Canterbury Tales and Other Poems by Geoffrey Chaucer (best summer reads .TXT) 📕

to devouren all that others swink. labour And, for to put us from such idleness, That cause is of so great confusion,

I have here done my faithful business, After the Legend, in translation

Right of thy glorious life and passion, —

Thou with thy garland wrought of rose and lily, Thee mean I, maid and martyr, Saint Cecilie.

 

And thou, thou art the flow’r of virgins all, Of whom that Bernard list so well to write, <3>

To thee at my beginning first I call;

Thou comfort of us wretches, do me indite Thy maiden’s death, that won through her merite Th’ eternal life, and o’er the fiend victory, As man may after readen in her story.

 

Thou maid and mother, daughter of thy Son, Thou well of mercy, sinful soules’ cure, In whom that God of bounte chose to won; dwell Thou humble and high o’er every creature, Thou nobilest, *so far forth our nature, as far as our nature admits*

That no disdain the Maker had of kind, nature His Son in blood and flesh to clothe and wind. wrap Within the cloister of thy blissful sides Took manne’s shape th’ eternal love and peace, That of *the trine compass* Lord and guide is the trinity

Whom earth, and sea, and heav’n, *out of release, unceasingly *Aye hery;* and thou, Virgin wemmeless, forever praise immaculate Bare of thy body, and dweltest maiden pure, The Creator of every creature.

 

Assembled is in thee magnificence <4>

With mercy, goodness, and with such pity, That thou, that art the sun of excellence, Not only helpest them that pray to thee, But oftentime, of thy benignity,

Full freely, ere that men thine help beseech, Thou go’st before, and art their lives’ leech. healer, saviour.

 

Now help, thou meek and blissful faire maid, Me, flemed* wretch, in this desert of gall; *banished, outcast Think on the woman Cananee that said

That whelpes eat some of the crumbes all That from their Lorde’s table be y-fall;<5>

And though that I, unworthy son of Eve,<6>

Be sinful, yet accepte my believe. faith And, for that faith is dead withoute werkes, For to worke give me wit and space,

That I be *quit from thennes that most derk is; freed from the most O thou, that art so fair and full of grace, dark place (Hell)*

Be thou mine advocate in that high place, Where as withouten end is sung Osanne, Thou Christe’s mother, daughter dear of Anne.

 

And of thy light my soul in prison light, That troubled is by the contagion

Of my body, and also by the weight

Of earthly lust and false affection;

O hav’n of refuge, O salvation

Of them that be in sorrow and distress, Now help, for to my work I will me dress.

 

Yet pray I you, that reade what I write, <6>

Forgive me that I do no diligence

This ilke* story subtilly t’ indite. *same For both have I the wordes and sentence Of him that at the sainte’s reverence

The story wrote, and follow her legend; And pray you that you will my work amend.

 

First will I you the name of Saint Cecilie Expound, as men may in her story see.

It is to say in English, Heaven’s lily,<7>

For pure chasteness of virginity;

Or, for she whiteness had of honesty, purity And green of conscience, and of good fame The sweete savour, Lilie was her name.

 

Or Cecilie is to say, the way of blind;<7>

For she example was by good teaching;

Or else Cecilie, as I written find,

Is joined by a manner conjoining

Of heaven and Lia, <7> and herein figuring The heaven is set for thought of holiness, And Lia for her lasting business.

 

Cecilie may eke be said in this mannere, Wanting of blindness, for her greate light Of sapience, and for her thewes* clear. *qualities Or elles, lo, this maiden’s name bright Of heaven and Leos <7> comes, for which by right Men might her well the heaven of people call, Example of good and wise workes all;

 

For Leos people in English is to say;

And right as men may in the heaven see The sun and moon, and starres every way, Right so men ghostly,* in this maiden free, *spiritually Sawen of faith the magnanimity,

And eke the clearness whole of sapience, And sundry workes bright of excellence.

 

And right so as these philosophers write, That heav’n is swift and round, and eke burning, Right so was faire Cecilie the white

Full swift and busy in every good working, And round and whole in good persevering, <8>

And burning ever in charity full bright; Now have I you declared *what she hight. why she had her name*

 

This maiden bright Cecile, as her life saith, Was come of Romans, and of noble kind, And from her cradle foster’d in the faith Of Christ, and bare his Gospel in her mind: She never ceased, as I written find,

Of her prayere, and God to love and dread, Beseeching him to keep her maidenhead.

