Geoffrey Chaucer - Geoffrey Chaucer - The Canterbury Tales (English Edition)

My love-longing; for I shall not miss

That at the leaste way I shall her kiss.

Some manner comfort shall I have, parfay*, *by my faith

My mouth hath itched all this livelong day:

That is a sign of kissing at the least.

All night I mette* eke I was at a feast. *dreamt

Therefore I will go sleep an hour or tway,

And all the night then will I wake and play."

When that the first cock crowed had, anon

Up rose this jolly lover Absolon,

And him arrayed gay, *at point devise.* *with exact care*

But first he chewed grains<34> and liquorice,

To smelle sweet, ere he had combed his hair.

Under his tongue a true love <35> he bare,

For thereby thought he to be gracious.

Then came he to the carpentere's house,

And still he stood under the shot window;

Unto his breast it raught*, it was so low; *reached

And soft he coughed with a semisoun'.* *low tone

"What do ye, honeycomb, sweet Alisoun?

My faire bird, my sweet cinamome*, *cinnamon, sweet spice

Awaken, leman* mine, and speak to me. *mistress

Full little thinke ye upon my woe,

That for your love I sweat *there as* I go. *wherever

No wonder is that I do swelt* and sweat. *faint

I mourn as doth a lamb after the teat

Y-wis*, leman, I have such love-longing, *certainly

That like a turtle* true is my mourning. *turtle-dove

I may not eat, no more than a maid."

"Go from the window, thou jack fool," she said:

"As help me God, it will not be, 'come ba* me.' *kiss

I love another, else I were to blame",

Well better than thee, by Jesus, Absolon.

Go forth thy way, or I will cast a stone;

And let me sleep; *a twenty devil way*. *twenty devils take ye!*

"Alas!" quoth Absolon, "and well away!

That true love ever was so ill beset:

Then kiss me, since that it may be no bet*, *better

For Jesus' love, and for the love of me."

"Wilt thou then go thy way therewith?" , quoth she.

"Yea, certes, leman," quoth this Absolon.

"Then make thee ready," quoth she, "I come anon."

[And unto Nicholas she said *full still*: *in a low voice*

"Now peace, and thou shalt laugh anon thy fill."]<36>

This Absolon down set him on his knees,

And said; "I am a lord at all degrees:

For after this I hope there cometh more;

Leman, thy grace, and, sweete bird, thine ore.*" *favour

The window she undid, and that in haste.

"Have done," quoth she, "come off, and speed thee fast,

Lest that our neighebours should thee espy."

Then Absolon gan wipe his mouth full dry.

Dark was the night as pitch or as the coal,

And at the window she put out her hole,

And Absolon him fell ne bet ne werse,

But with his mouth he kiss'd her naked erse

Full savourly. When he was ware of this,

Aback he start, and thought it was amiss;

For well he wist a woman hath no beard.

He felt a thing all rough, and long y-hair'd,

And saide; "Fy, alas! what have I do?"

"Te he!" quoth she, and clapt the window to;

And Absolon went forth at sorry pace.

"A beard, a beard," said Hendy Nicholas;

"By God's corpus, this game went fair and well."

This silly Absolon heard every deal*, *word

And on his lip he gan for anger bite;

And to himself he said, "I shall thee quite*. *requite, be even with

Who rubbeth now, who frotteth* now his lips *rubs

With dust, with sand, with straw, with cloth, with chips,

But Absolon? that saith full oft, "Alas!

My soul betake I unto Sathanas,

But me were lever* than all this town," quoth he *rather

I this despite awroken* for to be. *revenged

Alas! alas! that I have been y-blent*." *deceived

His hote love is cold, and all y-quent.* *quenched

For from that time that he had kiss'd her erse,

Of paramours he *sette not a kers,* *cared not a rush*

For he was healed of his malady;

Full often paramours he gan defy,

And weep as doth a child that hath been beat.

A softe pace he went over the street

Unto a smith, men callen Dan* Gerveis, *master

That in his forge smithed plough-harness;

He sharped share and culter busily.

This Absolon knocked all easily,

And said; "Undo, Gerveis, and that anon."

"What, who art thou?" "It is I, Absolon."

"What? Absolon, what? Christe's sweete tree*, *cross

Why rise so rath*? hey! Benedicite, *early

What aileth you? some gay girl,<37> God it wote,

Hath brought you thus upon the viretote:<38>

By Saint Neot, ye wot well what I mean."

This Absolon he raughte* not a bean *recked, cared

Of all his play; no word again he gaf*, *spoke

For he had more tow on his distaff<39>

Than Gerveis knew, and saide; "Friend so dear,

That hote culter in the chimney here

Lend it to me, I have therewith to don*: *do

I will it bring again to thee full soon."

Gerveis answered; "Certes, were it gold,

Or in a poke* nobles all untold, *purse

Thou shouldst it have, as I am a true smith.

Hey! Christe's foot, what will ye do therewith?"

"Thereof," quoth Absolon, "be as be may;

I shall well tell it thee another day:"

And caught the culter by the colde stele*. *handle

Full soft out at the door he gan to steal,

And went unto the carpentere's wall

He coughed first, and knocked therewithal

Upon the window, light as he did ere*. *before <40>

This Alison answered; "Who is there

That knocketh so? I warrant him a thief."

"Nay, nay," quoth he, "God wot, my sweete lefe*, *love

I am thine Absolon, my own darling.

Of gold," quoth he, "I have thee brought a ring,

My mother gave it me, so God me save!

Full fine it is, and thereto well y-grave*: *engraved

This will I give to thee, if thou me kiss."

Now Nicholas was risen up to piss,

And thought he would *amenden all the jape*; *improve the joke*

He shoulde kiss his erse ere that he scape:

And up the window did he hastily,

And out his erse he put full privily

Over the buttock, to the haunche bone.

And therewith spake this clerk, this Absolon,

"Speak, sweete bird, I know not where thou art."

This Nicholas anon let fly a fart,

As great as it had been a thunder dent*; *peal, clap

That with the stroke he was well nigh y-blent*; *blinded

But he was ready with his iron hot,

And Nicholas amid the erse he smote.

Off went the skin an handbreadth all about.

The hote culter burned so his tout*, *breech

That for the smart he weened* he would die; *thought

As he were wood*, for woe he gan to cry, *mad

"Help! water, water, help for Godde's heart!"

This carpenter out of his slumber start,

And heard one cry "Water," as he were wood*, *mad

And thought, "Alas! now cometh Noe's flood."

He sat him up withoute wordes mo'

And with his axe he smote the cord in two;

And down went all; he found neither to sell

Nor bread nor ale, till he came to the sell*, *threshold <41>

Upon the floor, and there in swoon he lay.

Up started Alison and Nicholay,

And cried out an "harow!" <15> in the street.

The neighbours alle, bothe small and great

In ranne, for to gauren* on this man, *stare

That yet in swoone lay, both pale and wan:

For with the fall he broken had his arm.

But stand he must unto his owen harm,

For when he spake, he was anon borne down

With Hendy Nicholas and Alisoun.

They told to every man that he was wood*; *mad

He was aghaste* so of Noe's flood, *afraid

Through phantasy, that of his vanity

He had y-bought him kneading-tubbes three,