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Dołączył: 09 Paź 2011
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Skąd: England
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 Wysłany: Pią 12:00, 14 Paź 2011 Temat postu: tell The Canterbury Tales The Canterbury |
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Now bear you well, you clever Nicholas! For Absalom may wail and sing "Alas!" And so it chanced that on a Saturday This carpenter departed to. Osney; And clever Nicholas and Alison Were well agreed to this effect: anon This Nicholas should put in play a wile The simple, jealous husband to beguile; And if it chanced the game should go aright, She was to sleep within his arms all night, For this was his desire, and hers also. Presently then, and without more ado, This Nicholas, no longer did he tarry, The Canterbury Tales The Canterbury Tales 70But softly to his chamber did he carry Both food and drink to last at least a day, Saying that to her husband she should say If he should come to ask for Nicholas Why, she should say she knew not where he was, For all day she'd not seen him, far or nigh; She thought he must have got some malady, Because in vain her maid would knock and call; He'd answer not, whatever might befall. And so it was that all that Saturday This Nicholas quietly in chamber lay, And ate and slept, or did what pleased him best, Till Sunday when the sun had gone to rest. This simple man with wonder heard the tale, And marvelled what their Nicholas might ail, And said: "I am afraid, by Saint Thomas, That everything's not well with Nicholas. God send he be not dead so suddenly! This world is most unstable, certainly; I saw, today, the corpse being borne to kirk Of one who, but last Monday, was at work. Go up," said he unto his boy anon, "Call at his door, or knock there with a stone, Learn how it is and boldly come tell me." The servant went up, then, right sturdily, And at the chamber door, the while he stood, He cried and knocked as any madman would "What! How! What do you, Master Nicholay? How can you sleep through all the livelong day?" But all for naught, he never heard a word; A hole he found, low down upon a board, Through which the house cat had been wont to creep; And to that hole he stooped, and through did peep, And finally he ranged him in his sight. This Nicholas sat gaping there, upright, As if he'd looked too long at the new moon. Downstairs he went and told his master soon In what array he'd found this selfsame man. This carpenter to cross himself began, And said: "Now help us, holy Frideswide! Little a man can know what shall betide. This man is fallen, with his astromy, Into some madness or some agony; I always feared that somehow this would be! Men should not meddle in God's privity. Aye, blessed always be the ignorant man, Whose creed is, all he ever has to scan! So fared another clerk with astromy; He walked into the meadows for to pry Into the stars, to learn what should befall, Until into a claypit he did fall; The Canterbury Tales The Canterbury Tales 71He saw not that. But yet, by Saint Thomas, I'm sorry for this clever Nicholas. He shall be scolded for his studying, If not too late, by Jesus, Heaven's King! "Get me a staff, that I may pry before, The while you, Robin, heave against the door. We'll take him from this studying, I guess." And on the chamber door, then, he did press. His servant was a stout lad, if a dunce, And by the hasp he heaved it up at once; Upon the floor that portal fell anon. This Nicholas sat there as still as stone, Gazing, with gaping mouth, straight up in air. This carpenter thought he was in despair, And took him by the shoulders, mightily, And shook him hard, and cried out, vehemently: "What! Nicholay! Why how now! Come, look down! Awake, and think on Jesus' death and crown! I cross you from all elves and magic wights!" And then the nightspell said he out, by rights, At the four corners of the house about, And at the threshold of the door, without: "O Jesus Christ and good Saint Benedict, Protect this house from all that may afflict, For the night hag the white Paternoster! Where hast thou gone, Saint Peter's sister?" And at the last this clever Nicholas Began to sigh full sore, and said: "Alas! Shall all the world be lost so soon again?" This carpenter replied: "What say you, then? What! Think on God, as we do, men that swink." This Nicholas replied: "Go fetch me drink; And afterward I'll tell you privately A certain thing concerning you and me; I'll tell it to no other man or men." This carpenter went down and came again, And brought of potent ale a brimming quart; And when each one of them had drunk his part, Nicholas shut the door fast, and with that He drew a seat and near the carpenter sat. He said: "Now, John, my good host, lief and dear, You must upon your true faith swear, right here, That to no man will you this word betray; For it is Christ's own word that I will say, And if you tell a man, you're ruined quite; This punishment shall come to you, of right, That if you're traitor you'll go mad and should!" "Nay, Christ forbid it, for His holy blood!" Said then this simple man: "I am no blab, Nor, though I say it, am I fond of gab. Say what you will, I never will it tell The Canterbury Tales The Canterbury Tales 72To child or wife, by Him that harried Hell!" "Now, John," said Nicholas, "I will not lie; But I've found out, from my astrology, As I have looked upon the moon so bright, That now, come Monday next, at nine of night, Shall fall a rain so wildly mad as would Have been, by half, greater than Noah's flood. This world," he said, "in less time than an hour, Shall all be drowned, so terrible is this shower; Thus shall all mankind drown and lose all life." This carpenter replied: "Alas, my wife! And shall she drown? Alas, my Alison!" For grief of this he almost fell.
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