Conclusion_Translation_swilliams

//715:// Now have I toold you soothly, in a clause, //**Now I have told you the truth in brief,** 716:// Th' estaat, th' array, the nombre, and eek the cause //**The rank, the dress, the number, as well as the reason** 717:// Why that assembled was this compaignye //718:// In southwerk at this gentil hostelrye //719:// That highte the tabard, faste by the belle. //720:// But now is tyme to yow for to telle //721:// How that we baren us that ilke nyght, //722:// Whan we were in that hostelrie alyght; //723:// And after wol I telle of our viage //724:// And al the remenaunt of oure pilgrimage. //725:// But first I pray yow, of youre curteisye, //726:// That ye n' arette it nat my vileynye, //727:// Thogh that I pleynly speke in this mateere, //**Though I speak frankly**//, //728:// To telle yow hir wordes and hir cheere, //729:// Ne thogh I speke hir wordes proprely. //730:// For this ye knowen al so wel as I, //731:// Whoso shal telle a tale after a man, //732:// He moot reherce as ny as evere he kan //733:// Everich a word, if it be in his charge, //734:// Al speke he never so rudeliche and large, //735:// Or ellis he moot telle his tale untrewe, //736:// Or feyne thyng, or fynde wordes newe. //737:// He may nat spare, althogh he were his brother; //738:// He moot as wel seye o word as another. //739:// Crist spak hymself ful brode in hooly writ, //740:// And wel ye woot no vileynye is it. //741:// Eek plato seith, whoso that kan hym rede, //**And Plato says, to those who can read,**// //742:// The wordes moote be cosyn to the dede. //**The words must match the deed.**// //743:// Also I prey yow to foryeve it me, //744:// Al have I nat set folk in hir degree //**If I have not set people in their degree,**// //745:// Heere in this tale, as that they sholde stonde. //746:// My wit is short, ye may wel understonde. //**My wit is short, as you may well understand.**// //747:// Greet chiere made oure hoost us everichon, //748:// And to the soper sette he us anon. //**And he set us to dinner immediately.**// //749:// He served us with vitaille at the beste; //750:// Strong was the wyn, and wel to drynke us leste. //**The wine was strong, and it pleased us to drink it.**// //751:// A semely man oure hooste was withalle //752:// For to han been a marchal in an halle. //**To have been the master of ceremonies in the hall.**// //753:// A large man he was with eyen stepe -- //**He was a large man with an even tread --**// //754:// A fairer burgeys is ther noon in chepe -- //**A fairer tradesman is hard to find --**// //755:// Boold of his speche, and wys, and wel ytaught, //**Bold in his speech and ways as well as well taught,**// //756:// And of manhod hym lakkede right naught. //757:// Eek therto he was right a myrie man, //**Therefore he was well to be a merry man,**// //758:// And after soper pleyen he bigan, //**And after dinner ended he began,**// //759:// And spak of myrthe amonges othere thynges, //**And spoke of merriment among other things,**// //760:// Whan that we hadde maad oure rekenynges, //**When we had made our reckonings,**// //761:// And seyde thus: now, lordynges, trewely, //**And then said: now, lords, truly,**// //762:// Ye been to me right welcome, hertely; //**You are heartily welcomed here,**// //763:// For by my trouthe, if that I shal nat lye, //764:// I saugh nat this yeer so myrie a compaignye //765:// Atones in this herberwe as is now. //**Here in this inn than now.**// //766:// Fayn wolde I doon yow myrthe, wiste I how. //**Gladly would I make you happy, if I knew how.**// //767:// And of a myrthe I am right now bythoght, //**And I have just thought of a game,**// //768:// To doon yow ese, and it shal coste noght. //**To play now, and it will not cost you anything.**// //769:// Ye goon to caunterbury -- God yow speede, //770:// The blisful martir quite yow youre meede! //**The blest martyr listens to your need!**// //771:// And wel I woot, as ye goon by the weye, //**And well I know, as you go on your way,**// //772:// Ye shapen yow to talen and to pleye; //**You will tell good tales and shape yourselves to play;**// //773:// For trewely, confort ne myrthe is noon //**For truly, there is no comfort or mirth**// //774:// To ride by the weye doumb as a stoon; //**In riding the roads dumb as stone;**// //775:// And therfore wol I maken yow disport, //**And therefore I would make you a game,**// //776:// As I seyde erst, and doon yow som confort. //**As I first said, and to give you some comfort.