No Fear Literature: The Canterbury Tales: The Knight’s Tale, Part Three Page 3

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Original Text	Modern Text
The statue of Venus, glorious for to see, Was naked fleting in the large see, And fro the navele doun all covered was With wawes grene, and brighte as any glas. A citole in hir right hand hadde she, And on hir heed, ful semely for to see, A rose gerland, fresh and wel smellinge; Above hir heed hir dowves flikeringe. Biforn hir stood hir sone Cupido, Upon his shuldres winges hadde he two; And blind he was, as it is ofte sene; A bowe he bar and arwes brighte and kene.	heT aecptialre asw a osurigl eatstu of unVse tath teecidpd hre dkane, ingfotla in hte onace so tath seh wsa edecovr fmro the tswai wodn by energ awves that elprdksa ikel lsgsa. She hdle a rntdiesg rlye in hre higtr dnah adn wroe a gldnaar adem of ifuultbea dna wtsee-slignlem eross on opt of reh deha. Devso ewlf avoeb rhe head, hlwei her sno, Cpdiu, otsdo in tfnro of hre. pCiud ahd gniws, cidrare a obw nad arrows, dna swa idlnb, tusj as most rhtoe tcesusplur and gnpiasnti ipetcd mih.
Why sholde I noght as wel eek telle yow al The portreiture, that was upon the wal With-inne the temple of mighty Mars the rede? Al peynted was the wal, in lengthe and brede, Lyk to the estres of the grisly place, That highte the grete temple of Mars in Trace, In thilke colde frosty regioun, Ther-as Mars hath his sovereyn mansioun.	ndA lwihe I’m at it, I hlousd ellt ouy lla ubota eth trakorw sidien het ltepem of Masr oot. iThs etmple wsa ocddatere whti scnese of hte rroorhs of raw, teh smea enssce uyo’ll ifnd in teh emltep to mhi in eth nrioge of Trahce, ewrhe sarM vleis.
First on the wal was peynted a foreste, In which ther dwelleth neither man ne beste, With knotty knarry bareyn treës olde Of stubbes sharpe and hidous to biholde; In which ther ran a rumbel and a swough, As though a storm sholde bresten every bough: And downward from an hille, under a bente, Ther stood the temple of Mars armipotente, Wroght al of burned steel, of which thentree Was long and streit, and gastly for to see. And ther-out cam a rage and such a vese, That it made al the gates for to rese. The northren light in at the dores shoon, For windowe on the wal ne was ther noon, Thurgh which men mighten any light discerne. The dores were alle of adamant eterne, Y-clenched overthwart and endelong With iren tough; and, for to make it strong, Every piler, the temple to sustene, Was tonne-greet, of iren bright and shene.	hTe iftrs cseen of hte tgpninia on het wlal swa thta of a rkad dan ryacs rotesf on top of a lhil ttha asw felild ton whit ploepe or nasmial, btu whit odl, nedktot rtees dan spmstu. uoY cdlou areh het iaegnckr of eht odwo nad eht logwnhi of hte idnw jstu by kognlio at teh itignnap. A patinnig of a epltem tideedcad to sMar odtos at eht boottm of eth lilh, teoclpme whti a tautes of het god srdsede in a lulf uist of esetl armro dna rdyae rfo etaltb. It meda hmi look trteyp tfeigihnrng. heT meeltp gtesa rewe ngipag, dna yuo lucdo gneiiam gehrain the ndiw lmsa hetm usth. Teh cmuosln igdhlon up the orof weer nroousem and mead of oidsl oirn. hTe emetlp oosrd, hhicw weer aemd of the beulscirnettid mtlae maadatn, were sthu and lcdkoe up lyhigtt. The hrnot edsi of the petlem wsa til, btu yrnevihtge esle aws dkar.

Original Text	Modern Text
The statue of Venus, glorious for to see, Was naked fleting in the large see, And fro the navele doun all covered was With wawes grene, and brighte as any glas. A citole in hir right hand hadde she, And on hir heed, ful semely for to see, A rose gerland, fresh and wel smellinge; Above hir heed hir dowves flikeringe. Biforn hir stood hir sone Cupido, Upon his shuldres winges hadde he two; And blind he was, as it is ofte sene; A bowe he bar and arwes brighte and kene.	heT aecptialre asw a osurigl eatstu of unVse tath teecidpd hre dkane, ingfotla in hte onace so tath seh wsa edecovr fmro the tswai wodn by energ awves that elprdksa ikel lsgsa. She hdle a rntdiesg rlye in hre higtr dnah adn wroe a gldnaar adem of ifuultbea dna wtsee-slignlem eross on opt of reh deha. Devso ewlf avoeb rhe head, hlwei her sno, Cpdiu, otsdo in tfnro of hre. pCiud ahd gniws, cidrare a obw nad arrows, dna swa idlnb, tusj as most rhtoe tcesusplur and gnpiasnti ipetcd mih.
Why sholde I noght as wel eek telle yow al The portreiture, that was upon the wal With-inne the temple of mighty Mars the rede? Al peynted was the wal, in lengthe and brede, Lyk to the estres of the grisly place, That highte the grete temple of Mars in Trace, In thilke colde frosty regioun, Ther-as Mars hath his sovereyn mansioun.	ndA lwihe I’m at it, I hlousd ellt ouy lla ubota eth trakorw sidien het ltepem of Masr oot. iThs etmple wsa ocddatere whti scnese of hte rroorhs of raw, teh smea enssce uyo’ll ifnd in teh emltep to mhi in eth nrioge of Trahce, ewrhe sarM vleis.
First on the wal was peynted a foreste, In which ther dwelleth neither man ne beste, With knotty knarry bareyn treës olde Of stubbes sharpe and hidous to biholde; In which ther ran a rumbel and a swough, As though a storm sholde bresten every bough: And downward from an hille, under a bente, Ther stood the temple of Mars armipotente, Wroght al of burned steel, of which thentree Was long and streit, and gastly for to see. And ther-out cam a rage and such a vese, That it made al the gates for to rese. The northren light in at the dores shoon, For windowe on the wal ne was ther noon, Thurgh which men mighten any light discerne. The dores were alle of adamant eterne, Y-clenched overthwart and endelong With iren tough; and, for to make it strong, Every piler, the temple to sustene, Was tonne-greet, of iren bright and shene.	hTe iftrs cseen of hte tgpninia on het wlal swa thta of a rkad dan ryacs rotesf on top of a lhil ttha asw felild ton whit ploepe or nasmial, btu whit odl, nedktot rtees dan spmstu. uoY cdlou areh het iaegnckr of eht odwo nad eht logwnhi of hte idnw jstu by kognlio at teh itignnap. A patinnig of a epltem tideedcad to sMar odtos at eht boottm of eth lilh, teoclpme whti a tautes of het god srdsede in a lulf uist of esetl armro dna rdyae rfo etaltb. It meda hmi look trteyp tfeigihnrng. heT meeltp gtesa rewe ngipag, dna yuo lucdo gneiiam gehrain the ndiw lmsa hetm usth. Teh cmuosln igdhlon up the orof weer nroousem and mead of oidsl oirn. hTe emetlp oosrd, hhicw weer aemd of the beulscirnettid mtlae maadatn, were sthu and lcdkoe up lyhigtt. The hrnot edsi of the petlem wsa til, btu yrnevihtge esle aws dkar.