Middle English - The Canterbury Tales - カンタベリー物語

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カンタベリー物語 - Wikipedia

『カンタベリー物語』（The Canterbury Tales）は、14世紀にイングランドの詩人ジェフリー・チョーサーによって書かれた物語集である。

聖トマス・ベケット廟^[1]があるカンタベリー大聖堂への巡礼の途中、たまたま宿で同宿した様々の身分・職業の人間が、旅の退屈しのぎに自分の知っている物語を順に語っていく「枠物語」の形式を取っている。これはボッカッチョの『デカメロン』と同じ構造で、チョーサーは以前イタリアを訪問した時に『デカメロン』を読んだと言われている。各人が語る物語は、オリジナルもあれば、そうでないものもあり、ジャンルは騎士道物語（ロマンス）、ブルターニュのレー、説教、寓話、ファブリオーと様々である。中英語で書かれている。

General Prologue

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1 Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote
:    When April with its sweet-smelling showers
2 The droghte of March hath perced to the roote,
   Has pierced the drought of March to the root,
3 And bathed every veyne in swich licour
   And bathed every vein (of the plants) in such liquid
4 Of which vertu engendred is the flour;
   By the power of which the flower is created;
5 Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth
   When the West Wind also with its sweet breath,
6 Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
   In every holt and heath, has breathed life into
7 The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne
   The tender crops, and the young sun
8 Hath in the Ram his half cours yronne,
   Has run its half course in Aries,
9 And smale foweles maken melodye,
   And small fowls make melody,
10 That slepen al the nyght with open ye
   Those that sleep all the night with open eyes
11 (So priketh hem Nature in hir corages),
   (So Nature incites them in their hearts),
12 Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages,
   Then folk long to go on pilgrimages,
13 And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes,
   And professional pilgrims (long) to seek foreign shores,
14 To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes;
   To (go to) distant shrines, known in various lands;
15 And specially from every shires ende
   And specially from every shire's end
16 Of Engelond to Caunterbury they wende,
   Of England to Canterbury they travel,
17 The hooly blisful martir for to seke,
   To seek the holy blessed martyr,
18 That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke.
   Who helped them when they were sick.

The Wife of Bath's Tale

1 "Experience, though noon auctoritee
"Experience, though no written authority
2 Were in this world, is right ynogh for me
Were in this world, is good enough for me
3 To speke of wo that is in mariage;
To speak of the woe that is in marriage;
4 For, lordynges, sith I twelve yeer was of age,
For, gentlemen, since I was twelve years of age,
5 Thonked be God that is eterne on lyve,
Thanked be God who is eternally alive,
6 Housbondes at chirche dore I have had fyve --
I have had five husbands at the church door --
7 If I so ofte myghte have ywedded bee --
If I so often might have been wedded --
8 And alle were worthy men in hir degree.
And all were worthy men in their way.
9 But me was toold, certeyn, nat longe agoon is,
But to me it was told, certainly, it is not long ago,
10 That sith that Crist ne wente nevere but onis
That since Christ went never but once
11 To weddyng, in the Cane of Galilee,
To a wedding, in the Cana of Galilee,
12 That by the same ensample taughte he me
That by that same example he taught me
13 That I ne sholde wedded be but ones.
That I should be wedded but once.