Chaucer, Geoffrey, d. 1400. The Canterbury tales :
Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia Library
|
Table of Contents for this work | | All on-line databases | Etext Center Homepage |
The Tale of Sir Thopas
Fitt I
712: Listeth, lordes, in good entent,
713: And I wol telle verrayment
714: Of myrthe and of solas;
715: Al of a knyght was fair and gent
716: In bataille and in tourneyment,
717: His name was sire thopas.
718: Yborn he was in fer contree,
719: In flaundres, al biyonde the see,
720: At poperyng, in the place.
721: His fader was a man ful free,
722: And lord he was of that contree,
723: As it was goddes grace.
724: Sire thopas wax a doghty swayn;
725: Whit was his face as payndemayn,
726: His lippes rede as rose;
727: His rode is lyk scarlet in grayn,
728: And I yow telle in good certayn,
729: He hadde a semely nose.
730: His heer, his berd was lyk saffroun,
731: That to his girdel raughte adoun;
732: His shoon of cordewane.
733: Of brugges were his hosen broun,
734: His robe was of syklatoun,
735: That coste many a jane.
736: He koude hunte at wilde deer,
737: And ride an haukyng for river
738: With grey goshauk on honde;
739: Therto he was a good archeer;
740: Of wrastlyng was ther noon his peer,
741: Ther any ram shal stonde.
-165-
742: Ful many a mayde, bright in bour,
743: They moorne for hym paramour,
744: Whan hem were bet to slepe;
745: But he was chaast and no lechour,
746: And sweete as is the brembul flour
747: That bereth the rede hepe.
748: And so bifel upon a day,
749: For sothe, as I yow telle may,
750: Sire thopas wolde out ride.
751: He worth upon his steede gray,
752: And in his hand a launcegay,
753: A long swerd by his side.
754: He priketh thurgh a fair forest,
755: Therinne is many a wilde best,
756: Ye, bothe bukke and hare;
757: And as he priketh north and est,
758: I telle it yow, hym hadde almest
759: Bitid a sory care.
760: Ther spryngen herbes grete and smale,
761: The lycorys and the cetewale,
762: And many a clowe-gylofre;
763: And notemuge to putte in ale,
764: Wheither it be moyste or stale,
765: Or for to leye in cofre.
766: The briddes synge, it is no nay,
767: The sparhauk and the papejay,
768: That joye it was to heere;
769: The thrustelock made eek his lay,
770: The wodedowve upon the spray
771: She sang ful loude and cleere.
772: Sire thopas fil in love-longynge,
773: Al whan he herde the thrustel synge,
774: And pryked as he were wood.
775: His faire steede in his prikynge
776: So swatte that men myghte him wrynge;
777: His sydes were al blood.
778: Sire thopas eek so wery was
779: For prikyng on the softe gras,
780: So fiers was his corage,
781: That doun he leyde him in that plas
782: To make his steede som solas,
783: And yaf hym good forage.
784: O seinte marie, benedicite!
785: What eyleth this love at me
786: To bynde me so soore?
787: Me dremed al this nyght, pardee,
788: An elf-queene shal my lemman be
789: And slepe under my goore.
790: An elf-queene wol I love, ywis,
791: For in this world no womman is
792: Worthy to be my make
793: In towne;
794: Alle othere wommen I forsake,
795: And to an elf-queene I me take
796: By dale and eek by downe!
797: Into his sadel he clamb anon,
798: And priketh over stile and stoon
799: An elf-queene for t' espye,
800: Til he so longe hath riden and goon
801: That he foond, in a pryve woon,
802: The contree of fairye
803: So wilde;
804: For in that contree was ther noon
805: That to him durste ride or goon,
806: Neither wyf ne childe;
807: Til that ther cam a greet geaunt,
808: His name was sire olifaunt,
809: A perilus man of dede.
810: He seyde, child, by termagaunt!
811: But if thou prike out of myn haunt,
812: Anon I sle thy steede
813: With mace.
