Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales: General Prologue 13, The Haberdasher, Carpenter, Arras-Maker, Dyer And Weaver (A Minimalist Translation) Poem by Forrest Hainline

Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales: General Prologue 13, The Haberdasher, Carpenter, Arras-maker, Dyer and Weaver (A Minimalist Translation)

A Haberdasher and a Carpenter,
A Weaver, a Dyer, and a Tapisser -
And they were clothed all in a livery
Of a solemn and a great fraternity.
Full fresh and new their gear apiked was;
Their knives were mounted not with brass
But all with silver, wrought full clean and well,
Their girdles and their pouches everydell.
Well seemed each of them a fair burgess
To sit in a guildhall on a dais.
Each one, for the wisdom that he kan,
Was shapely for to be an alderman.
For catel had they enough and rent,
And eek their wives would it well assent
And else certain were they to blame.
It is full fair to have been called "madame, "
And go to vigils all before,
And have a mantle royally bore.

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Forrest Hainline