
And eek in what array that they were inne |
And also what clothing that they were in |
| 42 |
And at a knyght than wol I first bigynne. |
And at a knight then will I first begin. |
