The Canterbury Tales

by Geoffrey Chaucer

  So sore hath Venus hurt him with hir brond,

  As that she bar it dauncing in hir hond.

  And to his bed he wente him hastily;

  1780 Namoore of him at this time speke I,

  But ther I lete him wepe inow and pleine1781,

  Til fresshe May wol rewen1782 on his peine.

  O perilous fir, that in the bedstraw1783 bredeth!

  O famulier foo1784, that his service bedeth!

  1785 O servant traitour, false homly hewe1785,

  Lik to the neddre1786 in bosom sly untrewe!

  God shilde us alle from youre aqueintance.

  O Januarye, dronken in plesance

  In mariage, se how thy Damian,

  1790 Thin owene squier and thy borne man1790,

  Entendeth1791 for to do thee vileinye.

  God grante thee thin homly fo t’espye!

  For in this world nis worse pestilence

  Than homly fo alday1794 in thy presence.

  1795 Parfourned1795 hath the sonne his ark diurne;

  No lenger may the body of him sojurne1796

  On th’orisonte1797 as in that latitude.

  Night with his mantel that is derk and rude1798

  Gan oversprede the hemisperie1799 aboute,

  1800 For which departed is this lusty route1800

  Fro Januarye, with thank on every side.

  Hom to hir houses lustily1802 they ride,

  Wheras they doon hir thinges as hem leste1803,

  And whan they say1804 hir time, go to reste.

  1805 Soone after that, this hastif Januarye

  Wol go to bedde; he wol no lenger tarye.

  He drinketh ipocras, clarree1807 and vernage

  Of spices hoote, t’encressen his corage1808,

  And many a letuarye1809 hath he ful fin,

  1810 Swich as the cursed monk daun Constantin

  Hath writen in his book De Coitu;

  To ete hem alle he nas nothing eschu1812.

  And to his privee1813 freendes thus seide he:

  ‘For Goddes love, as soone as it may be,

  1815 Lat voiden1815 al this hous in curteis wise.’

  And they han doon right as he wol devise1816;

  Men drinken, and the travers1817 drawe anon.

  The bride was broght abedde, as stille as stoon;

  And whan the bed was with the preest yblessed,

  1820 Out of the chambre hath every wight him dressed1820.

  And Januarye hath faste in armes take

  His fresshe May, his paradis, his make1822.

  He lulleth1823 hire, he kisseth hire ful ofte;

  With thikke bristles of his berd unsofte1824,

  1825 Lik to the skin of houndfissh1825, sharp as brere –

  For he was shave al newe in his manere –

  He rubbeth hire aboute hir tendre face,

  And seide thus: ‘Allas, I moot trespace1828

  To yow, my spouse, and yow gretly offende1829,

  1830 Er time come that I wol doun descende.

  But natheles, considereth this,’ quod he,

  ‘Ther nis no werkman, whatsoevere he be,

  That may bothe werke wel and hastily.

  This wol be doon at leiser, parfitly.

  1835 It is no fors1835 how longe that we pleye;

  In trewe wedlok coupled be we tweye.

  And blessed be the yok that we been inne,

  For in oure actes we mow do no sinne.

  A man may do no sinne with his wif,

  1840 Ne hurte himselven with his owene knif,

  For we han leve to pleye us1841 by the lawe.’

  Thus laboureth he til that the day gan dawe1842,

  And thanne he taketh a sop in fin clarree1843,

  And upright in his bed thanne sitteth he,

  1845 And after that he song1845 ful loude and clere,

  And kiste his wif, and made wantown cheere1846.

  He was al coltissh1847, ful of ragerye,

  And ful of jargon1848 as a flekked pie.

  The slakke1849 skin aboute his nekke shaketh

  1850 Whil that he song, so chaunteth1850 he and craketh.

  But God woot what that May thoghte in hir herte,

  Whan she him saw up sitting in his sherte,

  In his night-cappe, and with his nekke lene;

  She preiseth nat his pleying1854 worth a bene.

  1855 Thanne seide he thus: ‘My reste wol I take

  Now day is come; I may no lenger wake.’

  And doun he leide his heed, and sleep til prime1857.

  And afterward, whan that he saw his time,

  Up riseth Januarye; but fresshe May

  1860 Heeld1860 hir chambre unto the fourthe day,

  As usage1861 is of wives for the beste.

