Some of you may have heard me talk about the latest subject in my British Literature class: Chaucer. We began the class with Chaucer and we will be continuing with it until October 11, when our mid term is all Chaucer.
What is so interesting about this type of English is that it is very different from the English we speak now. Chaucer lived from 1340 - 1400. When I have told people how difficult Chaucer is, some have asked: "Is it like Shakespeare?"
No. Shakespeare's time was over 164 years AFTER Chaucer. Although Shakespeare may be hard to interpret at times, Chaucer's poems are written in a whole other language!
In order for you to get an idea, Here is a section of Chaucer's famous Canterbury Tales, the General Prologue (which is only an introduction to a huge work):
Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote
The droghte of March hath perced to the roote,
And bathed every veyne in swich licour
Of which vertu engendred is the flour;
Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth
Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne
Hath in the Ram his halve cours yronne,
And smale foweles maken melodye,
That slepen al the nyght with open ye
(So priketh hem Nature in hir corages);
Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages,
And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes,
To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes;
And specially from every shires ende
Of Engelond to Caunterbury they wende,
The hooly blisful martir for to seke,
That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke.
What is so interesting about this type of English is that it is very different from the English we speak now. Chaucer lived from 1340 - 1400. When I have told people how difficult Chaucer is, some have asked: "Is it like Shakespeare?"
No. Shakespeare's time was over 164 years AFTER Chaucer. Although Shakespeare may be hard to interpret at times, Chaucer's poems are written in a whole other language!
In order for you to get an idea, Here is a section of Chaucer's famous Canterbury Tales, the General Prologue (which is only an introduction to a huge work):
Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote
The droghte of March hath perced to the roote,
And bathed every veyne in swich licour
Of which vertu engendred is the flour;
Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth
Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne
Hath in the Ram his halve cours yronne,
And smale foweles maken melodye,
That slepen al the nyght with open ye
(So priketh hem Nature in hir corages);
Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages,
And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes,
To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes;
And specially from every shires ende
Of Engelond to Caunterbury they wende,
The hooly blisful martir for to seke,
That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke.
(General Prologue: lines 1 - 18)
I tried to upload an audio clip of this passage, but it wouldn't work. If you are curious however, you can click on the link below and it will take you to an audio page where you can listen.
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