 

And when this maiden should unto a man Y-wedded be, that was full young of age, Which that y-called was Valerian,

And come was the day of marriage,

She, full devout and humble in her corage, heart Under her robe of gold, that sat full fair, Had next her flesh y-clad her in an hair. garment of haircloth And while the organs made melody,

To God alone thus in her heart sang she; “O Lord, my soul and eke my body gie guide Unwemmed,* lest that I confounded be.” *unblemished And, for his love that died upon the tree, Every second or third day she fast’,

Aye bidding* in her orisons full fast. *praying The night came, and to bedde must she gon With her husband, as it is the mannere; And privily she said to him anon;

“O sweet and well-beloved spouse dear, There is a counsel,* an’** ye will it hear, secret *if Which that right fain I would unto you say, So that ye swear ye will it not bewray.” betray Valerian gan fast unto her swear

That for no case nor thing that mighte be, He never should to none bewrayen her;

And then at erst* thus to him saide she; *for the first time “I have an angel which that loveth me, That with great love, whether I wake or sleep, Is ready aye my body for to keep;

 

“And if that he may feelen, *out of dread, without doubt*

That ye me touch or love in villainy,

He right anon will slay you with the deed, And in your youthe thus ye shoulde die.

And if that ye in cleane love me gie,” guide He will you love as me, for your cleanness, And shew to you his joy and his brightness.”

 

Valerian, corrected as God wo’ld,

Answer’d again, “If I shall truste thee, Let me that angel see, and him behold; And if that it a very angel be,

Then will I do as thou hast prayed me; And if thou love another man, forsooth Right with this sword then will I slay you both.”

 

Cecile answer’d anon right in this wise; “If that you list, the angel shall ye see, So that ye trow* Of Christ, and you baptise; *know Go forth to Via Appia,” quoth she,

That from this towne stands but miles three, And to the poore folkes that there dwell Say them right thus, as that I shall you tell, “Tell them, that I, Cecile, you to them sent To shewe you the good Urban the old,

For secret needes,* and for good intent; *business And when that ye Saint Urban have behold, Tell him the wordes which I to you told And when that he hath purged you from sin, Then shall ye see that angel ere ye twin depart Valerian is to the place gone;

And, right as he was taught by her learning He found this holy old Urban anon

Among the saintes’ burials louting; lying concealed <9>

And he anon, withoute tarrying,

Did his message, and when that he it told, Urban for joy his handes gan uphold.

 

The teares from his eyen let he fall;

“Almighty Lord, O Jesus Christ,”

Quoth he, “Sower of chaste counsel, herd* of us all; shepherd The fruit of thilke seed of chastity *that That thou hast sown in Cecile, take to thee Lo, like a busy bee, withoute guile,

Thee serveth aye thine owen thrall* Cicile, servant “For thilke spouse, that she took but now, lately*

Full like a fierce lion, she sendeth here, As meek as e’er was any lamb to owe.”

And with that word anon there gan appear An old man, clad in white clothes clear, That had a book with letters of gold in hand, And gan before Valerian to stand.

 

Valerian, as dead, fell down for dread, When he him saw; and he up hent* him tho,* took **there And on his book right thus he gan to read; “One Lord, one faith, one God withoute mo’, One Christendom, one Father of all also, Aboven all, and over all everywhere.”

These wordes all with gold y-written were.

 

When this was read, then said this olde man, “Believ’st thou this or no? say yea or nay.”

“I believe all this,” quoth Valerian,

“For soother* thing than this, I dare well say, *truer Under the Heaven no wight thinke may.”

Then vanish’d the old man, he wist not where And Pope Urban him christened right there.

 

Valerian went home, and found Cecilie

Within his chamber with an angel stand; This angel had of roses and of lily

Corones* two, the which he bare in hand, *crowns And first to Cecile, as I understand,

He gave the one, and after gan he take The other to Valerian her make. mate, husband “With body clean, and with unwemmed* thought, *unspotted, blameless Keep aye well these corones two,” quoth he; “From Paradise to you I have them brought, Nor ever more shall they rotten be,

Nor lose their sweet savour, truste me, Nor ever wight shall see them with his eye, But he be chaste, and hate villainy.

 

“And thou, Valerian, for thou so soon

Assented hast to good counsel, also

Say what thee list,* and thou shalt have thy boon.”* wish **desire “I have a brother,” quoth Valerian tho, then “That in this world I love no man so;

I pray you that my brother may have grace To know the truth, as I do in this place.”

 

The angel said, “God liketh thy request, And bothe, with the palm of martyrdom, Ye shalle come unto this blissful rest.”

And, with that word, Tiburce his brother came.

And when that he the savour undernome perceived Which that the roses and the lilies cast, Within his heart he gan to wonder fast; And said; “I wonder, this time of the year, Whence that sweete savour cometh so

Of rose and lilies, that I smelle here; For though I had them in mine handes two, The savour might in me no deeper go;

The sweete smell, that in my heart I find, Hath changed me all in another kind.”

 

Valerian said, “Two crownes here have we, Snow-white and rosered, that shine clear, Which that thine eyen have no might to see; And, as thou smellest them through my prayere, So shalt thou see them, leve* brother dear, *beloved If it so be thou wilt withoute sloth

Believe aright, and know the very troth. “

 

Tiburce answered, “Say’st thou this to me In soothness, or in dreame hear