The Canterbury Tales 现代版.docx

The Canterbury Tales 现代版.docx

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TheCanterburyTales现代版

TheCanterburyTales-TheGeneralPrologue（ModernEnglishVersion）

TheCanterburyTales-TheGeneralPrologue（ModernEnglishVersion）

WheninAprilthesweetshowersfall

AndpiercethedroughtofMarchtotheroot,andall

Theveinsarebathedinliquorofsuchpower

Asbringsabouttheengenderingoftheflower,

WhenalsoZephyruswithhissweetbreath

Exhalesanairineverygroveandheath

Uponthetendershoots,andtheyoungsun

Hishalf-courseinthesignoftheRamhasrun,

Andthesmallfowlaremakingmelody

Thatsleepawaythenightwithopeneye

（Sonaturepricksthemandtheirheartengages）

Thenpeoplelongtogoonpilgrimages

Andpalmerslongtoseekthestrangerstrands

Offar-offsaints,hallowedinsundrylands,

Andspecially,fromeveryshire’send

OfEngland,downtoCanterburytheywend

Toseektheholyblissfulmartyr,quick

Togivehishelptothemwhentheyweresick,

Ithappenedinthatseasonthatoneday

InSouthwark,atTheTabard,asIlay

Readytogoonpilgrimagesandstart

ForCanterbury,mostdevoutatheart,

Atnighttherecameintothathostelry

Somenineandtwentyinacompany

Ofsundryfolkhappeningthentofall

Infellowship,andtheywerepilgrimsall

ThattowardsCanterburymeanttoride,

Theroomsandstablesoftheinnwerewide;

Theymadeuseasy,allwasofthebest,

And,briefly,whenthesunhadgonetorest,

I’dspokentothemalluponthetrip

Andwassoononewiththeminfellowship,

Pledgedtoriseearlyandtotaketheway

ToCanterbury,asyouheardmesay.

Butnonetheless,whileIhavetimeandspace,

Beforemystorytakesafurtherpace,

Itseemsareasonablethingtosay

Whattheirconditionwas,thefullarray

Ofeachofthem,asitappearedtome,

Accordingtoprofessionanddegree,

Andwhatappareltheywereridingin;

AndataKnightIthereforewillbegin.

TheOpeningofChaucer'sGeneralProloguetoTheCanterburyTales:

ADyptych--ColinWilcockson

Theopeningthirty-fourlinesoftheGeneralProloguesetthescene,anddivideintotwoequalhalves.Thefirstsixteenlines,commencing`Whanthat...',areconcernedwithmattersgeneral:

therenewalofnatureinAprilwiththesimultaneousdesireofmenandwomentosetoutonpilgrimages.Thecentraltwolines（17-18）arearimeriche（perfectrhymesonwordsthataredifferentpartsofspeech）.Theystatetheobjectofthepilgrimage--thejourneytotheshrineofThomasBecket:

Thehoolyblisfulmartirfortoseke,Thathemhathholpenwhanthattheywereseeke.

Theremainingsixteenlines,commencing'Bifilthat...',homeinonaspecificgroupofpilgrims:

theirreceptionattheTabardInnandtheirplansforthenextday.Thenfollowsaparagraph（II.35-42）whichisclearlyseparatedfromtheforegoingby`Butnathelees'.InitChaucerexplainsthathewillpresentthereaderwithcharactersketchesoftheindividualpilgrims,includingtheirsocialrankandtheirdress.

ThedivisionsIhaveindicatedarereinforcedbythescribeoftheEllesmereMS.Hereservesilluminatedcapitallettersforparticularindication.Thus,eachnewpilgrim'sdescriptioncommenceswithadecoratedinitialletter:

'Aknyghttherwas...Withhymtherwashissoneayongsquier..Qherwasalsoanonne...',andsoon.WhenthedescriptionsarecompleteandChaucermovesontothemoregeneralnarrative（II.715-858）,onlythefirstcapitalofthatentire143-linepassageisilluminated:

'NowhaveItooldyousoothly...'.YetatthebeginningoftheGeneralProloguewefindthedecoratedcapitalatthefirstline:

'WhanthatApril...';so,too,directlyaftertherimeriche,atline19:

'Bifilthatinthatseason...';andatline35:

`Butnathelees...'.Thusthesecondsixteen-linesectionIhavementionedisseparated,andthescribedrawsourattentiontoanewbeginningafterline34.

