(The Sompnour's prologue.)
[210]: The Sompnour's prologue.
[211]: Voir dans les Contes de Cantorbéry the Rhyme of sir Thopas, parodie des histoires chevaleresques. Chacun y semble un précurseur de Cervantès.
[212]: Canterbury Tales.
—Though that he was worthy he was wise;
And of his port, as meke as is a mayde:
He never yet no vilainie ne sayde,
In all his lif, unto no manere wight,
He was a veray parfit gentil knight.
With him, ther was his sone, a yonge Squier,
A lover, and a lusty bacheler;
With lockes crull as they were laide in presse,
Of twenty yere of age he was, I gesse.
Of his stature he was of even lengthe;
And wonderly deliver, and grete of strengthe,
And he hadde be, somtime, in chevachie
In Flaundres, in Artois, and in Picardie,
And borne him wel, as of so litel space,
In hope to standen in his ladies grace.
Embrouded was he, as it were a mede
All full of freshe floures, white and rede.
Singing he was, or floyting all the day:
He was as freshe as is the moneth of May.
Short was his goune, with sleves long and wide.
Wel coude he sitte on hors, and fayre ride,
He coude songes make, and wel endite;
Juste and eke dance; and wel pourtraie and write:
So hote he loved, that by nightertale
He slep no more than doth the nightingale,
Curteis he was, lowly and servisable;
And carf before his fader at the table.
[215]: J'aurais voulu traduire: «Elle réprimait les bruits de l'estomac.»—Mais le mot propre est naïf dans l'original.