Analysis of The Canterbury Tales

Here bygynneth the Book of the tales of Caunterbury.

Whan that Aprille, with hise shoures soote,
     The droghte of March hath perced to the roote
     And bathed every veyne in swich licour,
     Of which vertu engendred is the flour;
     Whan Zephirus eek with his swete breeth

Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
     The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne
     Hath in the Ram his halfe cours yronne,
     And smale foweles maken melodye,
     That slepen al the nyght with open eye-

So priketh hem Nature in hir corages-
     Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages
     And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes
     To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes;
     And specially, from every shires ende

Of Engelond, to Caunturbury they wende,
     The hooly blisful martir for the seke
     That hem hath holpen, whan that they were seeke.
        Bifil that in that seson, on a day,
     In Southwerk at the Tabard as I lay,

Redy to wenden on my pilgrymage
     To Caunterbury, with ful devout corage,
     At nyght were come into that hostelrye
     Wel nyne and twenty in a compaignye
     Of sondry folk, by aventure yfalle

In felaweshipe, and pilgrimes were they alle,
     That toward Caunterbury wolden ryde.
     The chambres and the stables weren wyde,
     And wel we weren esed atte beste;
     And shortly, whan the sonne was to reste,

So hadde I spoken with hem everychon
     That I was of hir felaweshipe anon,
     And made forward erly for to ryse
     To take our wey, ther as I yow devyse.
        But nathelees, whil I have tyme and space,

Er that I ferther in this tale pace,
     Me thynketh it acordaunt to resoun
     To telle yow al the condicioun
     Of ech of hem, so as it semed me,
     And whiche they weren, and of what degree,

And eek in what array that they were inne;
     And at a knyght than wol I first bigynne.
        A knyght ther was, and that a worthy man,
     That fro the tyme that he first bigan
     To riden out, he loved chivalrie,

Trouthe and honour, fredom and curteisie.
     Ful worthy was he in his lordes werre,

And therto hadde he riden, no man ferre,
     As wel in Cristendom as in Hethenesse,
     And evere honoured for his worthynesse.

At Alisaundre he was, whan it was wonne;
     Ful ofte tyme he hadde the bord bigonne
     Aboven alle nacions in Pruce;
     In Lettow hadde he reysed, and in Ruce,
     No cristen man so ofte of his degree.

In Gernade at the seege eek hadde he be
     Of Algezir, and riden in Belmarye;
     At Lyeys was he, and at Satalye,
     Whan they were wonne; and in the Grete See
     At many a noble arive hadde he be.

At mortal batailles hadde he been fiftene,
     And foughten for oure feith at Tramyssene
     In lystes thries, and ay slayn his foo.
     This ilke worthy knyght hadde been also
     Somtyme with the lord of Palatye

Agayn another hethen in Turkye,
     And everemoore he hadde a sovereyn prys.
     And though that he were worthy, he was wys,
     And of his port as meeke as is a mayde;
     He nevere yet no vileynye ne sayde

In al his lyf unto no maner wight;
     He was a verray parfit gentil knyght.
        But for to tellen yow of his array,
     His hors weren goode, but he was nat gay.
     Of fustian he wered a gypoun,

Al bismotered with his habergeoun;
     For he was late ycome from his viage,
     And wente for to doon his pilgrymage.
        With hym ther was his sone, a yong Squier,
     A lovyere and a lusty bacheler,

With lokkes crulle, as they were leyd in presse.
     Of twenty yeer of age he was, I gesse.
     Of his stature he was of evene lengthe,
     And wonderly delyvere, and of greet strengthe.
     And he hadde been somtyme in chyvachie

In Flaundres, in Artoys, and Pycardie,
     And born hym weel, as of so litel space,
     In hope to stonden in his lady grace.
     Embrouded was he, as it were a meede,
     Al ful of fresshe floures whyte and reede;

Syngynge he was, or floytynge, al the day,
     He was as fressh as is the monthe of May.
     Short was his gowne, with sleves longe and wyde.
     Wel koude he sitte on hors, and faire ryde,
     He koude songes make, and wel endite,