The Canterbury Tales E-Book

Geoffrey Chaucer

• Herausgeber: Geoffrey Chaucer
• Kategorie: Poesie und Drama
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2016

Beschreibung

The Canterbury Tales (Middle English: Tales of Caunterbury) is a collection of over 20 stories written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer at the end of the 14th century, during the time of the Hundred Years' War. The tales (mostly written in verse, although some are in prose) are presented as part of a story-telling contest by a group of pilgrims as they travel together on a journey from Southwark to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral. The prize for this contest is a free meal at the Tabard Inn at Southwark on their return. After a long list of works written earlier in his career, including Troilus and Criseyde, House of Fame, and "Parliament of Fowls", The Canterbury Tales is near-unanimously seen as Chaucer's magnum opus. He uses the tales and the descriptions of its characters to paint an ironic and critical portrait of English society at the time, and particularly of the Church. Structurally, the collection resembles The Decameron, which Chaucer may have read during his first diplomatic mission to Italy in 1372. It is sometimes argued that the greatest contribution The Canterbury Tales made to English literature was in popularising the literary use of vernacular, English, rather than French or Latin. English had, however, been used as a literary language centuries before Chaucer's time, and several of Chaucer's contemporaries—John Gower, William Langland, the Pearl Poet, and Julian of Norwich—also wrote major literary works in English. It is unclear to what extent Chaucer was responsible for starting a trend as opposed to simply being part of it. While Chaucer clearly states the addressees of many of his poems, the intended audience of The Canterbury Tales is more difficult to determine. Chaucer was a courtier, leading some to believe that he was mainly a court poet who wrote exclusively for nobility.

Leseprobe

The Canterbury Tales

by

Geoffrey Chaucer

Part 1

Prologue

Here bygynneth the Book of the tales of Caunterbury.

Part 2

The Knyghtes Tale.

Heere bigynneth the knyghtes tale.

Part 3

Prologue to the Milleres Tale

Heere folwen the wordes bitwene the Hoost and the Millere

The Tale

Part 4

Prologue to the Reves Tale

The prologe of the Reves Tale.

Part 5

The Prologue to the Cokes Tale.

The prologe of the Cokes Tale.

The Tale (Unfinished).

Part 6

Prologue of the Man of Lawe.

The wordes of the Hoost to the compaignye.

Part 7

The Tale of the Man of Lawe.

The prologe of the Mannes Tale of Lawe.

Heere begynneth the Man of Lawe his Tale.

Part 8

Prologue to the Shipmannes Tale

Here endith the man of lawe his tale. And next folwith the Shipman his prolog.

Here endith the Shipman his prolog. And next folwyng he bigynneth his tale.

The Tale.

Part 9

The Prioresses Tale

The prologe of the Prioresses tale. Domine dominus noster.

Heere begynneth the Prioresses Tale.

Heere is ended the Prioresses Tale.

Part 10

Prologue to Chaucer’S Tale of Sir Thopas

Part 11

Heere bigynneth Chaucers tale of Thopas.

The Second Fit.

Heere the Hoost stynteth Chaucer of his Tale of Thopas.

The Tale (in prose).

Part 12

Prologue to the Monkes Tale

The murye wordes of the Hoost to the Monk.

Part 13

The Monkes Tale

Heere bigynneth the Monkes Tale de Casibut Virorum Illustrium.

Heere stynteth the Knyght the Monk of his tale.

Part 14

Prologue to the Nonnes Preestes Tale

The Prologue of the Nonnes Preestes Tale.

Part 15

The Nonnes Preestes Tale

Heere bigynneth the Nonnes Preestes tale of the Cok and Hen, Chauntecleer and Pertelote.

Heere is ended the Nonnes Preestes tale.

Part 16

The Phisiciens Tale

Heere folweth the Phisiciens tale.

Part 17

Epilogue

The wordes of the Hoost to the Phisicien and the Pardoner.

The Pardoners Prologue

Heere folweth the Prologe of the Pardoners tale.

Part 18

The Pardoners Tale

Heere bigynneth the Pardoners tale.

Heere is ended the Pardoners tale.

Part 19

Prologue of the Wyves Tale of Bath

The Prologe of the Wyves tale of Bathe.

Part 20

The Tale of the Wyf of Bath

Here bigynneth the Tale of the Wyf of Bathe.

Part 21

Prologue to the Freres Tale

The Prologe of the Freres Tale.

The Tale

Part 22

The Clerkes Tale — Prologue

Heere folweth the Prologe of the clerkes tale of Oxenford.

Part 23

The Clerkes Tale

Heere bigynneth the tale of the Clerk of Oxenford.

Lenvoy de Chaucer.

Bihoold the murye wordes of the Hoost.

Part 24

The Prologue of the Marchantes Tale

The Prologe of the Marchantes tale.

The Tale.

Part 25

Epilogue

Prologue to the Squieres Tale

The Squieres Tale

Heere bigynneth the Squieres Tale.

Part 26

Prologue to the Frankeleyns Tale

Heere folwen the wordes of the Frankelyn to the Squier, and the wordes of the hoost to the Frankelyn

The Frankeleyns Tale

Heere bigynneth the Frankeleyns tale.

Heere is ended the Frankeleyns tale.

Part 27

The Seconde Nonnes Tale

The Prologe of the Seconde Nonnes Tale.

