Geoffrey Chaucer - The Canterbury Tales

He knew nat Catoun, for his wit was rude,

That bad man sholde wedde his similitude.

Men sholde wedden after hir estaat,

3230

For youthe and elde is often at debaat.

But sith that he was fallen in the snare,

He moste endure, as other folk, his care.

3223. Hl. eyghteteene; rest xviij. 3225. E. yong and wylde. 3230. Cm. Hl. ben; rest is.

Fair was this yonge wyf, and ther-with-al

As any wesele hir body gent and smal.

3235

A ceynt she werede barred al of silk,

(50)

A barmclooth eek as whyt as morne milk

Up-on hir lendes, ful of many a gore.

Whyt was hir smok, and brouded al bifore

And eek bihinde, on hir coler aboute,

3240

Of col-blak silk, with-inne and eek with-oute.

The tapes of hir whyte voluper

Were of the same suyte of hir coler;

Hir filet brood of silk, and set ful hye:

And sikerly she hadde a likerous yë.

3245

Ful smale y-pulled were hir browes two,

(60)

And tho were bent, and blake as any sloo.

She was ful more blisful on to see

Than is the newe pere-ionette tree;

And softer than the wolle is of a wether.

3250

And by hir girdel heeng a purs of lether

[94: T. 3251-3285.]

Tasseld with silk, and perled with latoun.

In al this world, to seken up and doun,

There nis no man so wys, that coude thenche

So gay a popelote, or swich a wenche.

3255

Ful brighter was the shyning of hir hewe

(70)

Than in the tour the noble y-forged newe.

But of hir song, it was as loude and yerne

As any swalwe sittinge on a berne.

Ther-to she coude skippe and make game,

3260

As any kide or calf folwinge his dame.

Hir mouth was swete as bragot or the meeth,

Or hord of apples leyd in hey or heeth.

Winsinge she was, as is a Ioly colt,

Long as a mast, and upright as a bolt.

3265

A brooch she baar up-on hir lowe coler,

(80)

As brood as is the bos of a bocler.

Hir shoes were laced on hir legges hye;

She was a prymerole, a pigges-nye

For any lord to leggen in his bedde,

3270

Or yet for any good yeman to wedde.

3235. E. y-barred; rest barred. 3236. Hl. eek; rest om. 3238. Cp. brouded; Hl. browdid; Cm. I-brouded; E. Hn. broyden. 3251. E. Hn. Tasseled; Ln. Tassilde; Hl. Cp. Tassid. E. grene; rest silk. 3253. E. nas; Hn. Pt. Hl. nys; Cm. Cp. Ln. is. 3261. Cm. Pt. Cp. Ln. braket. 3265. Cm. lowe; rest loue. 3266. Cp. bocler; Hl. bocleer; rest bokeler.

Now sire, and eft sire, so bifel the cas,

That on a day this hende Nicholas

Fil with this yonge wyf to rage and pleye,

Whyl that hir housbond was at Oseneye,

3275

As clerkes ben ful subtile and ful queynte;

(90)

And prively he caughte hir by the queynte,

And seyde, 'y-wis, but if ich have my wille,

For derne love of thee, lemman, I spille.'

And heeld hir harde by the haunche-bones,

3280

And seyde, 'lemman, love me al at-ones,

Or I wol dyen, also god me save!'

And she sprong as a colt doth in the trave,

And with hir heed she wryed faste awey,

And seyde, 'I wol nat kisse thee, by my fey,

3285

Why, lat be,' quod she, 'lat be, Nicholas,

[95: T. 3286-3322.]

(100)

Or I wol crye out "harrow" and "allas."

Do wey your handes for your curteisye!'

3283. Cm. wrythed. 3285. Pt. she; Cm. Hl. sche; Ln. iche; rest ich.

This Nicholas gan mercy for to crye,

And spak so faire, and profred hir so faste,

3290

That she hir love him graunted atte laste,

And swoor hir ooth, by seint Thomas of Kent,

That she wol been at his comandement,

Whan that she may hir leyser wel espye.