814: Heere is the queene of fayerye,
815: With harpe and pipe and symphonye,
816: Dwellynge in this place.
817: The child seyde, also moote I thee,
818: Tomorwe wol I meete with thee,
819: Whan I have myn armoure;
820: And yet I hope, par ma fay,
821: That thou shalt with this launcegay
822: Abyen it ful sowre.
823: Thy mawe
824: Shal I percen, if I may,
825: Er it be fully pryme of day,
826: For heere thow shalt be slawe.
827: Sire thopas drow abak ful faste;
828: This geant at hym stones caste
829: Out of a fel staf-slynge.
830: But faire escapeth child thopas,
831: And al it was thurgh goddes gras,
832: And thurgh his fair berynge.
833: Yet listeth, lordes, to my tale
834: Murier than the nightyngale,
835: For now I wol yow rowne
836: How sir thopas, with sydes smale,
837: Prikyng over hill and dale,
838: Is comen agayn to towne.
-166-
839: His myrie men comanded he
840: To make hym bothe game and glee,
841: For nedes moste he fighte
842: With a geaunt with hevedes three,
843: For paramour and jolitee
844: Of oon that shoon ful brighte.
845: Do come, he seyde, my mynstrale,
846: And geestours for to tellen tales,
847: Anon in myn armynge,
848: Of romances that been roiales,
849: Of popes and of cardinales,
850: And eek of love-likynge.
851: They fette hym first the sweet wyn,
852: And mede eek in a mazelyn,
853: And roial spicerye
854: Of gyngebreed that was ful fyn,
855: And lycorys, and eek comyn,
856: With sugre that is trye.
857: He dide next his white leere,
858: Of cloth of lake fyn and cleere,
859: A breech and eek a sherte;
860: And next his sherte an aketoun,
861: And over that an haubergeoun
862: For percynge of his herte;
863: And over that a fyn hawberk,
864: Was al ywroght of jewes werk,
865: Ful strong it was of plate;
866: And over that his cote-armour
867: As whit as is a lilye flour,
868: In which he wol debate.
869: His sheeld was al of gold so reed,
870: And therinne was a bores heed,
871: A charbocle bisyde;
872: And there he swoor on ale and breed
873: How that the geaunt shal be deed,
874: Bityde what bityde!
875: His jambeux were of quyrboilly,
876: His swerdes shethe of ivory,
877: His helm of latoun bright;
878: His sadel was of rewel boon,
879: His brydel as the sonne shoon,
880: Or as the moone light.
881: His spere was of fyn ciprees,
882: That bodeth werre, and nothyng pees,
883: The heed ful sharpe ygrounde;
884: His steede was al dappull gray,
885: It gooth an ambil in the way
886: Ful softely and rounde
887: In londe.
888: Loo, lordes myne, heere is a fit!
889: If ye wol any moore of it,
890: To telle it wol I fonde.
Fitt II
891: Now holde youre mouth, par charitee,
892: Bothe knyght and lady free,
893: And herkneth to my spelle;
894: Of bataille and of chivalry,
895: And of ladyes love-drury
896: Anon I wol yow telle.
897: Men speken of romances of prys,
898: Of horn child and of ypotys,
899: Of beves and sir gy,
900: Of sir lybeux and pleyndamour, --
901: But sir thopas, he bereth the flour
902: Of roial chivalry!
903: His goode steede al he bistrood,
904: And forth upon his wey he glood
905: As sparcle out of the bronde;
906: Upon his creest he bar a tour,
907: And therinne stiked a lilie flour, --
908: God shilde his cors for shonde!
909: And for he was a knyght auntrous,
910: He nolde slepen in noon hous,
911: But liggen in his hoode;
912: His brighte helm was his wonger,
913: And by hym baiteth his dextrer
914: Of herbes fyne and goode.
915: Hymself drank water of the well,
916: As dide the knyght sire percyvell
917: So worthy under wede,
918: Til on a day --
-167-