Chaucer Meme

[agoodwinsmith]

Nicked from esmeraldus_neo  and  daibhid_c  and sloopjonb  .  Today is (probably) Geoffrey Chaucer's deathday, so come up with a quote.


And of course, what would I remember, but:

When April with his showers sweet with fruit
The drought of March has pierced unto the root
And bathed each vein with liquor that has power
To generate therein and sire the flower;
When Zephyr also has, with his sweet breath,
Quickened again, in every holt and heath,
The tender shoots and buds, and the young sun
Into the Ram one half his course has run,
And many little birds make melody
That sleep through all the night with open eye
(So Nature pricks them on to ramp and rage)-
Then do folk long to go on pilgrimage,
 

taken from the following link because, no, I have not memorized any Chaucer - pillow-boff me now.
http://classiclit.about.com/library/bl-etexts/gchaucer/bl-gchau-can-genpro.htm

EDIT - merciful heck - who knows why the livejournal entry page does the formatting things it does - not me.

Comments

But this sounds so much better

[jessie-c.livejournal.com]

Whan that Aprille with his shoures soote,
The Droghte of March hath perced to the roote,
And bathed every veyne with swich licour.
Of which vetru engendred is the flour,
Inspired hath in every holt and heeth,
The tendre croppes, and the younge sonne,
Hath in eh Ram his halfe course Y-ronne,
And smalle fowles maken malodye,
That slepen all the night with open yë.
(So pricketh hem nature in hir courages)
Than longen folk to goon on pilgrimages.

Re: But this sounds so much better

[agoodwinsmith.livejournal.com]

Yes, it does.