The Canterbury Tales 现代版Word文档下载推荐.docx

The Canterbury Tales 现代版Word文档下载推荐.docx

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Exhalesanairineverygroveandheath

Uponthetendershoots,andtheyoungsun

Hishalf-courseinthesignoftheRamhasrun,

Andthesmallfowlaremakingmelody

Thatsleepawaythenightwithopeneye

（Sonaturepricksthemandtheirheartengages）

Thenpeoplelongtogoonpilgrimages

Andpalmerslongtoseekthestrangerstrands

Offar-offsaints,hallowedinsundrylands,

Andspecially,fromeveryshire’send

OfEngland,downtoCanterburytheywend

Toseektheholyblissfulmartyr,quick

Togivehishelptothemwhentheyweresick,

Ithappenedinthatseasonthatoneday

InSouthwark,atTheTabard,asIlay

Readytogoonpilgrimagesandstart

ForCanterbury,mostdevoutatheart,

Atnighttherecameintothathostelry

Somenineandtwentyinacompany

Ofsundryfolkhappeningthentofall

Infellowship,andtheywerepilgrimsall

ThattowardsCanterburymeanttoride,

Theroomsandstablesoftheinnwerewide;

Theymadeuseasy,allwasofthebest,

And,briefly,whenthesunhadgonetorest,

I’dspokentothemalluponthetrip

Andwassoononewiththeminfellowship,

Pledgedtoriseearlyandtotaketheway

ToCanterbury,asyouheardmesay.

Butnonetheless,whileIhavetimeandspace,

Beforemystorytakesafurtherpace,

Itseemsareasonablethingtosay

Whattheirconditionwas,thefullarray

Ofeachofthem,asitappearedtome,

Accordingtoprofessionanddegree,

Andwhatappareltheywereridingin;

AndataKnightIthereforewillbegin.

TheOpeningofChaucer'

sGeneralProloguetoTheCanterburyTales:

ADyptych--ColinWilcockson

Theopeningthirty-fourlinesoftheGeneralProloguesetthescene,anddivideintotwoequalhalves.Thefirstsixteenlines,commencing`Whanthat...'

areconcernedwithmattersgeneral:

therenewalofnatureinAprilwiththesimultaneousdesireofmenandwomentosetoutonpilgrimages.Thecentraltwolines（17-18）arearimeriche（perfectrhymesonwordsthataredifferentpartsofspeech）.Theystatetheobjectofthepilgrimage--thejourneytotheshrineofThomasBecket:

Thehoolyblisfulmartirfortoseke,Thathemhathholpenwhanthattheywereseeke.

Theremainingsixteenlines,commencing'

Bifilthat...'

homeinonaspecificgroupofpilgrims:

theirreceptionattheTabardInnandtheirplansforthenextday.Thenfollowsaparagraph（II.35-42）whichisclearlyseparatedfromtheforegoingby`Butnathelees'

.InitChaucerexplainsthathewillpresentthereaderwithcharactersketchesoftheindividualpilgrims,includingtheirsocialrankandtheirdress.

ThedivisionsIhaveindicatedarereinforcedbythescribeoftheEllesmereMS.Hereservesilluminatedcapitallettersforparticularindication.Thus,eachnewpilgrim'

sdescriptioncommenceswithadecoratedinitialletter:

'

Aknyghttherwas...Withhymtherwashissoneayongsquier..Qherwasalsoanonne...'

andsoon.WhenthedescriptionsarecompleteandChaucermovesontothemoregeneralnarrative（II.715-858）,onlythefirstcapitalofthatentire143-linepassageisilluminated:

NowhaveItooldyousoothly...'

.YetatthebeginningoftheGeneralProloguewefindthedecoratedcapitalatthefirstline:

WhanthatApril...'

;

so,too,directlyaftertherimeriche,atline19:

Bifilthatinthatseason...'

andatline35:

`Butnathelees...'

.Thusthesecondsixteen-linesectionIhavementionedisseparated,andthescribedrawsourattentiontoanewbeginningafterline34.

ThisdrawingofattentiontostructuralconfigurationbycolouredcapitalsisofapiecewiththetwosuccessiveusesofthedeviceinsectionsXVI（laststanza）andXVII（firststanza）ofPearl,evidentlytoemphasizethatsectionXVcontainsacrypticsix（ratherthantheusualfive）stanzas.Apartfromthis'

extra'

decoratedcapitalinsectionXVIonlythefirstcapitalletterofeachsectionofPearliscoloured.Aseachstanzahastwelvelines,the`fivestanzapersection'

formtotalssixtylinespersection.SectionXVcontains,however,seventy-twolines（i.e.sixstanzas）,unbrokenbyanewcapitalletter.ButinsectionXVIan'

intrusive'

capitalletterintroducesthefifthstanza,drawingattentiontothefactthattherewouldhavebeenacolouredcapitalthereiftheprevioussectionhadcontainedtheregularfivestanzasoftheothernineteensectionsofthepoem.Thenextstanzaagainhasacolouredcapital,becausethatintroducessectionXVII.Ithasoftenbeenpointedoutthattheresultingnumberofstanzas--101--isalso（andsurelymorethancoincidentally）thenumberofverse-paragraphsinanotherworkbythesamepoet,SirGawainandtheGreenKnight.Someeditorshave,however,assumedthattherewasanon-authorialadditionofastanzainsectionXVofPearl;

（n1）but,asthelastwordoftheelongatedsectionXVis'

neuerpelese'

（nevertheless）,awordtakenupasthefirstwordofsectionXVI,therewouldappeartobeanallusiontothenumerology.Furthermore,`neuerpeles'

isthefinalphraseofeveryoneofthesixstanzasofsectionXV.Hadthe'

capitaloccurredatstanza6ofsectionXV,onemightarguethatthescribe,accustomedtoafive-stanzasection,anticipatedanewsectionandpaintedadecoratedcapital.Butitsremovaltilllaterreinforcesitscrypticsignificance.`Butnathelees'

（Butnevertheless）isthephraseChauceralsousesinline35oftheGeneralPrologue,perhaps,likethePearl-poet,toalerthisreaderstotheprecedingnumberoflines.

TheChaucerianthi