Keskienglanti

keskienglanniksi

Whan that Aprill with his shoures sote

The droghte of Marche hath perced to the rote,

And bathed euery veyne in swich licour,

Of which vertu engendred is the flour;

Whan Zephirus eek with his swete breeth

Inspired hath in euery holt and heeth

The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne

Hath in the Ram his halfe course yronne,

And smale fowles maken melodye,

That slepen al the niȝt with open ye—

So priketh hem Nature in hir corages—

Than longen folk to goon on pilgrimages,

And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes,

To ferne halwes, couthe in sondry londes;

And specially, from euery shires ende

Of Engelond to Caunterbury they wende,

The holy blissful martir for to seke,

That hem hath holpen, whan that they were seke.

nykyenglanniksi

When April with its sweet showers has pierced

the drought of March to the root,

and bathed every vein in such liquor

from whose power the flower is engendred;

when Zephyr [the west wind] also, with his sweet breath

has blown [into life] in every wood and heath

the tender crops, and the young sun

has run his half-course in the sign of the Ram [Aries],

and small fowls make melody,

who sleep all night with open eye

- so Nature stimulates them in their hearts

- THEN people long to go on pilgrimages,

and palmers [pilgrims carrying palm leaves] to seek strange coastlines,

to distant saints [holy places], known in various lands;

and specially, from every shire's end [from every county]

in England, to Canterbury they journey,

to seek the holy blissful martyr [Thomas à Becket]

who helped them when they were sick.