'Myn housbond is so ful of Ialousye,

3295

That but ye wayte wel and been privee,

(110)

I woot right wel I nam but deed,' quod she.

'Ye moste been ful derne, as in this cas.'

'Nay ther-of care thee noght,' quod Nicholas,

'A clerk had litherly biset his whyle,

3300

But-if he coude a Carpenter bigyle.'

And thus they been acorded and y-sworn

To wayte a tyme, as I have told biforn.

Whan Nicholas had doon thus everydeel,

And thakked hir aboute the lendes weel,

3305

He kist hir swete, and taketh his sautrye,

(120)

And pleyeth faste, and maketh melodye.

3289. E. hir; rest him.

Than fil it thus, that to the parish-chirche,

Cristes owne werkes for to wirche,

This gode wyf wente on an haliday;

3310

Hir forheed shoon as bright as any day,

So was it wasshen whan she leet hir werk.

Now was ther of that chirche a parish-clerk,

The which that was y-cleped Absolon.

Crul was his heer, and as the gold it shoon,

3315

And strouted as a fanne large and brode;

(130)

Ful streight and even lay his Ioly shode.

His rode was reed, his eyen greye as goos;

With Powles window corven on his shoos,

In hoses rede he wente fetisly.

3320

Y-clad he was ful smal and proprely,

Al in a kirtel of a light wachet;

Ful faire and thikke been the poyntes set.

[96: T. 3323-3358.]

And ther-up-on he hadde a gay surplys

As whyt as is the blosme up-on the rys.

3325

A mery child he was, so god me save,

(140)

Wel coude he laten blood and clippe and shave,

And make a chartre of lond or acquitaunce.

In twenty manere coude he trippe and daunce

After the scole of Oxenforde tho,

3330

And with his legges casten to and fro,

And pleyen songes on a small rubible;

Ther-to he song som-tyme a loud quinible;

And as wel coude he pleye on his giterne.

In al the toun nas brewhous ne taverne

3335

That he ne visited with his solas,

(150)

Ther any gaylard tappestere was.

But sooth to seyn, he was somdel squaymous

Of farting, and of speche daungerous.

3319. Cm. hosyn; Pt. hosen; rest hoses. 3321. Hl. fyn ( for light). Hl. Ln. wachet; Cm. vachet; rest waget. 3325. E. myrie; Hn. murye. 3327. E. Hn. maken. 3329. E. Hn. Oxenford; Cm. Oxenforthe; rest Oxenforde. 3333. E. his; rest a.

This Absolon, that Iolif was and gay,

3340

Gooth with a sencer on the haliday,

Sensinge the wyves of the parish faste;

And many a lovely look on hem he caste,

And namely on this carpenteres wyf.

To loke on hir him thoughte a mery lyf,

3345

She was so propre and swete and likerous.

(160)

I dar wel seyn, if she had been a mous,

And he a cat, he wolde hir hente anon.

3344. E. myrie; Hn. murye. 3347. E. Hl. wold; rest wolde.

This parish-clerk, this Ioly Absolon,

Hath in his herte swich a love-longinge,

3350

That of no wyf ne took he noon offringe;

For curteisye, he seyde, he wolde noon.

The mone, whan it was night, ful brighte shoon,

And Absolon his giterne hath y-take,

For paramours, he thoghte for to wake.

3353

And forth he gooth, Iolif and amorous,

(170)

Til he cam to the carpenteres hous

A litel after cokkes hadde y-crowe;

And dressed him up by a shot-windowe

[97: T. 3359-3392.]

That was up-on the carpenteres wal.

3360

He singeth in his vois gentil and smal,

'Now, dere lady, if thy wille be,

I preye yow that ye wol rewe on me,'

Ful wel acordaunt to his giterninge.

This carpenter awook, and herde him singe,

3365

And spak un-to his wyf, and seyde anon,

(180)

'What! Alison! herestow nat Absolon

That chaunteth thus under our boures wal?'