Hattip to my Bride.
1 Â Â Â Â Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote
When April with its sweet-smelling showers
2 Â Â Â Â The droghte of March hath perced to the roote,
Has pierced the drought of March to the root,
3 Â Â Â Â And bathed every veyne in swich licour
And bathed every vein (of the plants) in such liquid
4 Â Â Â Â Of which vertu engendred is the flour;
By which power the flower is created;
5 Â Â Â Â Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth
When the West Wind also with its sweet breath,
6 Â Â Â Â Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
In every wood and field has breathed life into
7 Â Â Â Â The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne
The tender new leaves, and the young sun
8 Â Â Â Â Hath in the Ram his half cours yronne,
Has run half its course in Aries,
9 Â Â Â Â And smale foweles maken melodye,
And small fowls make melody,
10 Â Â Â Â That slepen al the nyght with open ye
Those that sleep all the night with open eyes
11 Â Â Â Â (So priketh hem Nature in hir corages),
(So Nature incites them in their hearts),
12 Â Â Â Â Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages,
Then folk long to go on pilgrimages,
13 Â Â Â Â And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes,
And professional pilgrims to seek foreign shores,
14 Â Â Â Â To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes;
To distant shrines, known in various lands;
15 Â Â Â Â And specially from every shires ende
And specially from every shire’s end
16 Â Â Â Â Of Engelond to Caunterbury they wende,
Of England to Canterbury they travel,
17 Â Â Â Â The hooly blisful martir for to seke,
To seek the holy blessed martyr,
18 Â Â Â Â That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke.
Who helped them when they were sick.
That was an assignment fro my high school English teacher – memorize the first 18 lines ! Loved it . Showed it off over the years a few times
and April showers bring May flowers . . .Thanks for this classic reminder of Higher things in life, Mrs. D. McClarey.