  For every labour somtime moot han reste,

  Or ellis longe may he nat endure –

  This is to seyn, no lives1864 creature,

  1865 Be it of fissh or brid or beest or man.

  Now wol I speke of woful Damian,

  That langwisseth for love, as ye shul heere.

  Therfore I speke to him in this manere:

  I seye, ‘O sely Damian, allas!

  1870 Answere to my demaunde1870 as in this cas:

  How shaltow to thy lady, fresshe May,

  Telle thy wo? She wol alwey sey nay.

  Eek if thow speke, she wol thy wo biwreye1873.

  God be thin help! I kan no bettre seye.’

  1875 This sike Damian in Venus fir

  So brenneth1876 that he dieth for desir,

  For which he putte his lif in aventure1877.

  No lenger mighte he in this wise endure;

  But prively a penner gan he borwe1879,

  1880 And in a letter wroot he al his sorwe,

  In manere of a compleint1881 or a lay

  Unto his faire fresshe lady May.

  And in a purs of silk heng1883 on his sherte

  He hath it put, and leid it at his herte.

  1885 The moone, that at noon was thilke day

  That Januarye hath wedded fresshe May,

  In two of Taur, was into Cancre gliden,

  So longe hath Mayus in hir chambre abiden1888,

  As custume is unto thise nobles alle.

  1890 A bride shal nat eten in the halle

  Til dayes foure, or thre dayes atte leeste,

  Ypassed ben; thanne lat hir go to feeste.

  The fourthe day complet1893 from noon to noon,

  Whan that the heighe masse1894 was ydoon,

  1895 In halle sit this Januarye and May,

  As fressh as is the brighte someres day.

  And so bifel how that this goode man

  Remembred him upon this Damian,

  And seide, ‘Seinte Marye, how may this be,

  1900 That Damian entendeth nat to1900 me?

  Is he ay sik1901, or how may this bitide?’

  His squiers, whiche that stooden therbiside,

  Excused him bicause of his siknesse,

  Which letted him to doon his bisinesse1904;

  1905 Noon oother cause mighte make him tarye.

  ‘That me forthinketh1906,’ quod this Januarye,

  ‘He is a gentil squier, by my trouthe.

  If that he deide, it were harm and routhe1908.

  He is as wis, discret and as secree1909

  1910 As any man I woot of his degree1910,

  And therto manly and eek servisable1911,

  And for to be a thrifty1912 man right able.

  But after mete1913, as soone as evere I may,

  I wol myself visite him, and eek May,

  1915 To do him al the confort that I kan.’

  And for that word him blessed every man,

  That of his bountee1917 and his gentilesse

  He wolde so conforten in siknesse

  His squier, for it was a gentil1919 dede.

  1920 ‘Dame,’ quod this Januarye, ‘tak good hede,

  At after-mete1921 ye with youre wom
men alle,

  Whan ye han been in chambre out of this halle,

  That alle ye go see this Damian.

  Dooth him disport1924; he is a gentil man.

  1925 And telleth him that I wol him visite,

  Have I nothing but rested me a lite1926.

  And spede yow1927 faste, for I wol abide

  Til that ye slepe faste1928 by my side.’

  And with that word he gan to him calle

  1930 A squier that was marchal1930 of his halle,

  And tolde him certein thinges, what he wolde.

  This fresshe May hath streight hir wey yholde1932,

  With alle hir wommen, unto Damian.

  Doun by his beddes side sit she than,

  1935 Conforting him as goodly as1935 she may.

  This Damian, whan that his time he say1936,

  In secree wise his purs and eek his bille1937,

  In which that he ywriten hadde his wille1938,

  Hath put into hir hand withouten moore,

  1940 Save that he siketh1940 wonder depe and soore,

  And softely to hire right thus seide he:

  ‘Mercy, and that ye nat discovere1942 me,

  For I am deed if that this thing be kid1943!’

  This purs hath she inwith hir bosom hid,

  1945 And wente hir wey – ye gete namoore of me!

  But unto Januarye ycomen is she,

  That on his beddes side sit ful softe1947

  And taketh hire and kisseth hire ful ofte,

  And leide him doun to slepe, and that anon.

  1950 She feined hire1950 as that she moste gon

  Theras ye woot that every wight moot nede1951.

  And whan she of this bille hath taken hede,

  She rente1953 it al to cloutes at the laste,

  And in the privee1954 softely it caste.

