When April hath his sweetest showers brought To pierce the heart of March and banish drought, Then every vein is bathéd by his power, With fruitful juice engendering the flower; When the light zephyr, with its scented breath, Stirs to new life in every holt and heath The tender crops, what time the youthful sun Hath in the Ram his course but half-way run; And when the little birds make melody, That sleep the whole night long with open eye, So Nature rouses instinct into song,-- Then folk to go as pilgrims greatly long, And palmers hasten forth to foreign strands To worship far-off saints in sundry lands; And specially from every shire’s end Of England, unto Canterbury they wend, Before the blessed martyr there to kneel, Who oft hath help’d them by his power to heal. It happened that one day in the spring, as I was resting at the Tabard[31] Inn, in Southwark, ready to go on my devout pilgrimage to Canterbury, there arrived towards night at the inn a large company of all sorts of people--nine-and-twenty of them: they had met by chance, all being pilgrims to Canterbury.[32] The chambers and the stables were roomy, and so every one found a place. And shortly, after sunset, I had made friends with them all, and soon became one of their party. We all agreed to rise up early, to pursue our journey together.[33] But still, while I have time and space, I think I had better tell you who these people were, their condition and rank, which was which, and what they looked like. I will begin, then, with The Knight. [Illustration] A KNIGHT[34] ther was and that a worthy man, there, valuable That from the tyme that he ferst bigan To ryden out, he lovede chyvalrye, ride Trouthe and honour, fredom and curtesie. frankness Ful worthi was he in his lordes werre, war And therto hadde he riden, noman ferre, further As wel in Cristendom as in hethenesse, And evere honoured for his worthinesse. A knight there was, and that a worthy man, Who from the time in which he first began To ride afield, loved well all chivalry, Honour and frankness, truth and courtesy. Most worthy was he in his master’s war, And thereto had he ridden, none more far, As well in Christian as in heathen lands, And borne with honour many high commands. He had been at Alexandria when it was won: in Prussia he had gained great honours, and in many other lands. He had been in fifteen mortal battles, and had fought in the lists for our faith three times, and always slain his foe. He had served in Turkey and in the Great Sea. And he was always very well paid too. Yet, though so great a soldier, he was wise in council; and in manner he was gentle as a woman. Never did he use bad words in all his life, to any class of men: in fact He was a verray perfight, gentil knight. He was a very perfect, noble knight.