ThisdrawingofattentiontostructuralconfigurationbycolouredcapitalsisofapiecewiththetwosuccessiveusesofthedeviceinsectionsXVI（laststanza）andXVII（firststanza）ofPearl,evidentlytoemphasizethatsectionXVcontainsacrypticsix（ratherthantheusualfive）stanzas.Apartfromthis'extra'decoratedcapitalinsectionXVIonlythefirstcapitalletterofeachsectionofPearliscoloured.Aseachstanzahastwelvelines,the`fivestanzapersection'formtotalssixtylinespersection.SectionXVcontains,however,seventy-twolines（i.e.sixstanzas）,unbrokenbyanewcapitalletter.ButinsectionXVIan'intrusive'capitalletterintroducesthefifthstanza,drawingattentiontothefactthattherewouldhavebeenacolouredcapitalthereiftheprevioussectionhadcontainedtheregularfivestanzasoftheothernineteensectionsofthepoem.Thenextstanzaagainhasacolouredcapital,becausethatintroducessectionXVII.Ithasoftenbeenpointedoutthattheresultingnumberofstanzas--101--isalso（andsurelymorethancoincidentally）thenumberofverse-paragraphsinanotherworkbythesamepoet,SirGawainandtheGreenKnight.Someeditorshave,however,assumedthattherewasanon-authorialadditionofastanzainsectionXVofPearl;（n1）but,asthelastwordoftheelongatedsectionXVis'neuerpelese'（nevertheless）,awordtakenupasthefirstwordofsectionXVI,therewouldappeartobeanallusiontothenumerology.Furthermore,`neuerpeles'isthefinalphraseofeveryoneofthesixstanzasofsectionXV.Hadthe'intrusive'capitaloccurredatstanza6ofsectionXV,onemightarguethatthescribe,accustomedtoafive-stanzasection,anticipatedanewsectionandpaintedadecoratedcapital.Butitsremovaltilllaterreinforcesitscrypticsignificance.`Butnathelees'（Butnevertheless）isthephraseChauceralsousesinline35oftheGeneralPrologue,perhaps,likethePearl-poet,toalerthisreaderstotheprecedingnumberoflines.

Theopeningthirty-fourlinesoftheGeneralProloguesetthescene,anddivideintotwoequalhalves.Thefirstsixteenlines,commencing`Whanthat...',areconcernedwithmattersgeneral:

therenewalofnatureinAprilwiththesimultaneousdesireofmenandwomentosetoutonpilgrimages.Thecentraltwolines（17-18）arearimeriche（perfectrhymesonwordsthataredifferentpartsofspeech）.Theystatetheobjectofthepilgrimage--thejourneytotheshrineofThomasBecket:

Thehoolyblisfulmartirfortoseke,Thathemhathholpenwhanthattheywereseeke.

Theremainingsixteenlines,commencing'Bifilthat...',homeinonaspecificgroupofpilgrims:

theirreceptionattheTabardInnandtheirplansforthenextday.Thenfollowsaparagraph（II.35-42）whichisclearlyseparatedfromtheforegoingby`Butnathelees'.InitChaucerexplainsthathewillpresentthereaderwithcharactersketchesoftheindividualpilgrims,includingtheirsocialrankandtheirdress.

ThedivisionsIhaveindicatedarereinforcedbythescribeoftheEllesmereMS.Hereservesilluminatedcapitallettersforparticularindication.Thus,eachnewpilgrim'sdescriptioncommenceswithadecoratedinitialletter:

'Aknyghttherwas...Withhymtherwashissoneayongsquier..Qherwasalsoanonne...',andsoon.WhenthedescriptionsarecompleteandChaucermovesontothemoregeneralnarrative（II.715-858）,onlythefirstcapitalofthatentire143-linepassageisilluminated:

'NowhaveItooldyousoothly...'.YetatthebeginningoftheGeneralProloguewefindthedecoratedcapitalatthefirstline:

'WhanthatApril...';so,too,directlyaftertherimeriche,atline19:

'Bifilthatinthatseason...';andatline35:

`Butnathelees...'.Thusthesecondsixteen-linesectionIhavementionedisseparated,andthescribedrawsourattentiontoanewbeginningafterline34.

ThisdrawingofattentiontostructuralconfigurationbycolouredcapitalsisofapiecewiththetwosuccessiveusesofthedeviceinsectionsXVI（laststanza）andXVII（firststanza）ofPearl,evidentlytoemphasizethatsectionXVcontainsacrypticsix（ratherthantheusualfive）stanzas.Apartfromthis'extra'decoratedcapitalinsectionXVIonlythefirstcapitalletterofeachsectionofPearliscoloured.Aseachstanzahastwelvelines,the`fivestanzapersection'formtotalssixtylinespersection.SectionXVcontains,however,seventy-twolines（i.e.sixstanzas）,unbrokenbyanewcapitalletter.ButinsectionXVIan'intrusive'capitalletterintroducesthefifthstanza,drawingattentiontothefactthattherewouldhavebeenacolouredcapitalthereiftheprevioussectionhadcontainedtheregularfivestanzasoftheothernineteensectionsofthepoem.Thenextstanzaagainhasacolouredcapital,becausethatintroducessectionXVII.Ithasoftenbeenpointedoutthattheresultingnumberofstanzas--101--isalso（andsurelymorethancoincidentally）thenumberofverse-paragraphsinanotherworkbythesamepoet,SirGawainandtheGreenKnight.Someeditorshave,however,assumedthattherewasanon-authorialadditionofastanzainsectionXVofPearl;（n1）but,asthelastwordoftheelongatedsectionXVis'neuerpelese'（nevertheless）,awordtakenupasthefirstwordofsectionXVI,therewouldappeartobeanallusiontothenumerology.Furthermore,`neuerpeles'isthefinalphraseofeveryoneofthesixstanzasofsectionXV.Hadthe'intrusive'capitaloccurredatstanza6ofsectionXV,onemightarguethatthescribe,accustomedtoafive-stanzasection,anticipatedanewsectionandpaintedadecoratedcapital.Butitsremovaltilllaterreinforcesitscrypticsignificance.`Butnathelees'（Butnevertheless）isthephraseChauceralsousesinline35oftheGeneralPrologue,perhaps,likethePearl-poet,toalerthisreaderstotheprecedingnumberoflines.

TheChaucerianthi