CHAUCER’S PROLOGUE

Riding along with us was a writer.
He also served Edward III as a loyal soldier.
He worked as a merchant in the port of London,
And had a job in the Crown’s administration,
And he had been a squire without sin. (1)
A noble, a clergy and a common he had been.
No one then could have knew his real tasks
For he kept a low profile and wore plenty of masks.

He has short hair and a long beard all grey (2)
Revealing his age in the fifties let’s say.
Covered with a dark brown cloak and lid
To protect from the dusts Zephyrus carried.
He held a sword, a buckler and much paperwork
That his horse was always weary carrying his work.
Sixty books in total he possessed to himself only, (3)
With all his experiences wrote down like a diary.

He was devoted to his lady Philippa Roet.
The love he received made him a great poet.
To two sons, Thomas and Lewis, she gave birth. (4)
Both of them were skillful and down-to-earth.
Thomas was a wealthy gentleman who owned lands and farms,
While his younger brother served at Carmathen as men-at-arms. (5)

He had much love, respect and dignity from his accomplishments,
With his high social status that he was praised with compliments,
Perhaps the only man who has come closest to the Perfect Way. (6)
He sees no hate only love, no evil only good, no darkness only day,
Even the most sinful pilgrim he would give great admirations,
Making him a great buddy among the twenty nine companions.

1. Page X in the introduction of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales mentions some of Chaucer’s many jobs.
2. Chaucer’s portrait is drew in Benson’s site: http://www.courses.fas.harvard.edu/~chaucer/special/varia/life_of_Ch/ch-life.html
3. Page IX in the introduction of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales informs us about Chaucer’s private library.
4. Hsy’s site http://www.english.upenn.edu/~jhsy/chaucer-ppp.html informs us a lot on his family.
5. In the same site, it says that Thomas also served as a sheriff, a constable, a Member of Parliament, and speaker of the House of Commons. Lewis served at the royal castle of Carmathen as a highly trained swordsman.
6. Page XXIII in the introduction of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales refers humans to imperfect seekers of the Perfect Way during a pilgrimage.


References

Benson, L. D. “The Life of Chaucer.” The Geoffrey Chaucer Page. 27 July 2000. 22 Feb. 2004 .

Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Canterbury Tales: A Selection. Signet Classic, 1969. IX-X, XXIII.

Hsy, J. H. “Chaucer Chronology: People, Places, and Politics.” Department of English University of Pennsylvania. 29 Aug. 2003. 22 Feb. 2004 .