Canterbury Tales and Other Poems, Geoffrey Chaucer [good fiction books to read txt] 📗

board deliciously,

In at the halle door all suddenly

There came a knight upon a steed of brass, And in his hand a broad mirror of glass; Upon his thumb he had of gold a ring,

And by his side a naked sword hanging: And up he rode unto the highe board.

In all the hall was there not spoke a word, For marvel of this knight; him to behold Full busily they waited,* young and old. *watched This strange knight, that came thus suddenly, All armed, save his head, full richely, Saluted king, and queen, and lordes all, By order as they satten in the hall,

With so high reverence and observance, As well in speech as in his countenance, That Gawain <9> with his olde courtesy, Though he were come again out of Faerie, Him *coulde not amende with a word. could not better him And after this, before the highe board, by one word*

He with a manly voice said his message, After the form used in his language,

Withoute vice* of syllable or letter. *fault And, for his tale shoulde seem the better, Accordant to his worde’s was his cheer, demeanour As teacheth art of speech them that it lear. learn Albeit that I cannot sound his style,

Nor cannot climb over so high a stile, Yet say I this, as to *commune intent, general sense or meaning*

Thus much amounteth all that ever he meant, this is the sum of

If it so be that I have it in mind.

He said; “The king of Araby and Ind,

My liege lord, on this solemne day

Saluteth you as he best can and may,

And sendeth you, in honour of your feast, By me, that am all ready at your hest, command This steed of brass, that easily and well Can in the space of one day naturel

(This is to say, in four-and-twenty hours), Whereso you list, in drought or else in show’rs, Beare your body into every place

To which your hearte willeth for to pace, pass, go Withoute wem* of you, through foul or fair. *hurt, injury Or if you list to fly as high in air

As doth an eagle, when him list to soar, This same steed shall bear you evermore Withoute harm, till ye be where *you lest it pleases you*

(Though that ye sleepen on his back, or rest), And turn again, with writhing* of a pin. twisting He that it wrought, he coude many a gin;** knew *contrivance <10>

He waited* in any a constellation, *observed Ere he had done this operation,

And knew full many a seal <11> and many a bond This mirror eke, that I have in mine hond, Hath such a might, that men may in it see When there shall fall any adversity

Unto your realm, or to yourself also,

And openly who is your friend or foe.

And over all this, if any lady bright

Hath set her heart on any manner wight, If he be false, she shall his treason see, His newe love, and all his subtlety,

So openly that there shall nothing hide.

Wherefore, against this lusty summer-tide, This mirror, and this ring that ye may see, He hath sent to my lady Canace,

Your excellente daughter that is here.

The virtue of this ring, if ye will hear, Is this, that if her list it for to wear Upon her thumb, or in her purse it bear, There is no fowl that flyeth under heaven, That she shall not well understand his steven, speech, sound And know his meaning openly and plain, And answer him in his language again:

And every grass that groweth upon root She shall eke know, to whom it will do boot, remedy All be his woundes ne’er so deep and wide.

This naked sword, that hangeth by my side, Such virtue hath, that what man that it smite, Throughout his armour it will carve and bite, Were it as thick as is a branched oak: And what man is y-wounded with the stroke Shall ne’er be whole, till that you list, of grace, To stroke him with the flat in thilke* place *the same Where he is hurt; this is as much to sayn, Ye muste with the flatte sword again

Stroke him upon the wound, and it will close.

This is the very sooth, withoute glose; deceit It faileth not, while it is in your hold.”

 

And when this knight had thus his tale told, He rode out of the hall, and down he light.

His steede, which that shone as sunne bright, Stood in the court as still as any stone.

The knight is to his chamber led anon, And is unarmed, and to meat y-set. seated These presents be full richely y-fet,* — *fetched This is to say, the sword and the mirrour, —

And borne anon into the highe tow’r,

With certain officers ordain’d therefor; And unto Canace the ring is bore

Solemnely, where she sat at the table; But sickerly, withouten any fable,

The horse of brass, that may not be remued. removed <12>

It stood as it were to the ground y-glued; There may no man out of the place it drive For no engine of windlass or polive; pulley And cause why, for they *can not the craft; know not the cunning And therefore in the place they have it laft, of the mechanism*

Till that the knight hath taught them the mannere To voide* him, as ye shall after hear. remove Great was the press, that swarmed to and fro To gauren on this horse that stoode so: *gaze For it so high was, and so broad and long, So well proportioned for to be strong, Right as it were a steed of Lombardy;

Therewith so horsely, and so quick of eye, As it a gentle Poileis <13> courser were: For certes, from his tail unto his ear Nature nor art ne could him not amend

In no degree, as all the people wend. weened, thought But evermore their moste wonder was

How that it coulde go, and was of brass; It was of Faerie, as the people seem’d.

