Nor Chaucer Her Desk Betray

  

Heigh labour, and ful greet apparaillynge,

Was at the service and the fyr-makynge,

That with his grene top the heven raughte,

And twenty fadme of brede the armes straughte;

This is to seyn, the bowes weren so brode.

Of stree first ther was leyd ful many a lode,

But how the fyr was maked upon highte,

Ne eek the names that the trees highte,

As, ook, firre, birch, aspe, alder, holm, popeler,

Wylugh, elm, plane, assh, box, chasteyn, lynde, laurer,

Mapul, thorn, bech, hasel, ew, whippeltree -

How they weren fild shal nat be toold for me,

Ne how the goddes ronnen up and doun

Disherited of hir habitacioun,

In whiche they woneden in reste and pees,

Nymphes, Fawnes, and Amadrides;

Ne how the beestes and the briddes alle

Fledden for fere, whan the wode was falle;

Ne how the ground agast was of the light,

That was nat wont to seen the sonne bright;

Ne how the fyr was couched first with stree,

And thanne with drye stokkes cloven a thre,

And thanne with grene wode and spicerye,

And thanne with clooth of gold and with perrye,

And gerlandes hangynge with ful many a flour, 

The mirre, th'encens, with al so greet odour;

Ne how Arcite lay among al this,

Ne what richesse aboute his body is,

Ne how that Emelye, as was the gyse,

Putte in the fyr of funeral servyse;

Ne how she swowned whan men made the fyr,

Ne what she spak, ne what was hir desir;

Ne what jeweles men in the fyre caste,

Whan that the fyr was greet and brente faste;

Ne how somme caste hir sheeld, and somme hir spere,

And of hire vestimentz whiche that they were,

And coppes fulle of wyn, and milk, and blood,

Into the fyr, that brente as it were wood,

Ne how the Grekes, with an huge route,

Thries riden al the fyr aboute,

Upon the left hand with a loud shoutynge,

And thries with hir speres claterynge,

And thries how the ladyes gonne crye,

And how that lad was homward Emelye;

Ne how Arcite is brent to asshen colde,

Ne how that lyche-wake was yholde

Al thilke nyght, ne how the Grekes pleye

The wake-pleyes ne kepe I nat to seye,

Who wrastleth best naked, with oille enoynt,

Ne who that baar hym best in no disjoynt;

I wol nat tellen eek, how that they goon

Hoom til Atthenes, whan the pley is doon;

But shortly to the point thanne wol I wende,

And maken of my longe tale an ende. 

____  

 Great labour and full great apparelling

Went to the service and the fire-making,

For to the skies that green pyre reached its top,

And twenty fathoms did the arms out-crop,

That is to say, the branches went so wide.

2060 Full many a load of straw they did provide.

But how the fire, was made to climb so high;

Or what names all the different trees went by.

As oak, fir, birch, asp, alder, poplar, holm,

Willow, plane, ash, box, chestnut, linden, elm,

2065 Laurel, thorn, maple, beech, yew, dogwood tree,

Or how they were felled, sha'n't be told by me.

Nor how the wood-gods scampered up and down,

Driven from homes that they had called their own,

Wherein they'd lived so long at ease, in peace,

2070 The nymphs, the fauns, the hamadryades;

Nor how the beasts, for fear, and the birds, all

Fled, when that ancient wood began to fall;

Nor how aghast the ground was in the light,

Not being used to seeing the sun so bright;

2075 Nor how the fire was started first with straw,

And then with dry wood, riven thrice by saw,

And then with green wood and with spicery,

And then with cloth of gold and jewellery,

And garlands hanging with full many a flower,

2080 And myrrh, and incense, sweet as rose in bower;

Nor how Arcita lies among all this,

Nor what vast wealth about his body is;

Nor how this Emily, as was their way,

Lighted the sacred funeral fire, that day,

2085 Nor how she swooned when men built up the fire,

Nor what she said, nor what was her desire;

No, nor what gems men on the fire then cast,

When the white flame went high and burned so fast;

Nor how one cast his shield, and one his spear,

2090 And some their vestments, on that burning bier,

With cups of wine, and cups of milk, and blood,

Into that flame, which burned as wild-fire would;

Nor how the Greeks, in one huge wailing rout,

Rode slowly three times all the fire about,

2095 Upon the left hand, with a loud shouting,

And three times more, with weapons clattering,

While thrice the women there raised up a cry;

Nor how was homeward led sad Emily;

Nor how Arcita burned to ashes cold;

2100 Nor aught of how the lichwake they did hold

All that same night, nor how the Greeks did play

The funeral games I care not to say

Who, naked, wrestled best, with oil anointed,

Nor who best bore himself in deeds appointed.

2105 I will not even tell how they were gone

Home, into Athens, when the play was done;

But briefly to the point, now, will I wend

And make of this, my lengthy tale, an end.

 

http://www.librarius.com/canttran/knighttrfs.htm

 

____ 

Great labour and full great apparelling

Went to the service and the fire-making,

For to the skies that green pyre reached its top,

And twenty fathoms did the arms out-crop,

That is to say, the branches went so wide. 

