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(Created page with "{{work}}<poem> THE CANTERBURY TALES. THE PROLOGUE. WHEN that Aprilis, with his showers swoot*, *sweet The drought of March hath pierced to the root, And bathed every vein...")
 
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{{work}}<poem>
THE CANTERBURY TALES.
 
 
THE PROLOGUE.
 
WHEN that Aprilis, with his showers {{alttext|swoot*, *|sweet}},▼
 
▲WHEN that Aprilis, with his showers swoot*, *sweet
The drought of March hath pierced to the root,
And bathed every vein in such licour,
Of which virtue engender'd is the flower;
When Zephyrus eke with his swoote breath
Inspired hath in every {{alttext|holt*|grove, forest}} and heath *grove, forest
The tender {{alttext|croppes*|twigs, boughs}} and the younge sun *twigs, boughs
Hath in the Ram<ref>Tyrwhitt points out that "the Bull" should be read here, not "the Ram," which would place the time of the pilgrimage in the end of March; whereas, in the Prologue to the Man of Law's Tale, the date is given as the "eight and twenty day of April, that is messenger to May."</ref> his halfe course y-run,
Hath in the Ram <1> his halfe course y-run,
And smalle fowles make melody,
That sleepen all the night with open eye,
(So pricketh them nature in their {{alttext|corages*); *|hearts, inclinations}});
Then longe folk to go on pilgrimages,
And palmers<ref>Dante, in the "Vita Nuova," distinguishes three classes of pilgrims: palmieri - palmers who go beyond sea to the East, and often bring back staves of palm-wood; peregrini, who go the shrine of St Jago in Galicia; Romei, who go to Rome. Sir Walter Scott, however, says that palmers were in the habit of passing from shrine to shrine, living on charity -- pilgrims on the other hand, made the journey to any shrine only once, immediately returning to their ordinary avocations. Chaucer uses "palmer" of all pilgrims.</ref> for to seeke strange strands,
And palmers <2> for to seeke strange strands,
To {{alttext|ferne hallows couth|distant saints known}}<ref>"Hallows" survives, in the meaning here given, in All Hallows -- All-Saints -- day. "Couth," past participle of "conne" to know, exists in "uncouth."</ref> in sundry lands;
To *ferne hallows couth* in sundry lands; *distant saints known*<3>
And specially, from every shire's end
Of Engleland, to Canterbury they wend,
The holy blissful Martyr for to seek,
That them hath {{alttext|holpen*|helped}}, when that they were sick. *helped
 
Befell that, in that season on a day,
In Southwark at the Tabard<ref>The Tabard -- the sign of the inn -- was a sleeveless coat, worn by heralds. The name of the inn was, some three centuries after Chaucer, changed to the Talbot.</ref> as I lay,
In Southwark at the Tabard <4> as I lay,
Ready to wenden on my pilgrimage
To Canterbury with devout corage,
At night was come into that hostelry
Well nine and twenty in a company
Of sundry folk, {{alttext|by aventure y-fall|who had by chance fallen}}<ref>In y-fall," "y" is a corruption of the Anglo-Saxon "ge" prefixed to participles of verbs. It is used by Chaucer merely to help the metre In German, "y-fall," or y-falle," would be "gefallen", "y-run," or "y-ronne", would be "geronnen."</ref>
Of sundry folk, *by aventure y-fall *who had by chance fallen
{{alttext|In fellowship*|into company}}, and pilgrims were they all, into company.* <5>
That toward Canterbury woulde ride.
The chamber, and the stables were wide,
And *{{alttext|well we weren eased at the best.* *|we were well provided with the best}}.
And shortly, when the sunne was to rest, with the best*
So had I spoken with them every one,
That I was of their fellowship anon,
And made {{alttext|forword*|promise}} early for to rise, *promise
To take our way there as I you {{alttext|devise*. *|describe, relate}}.
 
But natheless, while I have time and space,
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And he began with right a merry cheer
His tale anon, and said as ye shall hear.
 
 
 
Notes to the Prologue
 
 
1. Tyrwhitt points out that "the Bull" should be read here, not
"the Ram," which would place the time of the pilgrimage in the
end of March; whereas, in the Prologue to the Man of Law's
Tale, the date is given as the "eight and twenty day of April,
that is messenger to May."
 
2. Dante, in the "Vita Nuova," distinguishes three classes of
pilgrims: palmieri - palmers who go beyond sea to the East,
and often bring back staves of palm-wood; peregrini, who go
the shrine of St Jago in Galicia; Romei, who go to Rome. Sir
Walter Scott, however, says that palmers were in the habit of
passing from shrine to shrine, living on charity -- pilgrims on the
other hand, made the journey to any shrine only once,
immediately returning to their ordinary avocations. Chaucer
uses "palmer" of all pilgrims.
 
3. "Hallows" survives, in the meaning here given, in All Hallows
-- All-Saints -- day. "Couth," past participle of "conne" to
know, exists in "uncouth."
 
4. The Tabard -- the sign of the inn -- was a sleeveless coat,
worn by heralds. The name of the inn was, some three
centuries after Chaucer, changed to the Talbot.
 
5. In y-fall," "y" is a corruption of the Anglo-Saxon "ge"
prefixed to participles of verbs. It is used by Chaucer merely to
help the metre In German, "y-fall," or y-falle," would be
"gefallen", "y-run," or "y-ronne", would be "geronnen."
 
6. Alisandre: Alexandria, in Egypt, captured by Pierre de
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