**// //777:// And if yow liketh alle by oon assent //**And if you all like it**// //778:// For to stonden at my juggement, //**Accept my judgement,**// //779:// And for to werken as I shal yow seye, //**And do as I say,**// //780:// To-morwe, whan ye riden by the weye, //**when you ride on your way tomorrow,**// //781:// Now, by my fader soule that is deed, //**Now, by the soul of my father that is dead,**// //782:// But ye be myrie, I wol yeve yow myn heed! //**If you are not merry, I would give you my head!**// //783:// Hoold up youre hondes, withouten moore speche. //**Hold up your hands, speak of it no more.**// //784:// Oure conseil was nat longe for to seche. //785:// Us thoughte it was noght worth to make it wys, //**We thought there was no reason to argue,**// //786:// And graunted hym withouten moore avys, //**And granted it to him without more ado,**// //787:// And bad him seye his voirdit as hym leste. //**And asked him to tell us his verdict.**// //788:// Lordynges, quod he, now herkneth for the beste; //**Lords, quote he, now listen to my advice;**// //789:// But taak it nought, I prey yow, in desdeyn. //**But please do not take it in disdain.**// //790:// This is the poynt, to speken short and pleyn, //791:// That ech of yow, to shorte with oure weye, //**That each of you, to pass the time,**// //792:// In this viage shal telle tales tweye //**Will tell two stories**// //793:// To caunterbury-ward, I mene it so, //794:// And homward he shal tellen othere two, //**And homeward bound you shall tell another two,**// //795:// Of aventures that whilom han bifalle. //**About the adventures of the past.**// //796:// And which of yow that bereth hym best of alle, //797:// That is to seyn, that telleth in this caas //798:// Tales of best sentence and moost solaas, //**Tales of the best sense and humor,**// //799:// Shal have a soper at oure aller cost //**Shall have a dinner at all others' cost**// //800:// Heere in this place, sittynge by this post, //**Here in this place, sitting by this post,**// //801:// Whan that we come agayn fro caunterbury. //802:// And for to make yow the moore mury, //803:// I wol myselven goodly with yow ryde, //804:// Right at myn owene cost, and be youre gyde, //805:// And whoso wole my juggement withseye //806:// Shal paye al that we spenden by the weye. //807:// And if ye vouche sauf that it be so, //**And if you agree,**// //808:// Tel me anon, withouten wordes mo, //809:// And I wol erly shape me therfore. //810:// This thyng was graunted, and oure othes swore //811:// With ful glad herte, and preyden hym also //812:// That he wolde vouche sauf for to do so, //813:// And that he wolde been oure governour, //814:// And oure tales juge and reportour, //**Judging our tales,** 815:// And sette a soper at a certeyn pris, //**And arranging our dinner at a certain price,** 816:// And we wol reuled been at his devys //**We would be ruled by his advice** 817:// In heigh and lough; and thus by oon assent //**In high and low; and thus by unanimous decision** 818:// We been acorded to his juggement. //**We accepted his judgement.** 819:// And therupon the wyn was fet anon; //**And wine was fetched immediately;** 820:// We dronken, and to reste wente echon, //**We drank, and finally went to rest,** 821:// Withouten any lenger taryynge. //**Without tarrying any longer.** 822:// Amorwe, whan that day bigan to sprynge, //**The next morning, when the day began to spring,** 823:// Up roos oure hoost, and was oure aller cok, //**Our host rose, and acting as our rooster,** 824:// And gradrede us togidre alle in a flok, //**He gathered us together into a flock,** 825:// And forth we riden a litel moore than paas //**And we rode forth at a brisk pace** 826:// Unto the wateryng of seint thomas; //**Until we reached the watering place of Saint Thomas;** 827:// And there oure hoost bigan his hors areste //**And there our host eased his horse** 828:// And seyde, lordynges, herkneth, if yow leste. //**And said, Lords, listen, if you would.** 829:// Ye woot youre foreward, and I it yow recorde. //**You know what you agreed to, I will remind you.** 830:// If even-song and morwe-song accorde, //**If even-song and morrow-song agree,** 831:// Lat se now who shal telle the firste tale. //**Let's see who shall tell the first tale.** 832:// As evere mote I drynke wyn or ale, //**And as I hope to drink wine or ale,** 833:// Whoso be rebel to my juggement //**Whoever does not hold to my judgement** 834:// Shal paye for al that by the wey is spent. //**Shall pay for all that is spent along the way.