Th' estaat, th' array, the nombre, and eek the cause
Why that assembled was this compaignye
In Southwerk at this gentil hostelrye
That hightewas named the Tabard, fasteclose to by the Belle(another Southwark tavern).
But now is tyme to yow for to telle
How that we baren usconducted ourselves that ilkesame nyght,
Whan we were in that hostelrie alyghtarrived;
And after wol I telle of our viagevoyage
And al the remenauntrest of oure pilgrimage.
But first I pray yow, of youre curteisye,
That ye n' arreteattribute (to) it nat my vileynyeill-breeding,
Thogh that I pleynly speke in this mateere,
To telle yow hirtheir wordes and hir cheeretheir behavior,
Ne thoghNor if I speke hir wordes proprelytheir own exact words.
For this ye knowen al sojust as wel as I,
Whoso shal telle a tale after a man,
He moot rehercemust retell as nyclosely as evere he kan
Everich aEvery word, if it be in his charge,
Al speke he never so rudelicherudely and largebroadly,
Or ellis he mootmust telle his tale untrewe,
Or feynemake up thyng, or fynde wordes newe.
He may nat spare, althogh he were his brother;
He moot as wel seye oone word as another.
Crist spak hymself ful brodeextensively in hooly writ,
And wel ye wootknow no vileynye is it.
Eek Plato seith, whoso that kan hym rede,
The wordes moote be cosyncousin to the dede.
Also I prey yow to foryeve it me,
AlIf have I nat setordered folk in hir degreeby their social status
Heere in this tale, as that they sholde stonde.
My wit is short, ye may wel understonde.
Greet chiere made oure hoost us everichonevery one,
And to the soper sette he us anonat once.
He served us with vitaillevictuals at the beste;
Strong was the wyn, and wel to drynke us lesteit pleased us.
A semely man oure hooste was withalle
For to hanhave been a marchalmaster of ceremonies in an halle.
A large man he was with eyen stepebright, prominent eyes --
A fairer burgeys is ther noon in ChepeCheapside (London business district) --
Boold of his speche, and wys, and wel ytaught,
And of manhod hym lakkede right naught.
Eek therto he was right a myrie man,
And after soper pleyento play, joke he bigan,
And spak of myrthe amonges othere thynges,
Whan that we hadde maad oure rekenyngessettled our bills,
And seyde thus: "Now, lordynges, trewely,
Ye been to me right welcome, hertely;
For by my trouthe, if that I shal nat lye,
I saugh nat this yeer so myrie a compaignye
AtonesAt one time in this herberwehostel, inn as is now.
FaynGladly wolde I doon yow myrthe, wiste Iif I knew how.
And of a myrthe I am right now bythoght,
To doon yow esegive you pleasure, and it shal coste noght.
Ye goon to Caunterbury -- God yow speedegive you success,
The(May) the blisful martir quitegrant yow youre meedereward!
And wel I wootknow, as ye goon by the weye,
Ye shapenintend yow to talentell (stories) and to pleye;
For trewely, confort ne myrthe is noon
To ride by the weye doumbsilent as a stoonstone;
And therfore wol I maken yow disportpastime, amusement,
As I seyde erstbefore, and doon yow som confort.
And if yow liketh alle by oon assentunanimously
For to stonden at my juggement,
And for to werken as I shal yow seye,
To-morwe, whan ye riden by the weye,
Now, by my fader soule that is deeddead father's soul,
ButUnless ye be myrie, I wol yeve yow myn heed!
Hoold up youre hondes, withouten moore speche."
Oure conseildecision was nat longe for to secheseek.
Us thoughte it was noght worth to make it wysmake an issue of it,
And graunted hym withouten moore avysdeliberation,
And bad him seye his voirditverdict as hym lesteit pleased him.
"Lordynges," quodsaid he, "now herkneth for the beste;
But taak it nought, I prey yow, in desdeyn.
This is the poynt, to speken short and pleyn,
That ech of yow, to shorte with oure weye,
In this viagevoyage shal telle tales tweyetwo
To Caunterbury-ward, I meneintend it so,
And homward he shal tellen othereanother two,
Of aventures that whilomonce upon a time han bifalle.
And which of yow that bereth hymconducts himself best of alle,
That is to seyn, that telleth in this caas
Tales of best sentencesignificance, wisdom and moost solaascomfort, pleasure,
Shal have a soper at oure allerall our cost
Heere in this place, sittynge by this post,
Whan that we come agayn fro Caunterbury.
And for to make yow the moore mury,
I wol myselven goodly with yow ryde,
Right at myn owene cost, and be youre gyde,
And whoso wole my juggement withseyecontradict
Shal paye al that we spenden by the weye.
And if ye vouche saufgrant that it be so,
Tel me anonimmediately, withouten wordes momore,
And I wol erly shape meprepare myself therfore."
715
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notes
