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== The Canterbury Tales ==

=== The Prologue ===

WHEN that Aprilis, with his showers swoot, 

The drought of March hath pierced to the root,

And bathed every vein in such licour,

Of which virtue engender'd is the flower;

When Zephyrus eke with his swoote breath

Inspired hath in every holt and heath 

The tender croppes and the younge sun 

Hath in the Ram <1> his halfe course y-run,

And smalle fowles make melody,

That sleepen all the night with open eye,

(So pricketh them nature in their corages);

Then longe folk to go on pilgrimages,

And palmers <2> for to seeke strange strands,

To *ferne hallows couth in sundry lands; 

And specially, from every shire's end

Of Engleland, to Canterbury they wend,

The holy blissful Martyr for to seek,

That them hath holpen, when that they were sick.



Courtesy of Project Gutenberg.