#semicope

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General Prologue 08: The Friar - Geoffrey Chaucer (Forrest Hainline's Minimalist Translation)

[His palfrey was as brown as is a berry.]

208      A Friar there was, a wanton and a merry,

209      A limiter, a full solemn man.

210      In all the orders four there is none that can

211      So much of dalliance and fair language.

212      He had made full many a marriage

213      Of young women at his own cost.

214      Unto his order he was a noble post.

215      Full well beloved and familiar was he

216      With franklins over all in his country,

217      And too with worthy women of the town;

218      For he had power of confession,

219      As said himself, more than a curate,

220      For of his order he was licentiate.

221      Full sweetly heard he confession,

222      And pleasant was his absolution:

223      He was an easy man to give penance,

224      There as he knew to have a good pittance.

225      For unto a poor order for to give

226      Is sign that a man is well shrive;

227      For if he gave, he dared make avaunt,

228      He knew that a man was repentant;

229      For many a man so hard is of his heart,

230      He may not weep, although him sorely smart.

231      Therefore instead of weeping and prayers

232      Men must give silver to the poor friars.

233      His tippet was ay farsed full of knives

234      And pins, for to give young wives.

235      And certainly he had a merry note:

236      Well could he sing and play on a rote;

237      Of yeddings he bore utterly the prize.

238      His neck white was as the flour-de-lys;

239      Thereto he strong was as a champion.

240      He knew the taverns well in every town

241      And every hosteler and tappester,

242      Better than a lazar or a begster,

243      For unto such a worthy man as he

244      Accorded not, as by his faculty,

245      To have with sick lazars acquaintance.

246      It is not honest, it may not advance,

247      For to deal with no such porail,

248      But all with rich and sellers of victual.

249      And over all, there as profit should arise,

250      Courteous he was and lowly of service;

251      There’s no man nowhere so virtuous.

252      He was the best beggar in his house;

252a    [And gave a certain fee for the grant;    

252a    None of his brethren came there in his haunt;]

253      For though a widow had not a shoe,

254      So pleasant was his “In principio, ”

255      Yet would he have a farthing, ere he went.

256      His purchase was well better than his rent.

257      And rage he could, as it were right a whelp.

258      In love days there could he much help,

259      For there he was not like a cloisterer

260      With a threadbare cope, as is a poor scholar,

261      But he was like a master or a pope.

262      Of double worsted was his semicope,

263      That rounded as a bell out of the press.

264      Somewhat he lisped, for his wantonness,

265      To make his English sweet upon his tongue;

266      And in his harping, when that he had sung,

267      His eyes twinkled in his head aright

268      As do the stars in the frosty night.

269      This worthy limiter was called Huberd.

           [A Merchant was there with a forked beard, ]

© 2008, 2019 Forrest Hainline