  1955 Who studyeth1955 now but faire fresshe May?

  Adoun by olde Januarye she lay,

  That sleep til that the coughe hath him awaked.

  Anon he preide hire strepen hire1958 al naked;

  He wolde of hire, he seide, han som plesaunce;

  1960 He seide hir clothes dide him encombraunce1960.

  And she obeyeth, be hir lief or looth1961.

  But lest that precious1962 folk be with me wrooth,

  How that he wroghte1963 I dar nat to yow telle,

  Or wheither hir thoughte it paradis or helle,

  1965 But heere I lete1965 hem werken in hir wise,

  Til evensong rong and that they moste arise.

  Were it by destinee or aventure1967,

  Were it by influence1968, or by nature,

  Or constellacioun1969, that in swich estat

  1970 The hevene stood that time fortunat1970

  Was for to putte a bille of Venus werkes –1971

  For alle thing hath time1972, as seyn thise clerkes –

  To any womman for to gete hir love,

  I kan nat seye; but grete God above,

  1975 That knoweth that noon act is causelees,

  He deme1976 of al, for I wol holde my pees.

  But sooth is this, how that this fresshe May

  Hath taken swich impressioun1978 that day

  Of pitee on this sike Damian,

  1980 That from hir herte she ne drive kan

  The remembrance for to doon him ese1981.

  ‘Certein,’ thoghte she, ‘whom that this thing displese,

  I rekke1983 nat; for here I him assure

  To love him best of any creature,

  1985 Thogh he namoore hadde than his sherte.’

  Loo, pitee renneth1986 soone in gentil herte!

  Heere may ye se how excellent franchise1987

  In wommen is, whan they hem narwe avise1988.

  Som tyraunt is, as ther be many oon,

  1990 That hath an herte as hard as any stoon,

  Which wolde han lete him sterven1991 in the place

  Wel rather than han graunted him hir grace,

  And hem rejoisen in hir cruel pride,

  And rekke nat to been an homicide1994.

  1995 This gentil May, fulfilled of pitee,

  Right of hir hand a lettre maked she,

  In which she graunteth him hir verray grace.

  Ther lakketh noght but oonly day and place,

  Wher that she mighte unto his lust suffise1999;

  2000 For it shal be right as he wol devise2000.

  And whan she saw hir time2001 upon a day,

  To visite this Damian goth May,

  And subtilly2003 this lettre doun she threste

  Under his pilwe2004 – rede it if him leste.

  2005 She taketh him by the hand and harde him twiste2005,

  So secrely that no wight of it wiste2006,

  And bad him be al hool; and forth she wente

  To Januarye whan that he for hir sente.

  Up riseth Damian the nexte morwe;

  2010 Al passed was his siknesse and his sorwe.

  He kembeth him; he preineth him and piketh2011;

  He dooth al that his lady lust2012 and liketh.

  And eek to Januarye he goth as lowe2013

  As evere dide a dogge for the bowe2014.

  2015 He is so plesant unto every man –

  For craft is al, whoso that do it kan –

  That every wight is fain2017 to speke him good,

  And fully in his lady grace2018 he stood.

  Thus lete2019 I Damian aboute his nede,

  2020 And in my tale forth I wil procede.

  Somme clerkes holden that felicitee

  Stant2022 in delit, and therfore certein he,

  This noble Januarye, with al his might,

  In honeste2024 wise, as longeth to a knight,

  2025 Shoop him2025 to live ful deliciously.

  His housing, his array2026, as honestly

  To his degree was maked as a kinges.

  Amonges othere of his honeste2028 thinges,

  He made a gardin, walled al with stoon;

  2030 So fair a gardin woot I nowher noon.

  For out of doute, I verraily suppose

  That he that wroot the Romance of the Rose

  Ne koude of it the beautee wel devise2033;

  Ne Priapus ne mighte nat suffise2034,

  2035 Thogh he be god of gardins, for to telle

  The beautee of the gardin and the welle

  That stood under a laurer2037, alwey grene.

  Ful ofte time he Pluto and his queene

  Proserpina, and al hir faierye2039,

  2040 Disporten hem2040 and maken melodye

  Aboute that welle, and daunced, as men tolde.

  This noble knight, this Januarye the olde,

  Swich deintee2043 hath in it to walke and pleye,