Full many a load of straw they did provide.

But how the fire, was made to climb so high;

Or what names all the different trees went by.

As oak, fir, birch, asp, alder, poplar, holm,

Willow, plane, ash, box, chestnut, linden, elm,Laurel, thorn, maple, beech, yew, dogwood tree,

Or how they were felled, sha'n't be told by me.

Nor how the wood-gods scampered up and down,

Driven from homes that they had called their own,

Wherein they'd lived so long at ease, in peace, 

The nymphs, the fauns, the hamadryades;

Nor how the beasts, for fear, and the birds, all

Fled, when that ancient wood began to fall;

Nor how aghast the ground was in the light,

Not being used to seeing the sun so bright;

Nor how the fire was started first with straw,

And then with dry wood, riven thrice by saw,

And then with green wood and with spicery,

And then with cloth of gold and jewellery,

And garlands hanging with full many a flower,

And myrrh, and incense, sweet as rose in bower;

Nor how Arcita lies among all this,

Nor what vast wealth about his body is;

Nor how this Emily, as was their way,

Lighted the sacred funeral fire, that day,

Nor how she swooned when men built up the fire,

Nor what she said, nor what was her desire;

No, nor what gems men on the fire then cast,

When the white flame went high and burned so fast;

Nor how one cast his shield, and one his spear,

And some their vestments, on that burning bier,

With cups of wine, and cups of milk, and blood,

Into that flame, which burned as wild-fire would;

Nor how the Greeks, in one huge wailing rout,

Rode slowly three times all the fire about,

Upon the left hand, with a loud shouting,

And three times more, with weapons clattering,

While thrice the women there raised up a cry;

Nor how was homeward led sad Emily;

Nor how Arcita burned to ashes cold; 

Nor aught of how the lichwake they did hold

All that same night, nor how the Greeks did play

The funeral games I care not to say

Who, naked, wrestled best, with oil anointed,

Nor who best bore himself in deeds appointed.

I will not even tell how they were gone

Home, into Athens, when the play was done;

But briefly to the point, now, will I wend

And make of this, my lengthy tale, an end.

 

_____ 

"Chaucer was born in London most likely in the early 1340s (by some accounts, including his monument, he was born in 1343), though the precise date and location remain unknown. The Chaucer family offers an extraordinary example of upward mobility. 

 His great-grandfather was a tavern keeper, his grandfather worked as a purveyor of wines, and his father John Chaucer rose to become an important wine merchant with a royal appointment.  

Several previous generations of Geoffrey Chaucer's family had been vintners and merchants in Ipswich. His family name is derived from the French chaucier, once thought to mean 'shoemaker', but now known to mean a maker of hose or leggings.

 A possible indication that his career as a writer was appreciated came when Edward III granted Chaucer "a gallon of wine daily for the rest of his life" for some unspecified task.  

This was an unusual grant, but given on a day of celebration, St George's Day, 1374, when artistic endeavours were traditionally rewarded, it is assumed to have been for another early poetic work. 

 It is not known which, if any, of Chaucer's extant works prompted the reward, but the suggestion of him as poet to a king places him as a precursor to later poets laureate. Chaucer continued to collect the liquid stipend until Richard II came to power, after which it was converted to a monetary grant on 18 April 1378. 

In 1378, Richard II sent Chaucer as an envoy (secret dispatch) to the Visconti and to Sir John Hawkwood, English condottiere (mercenary leader) in Milan. It has been speculated that it was Hawkwood on whom Chaucer based his character the Knight in the Canterbury Tales, for a description matches that of a 14th-century condottiere" 

"Chaucer is also recorded in the Oxford English Dictionary as the first author to use many common English words in his writings. 

 These words were probably frequently used in the language at the time but Chaucer, with his ear for common speech, is the earliest extant manuscript source. 

 Acceptable, alkali, altercation, amble, angrily, annex, annoyance, approaching, arbitration, armless, army, arrogant, arsenic, arc, artillery and aspect are just some of almost two thousand English words first attested in Chaucer.  "

"Chaucer is sometimes considered the source of the English vernacular tradition. His achievement for the language can be seen as part of a general historical trend towards the creation of a vernacular literature, after the example of Dante, in many parts of Europe" 

 

"The first recorded association of Valentine's Day with romantic love is believed to be in Chaucer's Parlement of Foules (1382), a dream vision portraying a parliament for birds to choose their mates. 

Honouring the first anniversary of the engagement of fifteen-year-old King Richard II of England to fifteen-year-old Anne of Bohemia: 

For this was on seynt Volantynys day

Whan euery bryd comyth there to chese his make

Of euery kynde that men thinke may

And that so heuge a noyse gan they make

That erthe & eyr & tre & euery lake

So ful was that onethe was there space

For me to stonde, so ful was al the place

( This reminds me of Fort Stevens park, Oregon Coast. We camped there a few days. The bird sounds were so varied and full in the woods there in the quiet if the morning.)