Here bigynneth the Seconde Nonnes tale of the lyf of Seinte Cecile.

Heere is ended the Seconde Nonnes tale.

Part 28

Prologue to the Chanouns Yemannes Tale

The prologe of the Chanouns yemannes tale.

Part 29

Prologue to the Maunciples Tale

Heere folweth the Prologe of the Maunciples tale.

The Maunciples Tale

Heere bigynneth the Maunciples tale of the Crowe.

Heere is ended the Maunciples tale of the Crowe.

Part 30

Prologue to the Persouns Tale.

Heere folweth the Prologe of the Persouns tale.

Heere taketh the makere of this book his leve.

Part 1

GROUP A

Prologue

Here bygynneth the Book of the tales of Caunterbury.

Whan that Aprille, with hise shoures soote, The droghte of March hath perced to the roote And bathed every veyne in swich licour, Of which vertu engendred is the flour; Whan Zephirus eek with his swete breeth Inspired hath in every holt and heeth The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne Hath in the Ram his halfe cours yronne, And smale foweles maken melodye, That slepen al the nyght with open eye — So priketh hem Nature in hir corages — Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes; And specially, from every shires ende Of Engelond, to Caunturbury they wende, The hooly blisful martir for the seke That hem hath holpen, whan that they were seeke.

Bifil that in that seson, on a day, In Southwerk at the Tabard as I lay, Redy to wenden on my pilgrymage To Caunterbury, with ful devout corage, At nyght were come into that hostelrye Wel nyne and twenty in a compaignye Of sondry folk, by aventure yfalle In felaweshipe, and pilgrimes were they alle, That toward Caunterbury wolden ryde. The chambres and the stables weren wyde, And wel we weren esed atte beste; And shortly, whan the sonne was to reste, So hadde I spoken with hem everychon That I was of hir felaweshipe anon, And made forward erly for to ryse To take our wey, ther as I yow devyse.

But nathelees, whil I have tyme and space, Er that I ferther in this tale pace, Me thynketh it acordaunt to resoun To telle yow al the condicioun Of ech of hem, so as it semed me, And whiche they weren, and of what degree, And eek in what array that they were inne; And at a knyght than wol I first bigynne.

A knyght ther was, and that a worthy man, That fro the tyme that he first bigan To riden out, he loved chivalrie, Trouthe and honour, fredom and curteisie. Ful worthy was he in his lordes werre, And therto hadde he riden, no man ferre, As wel in Cristendom as in Hethenesse, And evere honoured for his worthynesse.

At Alisaundre he was, whan it was wonne; Ful ofte tyme he hadde the bord bigonne Aboven alle nacions in Pruce; In Lettow hadde he reysed, and in Ruce, No cristen man so ofte of his degree. In Gernade at the seege eek hadde he be Of Algezir, and riden in Belmarye; At Lyeys was he, and at Satalye, Whan they were wonne; and in the Grete See At many a noble arive hadde he be. At mortal batailles hadde he been fiftene, And foughten for oure feith at Tramyssene In lystes thries, and ay slayn his foo. This ilke worthy knyght hadde been also Somtyme with the lord of Palatye Agayn another hethen in Turkye, And everemoore he hadde a sovereyn prys. And though that he were worthy, he was wys, And of his port as meeke as is a mayde; He nevere yet no vileynye ne sayde In al his lyf unto no maner wight; He was a verray parfit gentil knyght.

But for to tellen yow of his array, His hors weren goode, but he was nat gay. Of fustian he wered a gypoun, Al bismotered with his habergeoun; For he was late ycome from his viage, And wente for to doon his pilgrymage.

With hym ther was his sone, a yong Squier, A lovyere and a lusty bacheler, With lokkes crulle, as they were leyd in presse. Of twenty yeer of age he was, I gesse. Of his stature he was of evene lengthe, And wonderly delyvere, and of greet strengthe. And he hadde been somtyme in chyvachie In Flaundres, in Artoys, and Pycardie, And born hym weel, as of so litel space, In hope to stonden in his lady grace. Embrouded was he, as it were a meede, Al ful of fresshe floures whyte and reede; Syngynge he was, or floytynge, al the day, He was as fressh as is the monthe of May. Short was his gowne, with sleves longe and wyde. Wel koude he sitte on hors, and faire ryde, He koude songes make, and wel endite, Juste, and eek daunce, and weel purtreye and write. So hoote he lovede, that by nyghtertale He slepte namoore than dooth a nyghtyngale. Curteis he was, lowely, and servysable, And carf biforn his fader at the table.

A Yeman hadde he, and servantz namo At that tyme, for hym liste ride soo; And he was clad in cote and hood of grene, A sheef of pecok arwes bright and kene Under his belt he bar ful thriftily — Wel koude he dresse his takel yemanly, Hise arwes drouped noght with fetheres lowe — And in his hand he baar a myghty bowe. A not — heed hadde he, with a broun visage, Of woodecraft wel koude he al the usage. Upon his arm he baar a gay bracer, And by his syde a swerd and a bokeler, And on that oother syde a gay daggere, Harneised wel, and sharpe as point of spere. A Cristophere on his brest of silver sheene, An horn he bar, the bawdryk was of grene. A Forster was he, soothly, as I gesse.