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About The Canterbury Tales:

Geoffrey Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales, a collection of stories in a frame story, between 1387 and 1400. It is the story of a group of thirty people

who travel as pilgrims to Canterbury (England). The pilgrims, who come from all layers of society, tell stories to each other to kill time while they travel

to Canterbury.

If we trust the General Prologue, Chaucer intended that each pilgrim should tell two tales on the way to Canterbury and two tales on the way back. He

never finished his enormous project and even the completed tales were not finally revised. Scholars are uncertain about the order of the tales. As the

printing press had yet to be invented when Chaucer wrote his works, The Canterbury Tales has been passed down in several handwritten manuscripts.

General Prologuelines 1-42: Introduction

Here bygynneth the Book of the Tales of Caunterbury

Whan that Aprill, with hisshoures sooteThedroghteof March hath perced to the roote

And bathed everyveyneinswichlicour,Of which vertu engendred is the flour;

5 WhanZephiruseekwith his sweete breethInspired hath in every holt and heeth

The tendrecroppes, and the yongesonneHath in the Ram his halfe cours yronne,Andsmalefowelesmaken melodye,

10 That slepen al the nyght with open eye-(SoprikethhemNature in hircorages);

Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages

Andpalmeresfor to sekenstraunge strondesToferne halwes,kowtheinsondry londes;15 And specially from every shires ende

Of Engelond, to Caunterbury they wende,Thehoolyblisfulmartir for tosekeThathemhath holpen, whan that they wereseeke.

When in April the sweet showers fallThat pierce March's drought to the root and all

And bathed every vein in liquor that has powerTo generate therein and sire the flower;

5 When Zephyr also has with his sweet breath,Filled again, in every holt and heath,

The tender shoots and leaves, and the young sunHis half-course in the sign of the Ram has run,And many little birds make melody

10 That sleep through all the night with open eye(So Nature pricks them on to ramp and rage)

Then folk do long to go on pilgrimage,

And palmers to go seeking out strange strands,To distant shrines well known in distant lands.15 And specially from every shire's end

Of England they to Canterbury went,The holy blessed martyr there to seekWho helped them when they lay so ill and weak

Bifilthat in thatseson, on a day,20 In Southwerk at the Tabard as I lay

It happened that, in that season, on a day20 In Southwark, at the Tabard, as I lay

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Redy to wenden on my pilgrymage

To Caunterbury withfuldevoutcorage,At nyght was come into thathostelryeWel nyne and twenty in a compaignye

25 Ofsondry folk,by aventureyfalleIn felaweshipe, and pilgrimes were they alle,

That toward Caunterburywoldenryde.Thechambresand the stables weren wyde,And wel we weren esed atte beste;

30 And shortly, whan thesonnewasto reste,So hadde I spoken withhemeverichon

That I was of hir felaweshipeanon,And madeforwarderly for to ryse

To take our wey, ther as I yowdevyse.

Ready to go on pilgrimage and startTo Canterbury, full devout at heart,There came at nightfall to that hostelrySome nine and twenty in a company

25 Of sundry persons who had chanced to fallIn fellowship, and pilgrims were they all

That toward Canterbury town would ride.The rooms and stables spacious were and wide,And well we there were eased, and of the best.

30 And briefly, when the sun had gone to rest,So had I spoken with them, every one,

That I was of their fellowship anon,And made agreement that we'd early rise

To take the road, as I will to you apprise.35 Butnathelees, whil I have tyme andspace,

Erthat I ferther in this talepace,Me thynketh it acordaunt to resoun

To telle yow al the condiciounOfechofhem, so as it semed me,40 And whiche they weren, and of what degree,

Andeekin whatarraythat they were inne;And at aknyghtthan wol I first bigynne.

35 But none the less, whilst I have time and space,Before yet further in this tale I pace,It seems to me in accord with reason

To describe to you the state of every oneOf each of them, as it appeared to me,40 And who they were, and what was their degree,

And even what clothes they were dressed in;And with a knight thus will I first begin.

PRLOGO GENERAL

Las suaves lluvias de abril han penetrado hasta lo ms profundo de la sequa de marzo y empapado todos los vasos con la humedad suficiente para engendrar la flor;

el delicado aliento de Cfiro ha avivado en los bosques y campos los tiernos retoos y el joven sol ha recorrido la mitad de su camino en el signo de Aries; las

avecillas, que duermen toda la noche con los ojos abiertos, han comenzado a trinar, pues la Naturaleza les despierta los instintos. En esta poca la gente siente el

ansia de peregrinar, y los piadosos viajeros desean visitar tierras y distantes santuarios en pases extranjeros; especialmente desde los lugares ms recnditos de los

condados ingleses llegan a Canterbury para visitar al bienaventurado y santo mrtir que les ayud cuando estaban enfermos.Un da, por aquellas fechas del ao, a la posada de El Tabardo, de Southwark, en donde me alojaba dispuesto a emprender mi devota peregrinacin a Canterbury,

lleg al anochecer un grupo de 29 personas. Pertenecan a diversos estamentos, se haban reunido por casualidad, e iban de camino hacia Canterbury.

Las habitaciones y establos eran cmodos y todos recibimos el cuidado ms esmerado. En resumen, a la puesta del sol ya haba conversado con todos ellos y me

haban aceptado en el grupo. Acordamos levantarnos pronto para emprender el viaje como les voy a contar.

Sin embargo, creo conveniente, antes de proseguir la historia, describir, mientras tengo tiempo y ocasin, cmo era cada uno de ellos segn yo los vea, quines

eran, de qu clase social y cmo iban vestidos. Empezar por el Caballero.

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