Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales: The Cook's Prologue (A Minimalist Translation) Poem by Forrest Hainline

Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales: The Cook's Prologue (A Minimalist Translation)

The Cook of London, while the Reeve spak,
For joy he thought he clawed him on the back.
"Ha! ha! " said he, "For Christ's passion,
This miller had a sharp conclusion
5 Upon his argument of harborage!
Well said Salomon in his language,
‘Ne bring not every man into thy house, '
For harborage by night is perilous.
Well ought a man advised for to be
10 Whom that he brought into his privity.
I pray to God, so give me sorrow and care
If ever, since I was called Hodge of Ware,
Heard I a miller better set at work.
He had a jape of malice in the dark.
15 But God forbid that we stop here;
And therefore, if you vouchsafe to hear
A tale of me, that am a poor man,
I will you tell, as well as ever I can,
A little jape that fell in our city."
20 Our Host answered and said, "I grant it thee.
Now tell on, Roger, look that it be good,
For of many a pastry hast thou leten blood,
And many a Jack of Dover hast thou sold
That has been twice hot and twice cold.
25 Of many a pilgrim hast thou Christ's curse,
For of thy parsley yet they fare the worse,
That they have eaten with thy subbed goose,
For in thy shop is many a fly loose.
Now tell on, gentle Roger by thy name.
30 But yet I pray thee, be not wroth for game;
A man may say full truth in game and play."

"Thou sayest full sooth, " said Roger, "by my faith!
But ‘true play, bad play, ' as the Fleming says.
And therefore, Harry Bailly, by thy faith,
35 Be thou not wroth, ere we depart here,
Thought that my tale be of an hosteller.
But nonetheless I will not tell it yet;
But ere we part, iwis, thou shalt be quit."
And therewithal he laughed and made cheer,
40 And said his tale, as you shall after hear.

© 2012,2020 Forrest Hainline