** 835:// Now draweth cut, er that we ferrer twynne; //**Now draw straws before we continue on:** 836:// He which that hath the shorteste shal bigynne. //**He who has the shortest straw shall begin.** 837:// Sire knyght, quod he, my mayster and my lord, //**Sir knight, said he, my master and my lord,** 838:// Now draweth cut, for that is myn accord. //**You draw first, since you have given your word.** 839:// Cometh neer, quod he, my lady prioresse. //**Come near, said he, my lady prioress.** 840:// And ye, sire clerk, lat be youre shamefastnesse, //**And ye, sir clerk, do away with you shyness,** 841:// Ne studieth noght; ley hond to, every man! //**Do not think about it; draw, every man!** 842:// Anon to drawen every wight bigan, //**Immediately everyon began to draw straws,** 843:// And shortly for to tellen as it was, //**And to make a long story short,** 844:// Were it by aventure, or sort, or cas, //**By chance, or luck, or some other cause,** 845:// The sothe is this, the cut fil to the knyght, //**The truth is, the short straw fell to the knight,** 846:// Of which ful blithe and glad was every wyght, //**Which everyone delighted in,** 847:// And telle he moste his tale, as was resoun, //**And it was agreed that he would tell his tale first,** 848:// By foreward and by composicioun, //**According to our earlier promise,** 849:// As ye han herd; what nedeth wordes mo? //850:// And whan this goode man saugh that it was so, //**And when this good man saw that it was so,** 851:// As he that wys was and obedient //**As he was wise and obedient** 852:// To kepe his foreward by his free assent, //**To keep his word by his own consent,** 853:// He seyde, syn I shal bigynne the game, //**He said, Since I must begin the game,** 854:// What, welcome be the cut, a goddes name! //**Why, the straw is welcome, in God's name!** 855:// Now lat us ryde, and herkneth what I seye. //**Now let us ride, and listen to what I say.** 856:// And with that word we ryden forth oure weye, //**And with that word we rode on our way,** 857:// And he bigan with right a myrie cheere //**And he began cheerfully** 858:// His tale anon, and seyde as ye may heere.
 * //Why this company was assembled//**
 * //In Southwerk at this high-class inn//**
 * //That was called the Tabard, near the bell.//**
 * //But now it is time to tell you//**
 * //How we conducted ourselves that night//**
 * //When we arrived to that inn//**
 * //And after I will tell of our journey//**
 * //And of all of the memories of our pilgrimage.//**
 * //But first I ask you, out of courtesy,//**
 * //That you will not attribute this to wickedness,//**
 * //Telling you their words and their cheer,//**
 * //though I neither use their exact words nor lie.//**
 * //For you know as well as I,//**
 * //that whoever repeats another man's tale,//**
 * //He must report it as near as he can//**
 * //to every word, if he can remember,//**
 * //Even if it be rude and uncalled for,//**
 * //Or else he tells an untrue tale,//**
 * //or an embellishment, or fiction.//**
 * //He cannot omit anything, even if he is speaking of his brother;//**
 * //He must say one word as well as another.//**
 * //Christ himself spoke plainly in holy writ,//**
 * //And you know well that there is nothing wicked in it.//**
 * //Also I ask that you forgive me,//**
 * //Here in this tale, as they should stand.//**
 * //Our host provided great cheer to all,//**
 * //He served us the finest meal;//**
 * //Our host was a seemly man indeed//**
 * //And he lacked nothing in manhood.//**
 * //For surely, I tell no lie,//**
 * //I have not seen so merry a company this year//**
 * //You go to Canterbury -- God speed,//**
 * //Our decision was not sought for long.//**
 * //This is the point, plain and simple,//**
 * //To Canterbury town, I mean,//**
 * //And the person who tells the best tale,//**
 * //That is to say, who tells it best along the way//**
 * //When we come back from Canterbury.//**
 * //And to make you even merrier,//**
 * //I myself will gladly ride with you,//**
 * //At my own cost, and be your guide,//**
 * //But whoever tries to disobey my judgement//**
 * //Shall pay for everyone's expenses along the way.//**
 * //Tell me now, with no more words,//**
 * //And I will get ready early.//**
 * //This thing was agreed upon, and everyone swore//**
 * //With glad hearts, and also asked him//**
 * //That he would take the office//**
 * //And be our governor,//**
 * As you have heard; what more is there to say?**
 * //To tell his tale immediately, and said what you will hear.

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