Geoffrey Chaucer

“ Whylom ther was dwellinge at Oxenford
A riche gnof, that gestes heeld to bord,
And of his craft he was a Carpenter.
With him ther was dwellinge a povre scoler, 3190
Had lerned art, but al his fantasye
Was turned for to lerne astrologye,
And coude a certeyn of conclusiouns
To demen by interrogaciouns,
If that men axed him in certein houres, 3195
Whan that men sholde have droghte or elles shoures, (10)
Or if men axed him what sholde bifalle
Of every thing, I may nat rekene hem alle. ”

“ Ther as the cat was wont in for to crepe;
And at that hole he looked in ful depe,
And at the laste he hadde of him a sighte.
This Nicholas sat gaping ever up-righte,
As he had kyked on the newe mone. 3445
Adoun he gooth, and tolde his maister sone (260)
In what array he saugh this ilke man.
This carpenter to blessen him bigan,
And seyde, 'help us, seinte Frideswyde!
A man woot litel what him shal bityde. 3450
This man is falle, with his astromye,
In som woodnesse or in som agonye;
I thoghte ay wel how that it sholde be!
Men sholde nat knowe of goddes privetee. ”

“ For I wol telle a legende and a lyf
Bothe of a Carpenter, and of his wyf,
How that a clerk hath set the wrightes cappe.'
The Reve answerde and seyde, 'stint thy clappe,
Lat be thy lewed dronken harlotrye. 3145
It is a sinne and eek a greet folye
To apeiren any man, or him diffame,
And eek to bringen wyves in swich fame. ”

“ No more in looking than ther shal in dede;
This ordinance is seyd, go, god thee spede!
Tomorwe at night, whan men ben alle aslepe,
In-to our kneding-tubbes wol we crepe,
And sitten ther, abyding goddes grace. 3595
Go now thy wey, I have no lenger space (410)
To make of this no lenger sermoning.
Men seyn thus, "send the wyse, and sey no-thing;"
Thou art so wys, it nedeth thee nat teche;
Go, save our lyf, and that I thee biseche.' 3600
This sely carpenter goth forth his wey. ”

“ Men may dye of imaginacioun,
So depe may impressioun be take.
This sely carpenter biginneth quake;
Him thinketh verraily that he may see 3615
Noës flood come walwing as the see (430)
To drenchen Alisoun, his hony dere.
He wepeth, weyleth, maketh sory chere,
He syketh with ful many a sory swogh.
He gooth and geteth him a kneding-trogh, 3620
And after that a tubbe and a kimelin,
And prively he sente hem to his in,
And heng hem in the roof in privetee. ”

“ Ful ofte paramours he gan deffye,
And weep as dooth a child that is y-bete.
A softe paas he wente over the strete 3760
Un-til a smith men cleped daun Gerveys,
That in his forge smithed plough-harneys;
He sharpeth shaar and culter bisily.
This Absolon knokketh al esily,
And seyde, 'undo, Gerveys, and that anon.' 3765
'What, who artow?' 'It am I, Absolon.' (580)
'What, Absolon! for Cristes swete tree,
Why ryse ye so rathe, ey, benedicite!
What eyleth yow? som gay gerl, god it woot,
Hath broght yow thus up-on the viritoot ”

“ Which that he lovede more than his lyf;
Of eightetene yeer she was of age.
Ialous he was, and heeld hir narwe in cage,
For she was wilde and yong, and he was old 3225
And demed him-self ben lyk a cokewold. (40)
He knew nat Catoun, for his wit was rude,
That bad man sholde wedde his similitude.
Men sholde wedden after hir estaat,
For youthe and elde is often at debaat. 3230
But sith that he was fallen in the snare,
He moste endure, as other folk, his care.
Fair was this yonge wyf, and ther-with-al
As any wesele hir body gent and smal. ”

“ Men may nat preche or maken tarying. (360)
Anon go gete us faste in-to this in
A kneding-trogh, or elles a kimelin,
For ech of us, but loke that they be large,
In whiche we mowe swimme as in a barge, 3550
And han ther-inne vitaille suffisant
But for a day; fy on the remenant!
The water shal aslake and goon away
Aboute pryme up-on the nexte day.
But Robin may nat wite of this, thy knave, 3555
Ne eek thy mayde Gille I may nat save; (370)
Axe nat why, for though thou aske me,
I wol nat tellen goddes privetee. ”

“ They tolden every man that he was wood,
He was agast so of 'Nowelis flood'
Thurgh fantasye, that of his vanitee 3835
He hadde y-boght him kneding-tubbes three, (650)
And hadde hem hanged in the roof above;
And that he preyed hem, for goddes love,
To sitten in the roof, par companye.
The folk gan laughen at his fantasye; 3840
In-to the roof they kyken and they gape,
And turned al his harm un-to a Iape. ”

“ And 'clom,' quod John, and 'clom,' seyde Alisoun.
This carpenter seyde his devocioun, 3640
And stille he sit, and biddeth his preyere,
Awaytinge on the reyn, if he it here.
The dede sleep, for wery bisinesse,
Fil on this carpenter right, as I gesse,
Aboute corfew-tyme, or litel more; 3645
For travail of his goost he groneth sore, (460)
And eft he routeth, for his heed mislay.
Doun of the laddre stalketh Nicholay,
And Alisoun, ful softe adoun she spedde;
With-outen wordes mo, they goon to bedde 3650
Ther-as the carpenter is wont to lye.
Ther was the revel and the melodye ”

“ Ln. om. ther.—3527. E. aftir.—3534. E. hou.—3535. Hl. had; E. Hn. Cm. hadde.—3539. E. felaweshipe.—3540. E. brynge; rest gete.—3541. E. hadde; leuere.—3544. E. woostou; doone.—3548. E. ellis.—E. kymelyn; Hl. kemelyn.—3565: E. Thanne.—3571. E. Pt. Ln. broke; rest breke.—3575. E. Thanne. —E. shal I; rest shaltow, shalt thou.—3577. E. Thanne.—3588. E. heeste.—3591. E. Hn. Na.—3592. E. Pt. Hl. so; rest go.—3593. E. folk; Cm. we; rest men.—3598. E. sende.—3599. E. to preche; Cp. to teche ”