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The prologe of the Reves tale.
WHAN folk had laughen at this nyce cas | |
| Of Absolon and hende Nicholas, | |
| Diverse folk diversely they seyde; | |
| But, for the more part, they loughe and pleyde, | |
| Ne at this tale I saugh no man him greve, | 5 |
| But it were only Osewold the Reve, | |
| By-cause he was of carpenteres craft. | |
| A litel ire is in his herte y-laft, | |
| He gan to grucche and blamed it a lyte. | |
| ‘So theek,’ quod he, ‘ful wel coude I yow quyte | 10 |
| With blering of a proud milleres yë, | |
| If that me liste speke of ribaudye. | |
| But ik am old, me list not pley for age; | |
| Gras-tyme is doon, my fodder is now forage, | |
| This whyte top wryteth myne olde yeres, | 15 |
| Myn herte is al-so mowled as myne heres, | |
| But-if I fare as dooth an open-ers; | |
| That ilke fruit is ever leng the wers, | |
| Til it be roten in mullok or in stree. | |
| We olde men, I drede, so fare we; | 20 |
| Til we be roten, can we nat be rype; | |
| We hoppen ay, whyl that the world wol pype. | |
| For in oure wil ther stiketh ever a nayl, | |
| To have an hoor heed and a grene tayl, | |
| As hath a leek; for thogh our might be goon, | 25 |
| Our wil desireth folie ever in oon. | |
| For whan we may nat doon, than wol we speke; | |
| Yet in our asshen olde is fyr y-reke. | |
| Foure gledes han we, whiche I shal devyse, | |
| Avaunting, lying, anger, coveityse; | 30 |
| Thise foure sparkles longen un-to elde. | |
| Our olde lemes mowe wel been unwelde, | |
| But wil ne shal nat faillen, that is sooth. | |
| And yet ik have alwey a coltes tooth, | |
| As many a yeer as it is passed henne | 35 |
| Sin that my tappe of lyf bigan to renne. | |
| For sikerly, whan I was bore, anon | |
| Deeth drogh the tappe of lyf and leet it gon; | |
| And ever sith hath so the tappe y-ronne, | |
| Til that almost al empty is the tonne. | 40 |
| The streem of lyf now droppeth on the chimbe; | |
| The sely tonge may wel ringe and chimbe | |
| Of wrecchednesse that passed is ful yore; | |
| With olde folk, save dotage, is namore.’ | |
| Whan that our host hadde herd this sermoning, | 45 |
| He gan to speke as lordly as a king; | |
| He seide, ‘what amounteth al this wit? | |
| What shul we speke alday of holy writ? | |
| The devel made a reve for to preche, | |
| And of a souter a shipman or a leche. | 50 |
| Sey forth thy tale, and tarie nat the tyme, | |
| Lo, Depeford! and it is half-way pryme. | |
| Lo, Grenewich, ther many a shrewe is inne; | |
| It were al tyme thy tale to biginne.’ | |
| ‘Now, sires,’ quod this Osewold the Reve, | 55 |
| ‘I pray yow alle that ye nat yow greve, | |
| Thogh I answere and somdel sette his howve; | |
| For leveful is with force force of-showve. | |
| This dronke millere hath y-told us heer, | |
| How that bigyled was a carpenteer, | 60 |
| Peraventure in scorn, for I am oon. | |
| And, by your leve, I shal him quyte anoon; | |
| Right in his cherles termes wol I speke. | |
| I pray to god his nekke mote breke; | |
| He can wel in myn yë seen a stalke, | 65 |
| But in his owne he can nat seen a balke. | |
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