Diverse folk diversely they deem’d;

As many heads, as many wittes been.

They murmured, as doth a swarm of been, bees And made skills* after their fantasies, *reasons Rehearsing of the olde poetries,

And said that it was like the Pegasee, Pegasus The horse that hadde winges for to flee; fly Or else it was the Greeke’s horse Sinon,<14>

That broughte Troye to destruction,

As men may in the olde gestes* read. *tales of adventures Mine heart,” quoth one, “is evermore in dread; I trow some men of armes be therein,

That shape* them this city for to win: *design, prepare It were right good that all such thing were know.”

Another rowned* to his fellow low, *whispered And said, “He lies; for it is rather like An apparence made by some magic,

As jugglers playen at these feastes great.”

Of sundry doubts they jangle thus and treat.

As lewed* people deeme commonly *ignorant Of thinges that be made more subtilly

Than they can in their lewdness comprehend; They *deeme gladly to the badder end. are ready to think And some of them wonder’d on the mirrour, the worst*

That borne was up into the master* tow’r, *chief <15>

How men might in it suche thinges see.

Another answer’d and said, it might well be Naturally by compositions

Of angles, and of sly reflections;

And saide that in Rome was such a one.

They speak of Alhazen and Vitellon,<16>

And Aristotle, that wrote in their lives Of quainte* mirrors, and of prospectives, *curious As knowe they that have their bookes heard.

And other folk have wonder’d on the swerd, sword That woulde pierce throughout every thing; And fell in speech of Telephus the king, And of Achilles for his quainte spear, <17>

For he could with it bothe heal and dere, wound Right in such wise as men may with the swerd Of which right now ye have yourselves heard.

They spake of sundry hard’ning of metal, And spake of medicines therewithal,

And how, and when, it shoulde harden’d be, Which is unknowen algate* unto me. *however Then spake they of Canacee’s ring,

And saiden all, that such a wondrous thing Of craft of rings heard they never none, Save that he, Moses, and King Solomon, Hadden *a name of conning* in such art. a reputation for Thus said the people, and drew them apart. knowledge

Put natheless some saide that it was

Wonder to maken of fern ashes glass,

And yet is glass nought like ashes of fern; But for they have y-knowen it so ferne* because **before <18>

Therefore ceaseth their jangling and their wonder.

As sore wonder some on cause of thunder, On ebb and flood, on gossamer and mist, And on all things, till that the cause is wist. known Thus jangle they, and deemen and devise, Till that the king gan from his board arise.

 

Phoebus had left the angle meridional, And yet ascending was the beast royal, The gentle Lion, with his Aldrian, <19>

When that this Tartar king, this Cambuscan, Rose from the board, there as he sat full high Before him went the loude minstrelsy,

Till he came to his chamber of parements,<20>

There as they sounded diverse instruments, That it was like a heaven for to hear.

Now danced lusty Venus’ children dear: For in the Fish* their lady sat full *Pisces And looked on them with a friendly eye. <21>

This noble king is set upon his throne; This strange knight is fetched to him full sone, soon And on the dance he goes with Canace.

Here is the revel and the jollity,

That is not able a dull man to devise: describe He must have knowen love and his service, And been a feastly* man, as fresh as May, *merry, gay That shoulde you devise such array.

Who coulde telle you the form of dances So uncouth,* and so freshe countenances* unfamliar **gestures Such subtle lookings and dissimulances, For dread of jealous men’s apperceivings?

No man but Launcelot,<22> and he is dead.

Therefore I pass o’er all this lustihead pleasantness I say no more, but in this jolliness

I leave them, till to supper men them dress.

The steward bids the spices for to hie haste And eke the wine, in all this melody;

The ushers and the squiers be y-gone,

The spices and the wine is come anon;

They eat and drink, and when this hath an end, Unto the temple, as reason was, they wend; The service done, they suppen all by day What needeth you rehearse their array?

Each man wot well, that at a kinge’s feast Is plenty, to the most*, and to the least, *highest And dainties more than be in my knowing.

 

At after supper went this noble king

To see the horse of brass, with all a rout Of lordes and of ladies him about.

Such wond’ring was there on this horse of brass, That, since the great siege of Troye was, There as men wonder’d on a horse also, Ne’er was there such a wond’ring as was tho. there But finally the king asked the knight

The virtue of this courser, and the might, And prayed him to tell his governance. mode of managing him The horse anon began to trip and dance, When that the knight laid hand upon his rein, And saide, “Sir, there is no more to sayn, But when you list to riden anywhere,

Ye muste trill* a pin, stands in his ear, *turn <23>

Which I shall telle you betwixt us