The voices / 81 fragments

Geoffrey Chaucer

1328 AD — 1400 AD

Listed in the author section of Bartlett’s ninth-edition anthology, in the linked 1905 printing. Dates reflect that historical edition and may differ from modern scholarship.

Author and source reference ↗

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Historical source references

Canterbury Tales
Troilus and Creseide
The Court of Love
The Assembly of Fowles
The Flower and the Leaf
Prologue of the Legend of Good Women
The Ten Commandments of Love

Archive entries

01c. 1364 AD

Whanne that April with his shoures sote The droughte of March hath perced to the rote.

Geoffrey Chaucer / quote

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02c. 1364 AD

And smale foules maken melodie, That slepen alle night with open eye, So priketh hem nature in hir corages; Than longen folk to gon on pilgrimages.

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03c. 1364 AD

And of his port as meke as is a mayde.

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04c. 1364 AD

He was a veray parfit gentil knight.

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05c. 1364 AD

He coude songes make, and wel endite.

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06c. 1364 AD

Ful wel she sange the service devine, Entuned in hire nose ful swetely; And Frenche she spake ful fayre and fetisly, After the scole of Stratford atte bowe, For Frenche of Paris was to hire unknowe.

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07c. 1364 AD

A Clerk ther was of Oxenforde also.

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08c. 1364 AD

For him was lever han at his beddes hed A twenty bokes, clothed in black or red, Of Aristotle, and his philosophie, Than robes riche, or fidel, or sautrie. But all be that he was a philosophre, Yet hadde he but litel gold in cofre.

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09c. 1364 AD

And gladly wolde he lerne, and gladly teche.

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10c. 1364 AD

Nowher so besy a man as he ther n' as, And yet he semed besier than he was.

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11c. 1364 AD

His studie was but litel on the Bible.

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12c. 1364 AD

For gold in phisike is a cordial; Therefore he loved gold in special.

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13c. 1364 AD

Wide was his parish, and houses fer asonder.

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14c. 1364 AD

This noble ensample to his shepe he yaf,— That first he wrought, and afterwards he taught.

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15c. 1364 AD

But Cristes lore, and his apostles twelve, He taught; but first he folwed it himselve.

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16c. 1364 AD

And yet he had a thomb of gold parde.

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17c. 1364 AD

Who so shall telle a tale after a man, He moste reherse, as neighe as ever he can, Everich word, if it be in his charge, All speke he never so rudely and so large; Or elles he moste tellen his tale untrewe, Or feinen thinges, or finden wordes newe.

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18c. 1364 AD

For May wol have no slogardie a-night. The seson priketh every gentil herte, And maketh him out of his slepe to sterte.

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19c. 1364 AD

That field hath eyen, and the wood hath ears.

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20c. 1364 AD

Up rose the sonne, and up rose Emelie.

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21c. 1364 AD

Min be the travaille, and thin be the glorie.

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22c. 1364 AD

To maken vertue of necessite.

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23c. 1364 AD

And brought of mighty ale a large quart.

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24c. 1364 AD

Ther n' is no werkman whatever he be, That may both werken wel and hastily. This wol be done at leisure parfitly.

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Geoffrey Chaucer

Archive entries

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Meditations

The Republic

Tao Te Ching