No Fear Literature: The Canterbury Tales: The Nun’s Priest’s Tale Page 2

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A yerd she hadde, enclosed al aboute With stikkes, and a drye dich with-oute, In which she hadde a cok, hight Chauntecleer, In al the land of crowing nas his peer. His vois was merier than the mery orgon On messe-dayes that in the chirche gon; Wel sikerer was his crowing in his logge, Than is a clokke, or an abbey orlogge. By nature knew he ech ascencioun Of equinoxial in thilke toun; For whan degrees fiftene were ascended, Thanne crew he, that it mighte nat ben amended. His comb was redder than the fyn coral, And batailed, as it were a castel-wal. His bile was blak, and as the Ieet it shoon; Lyk asur were his legges, and his toon; His nayles whytter than the lilie flour, And lyk the burned gold was his colour.	sThi old aomnw adh fdcnee-in ehr tfnro dyra nda duronerusd it thwi a rdy dicht. In eht dray hse kept a orosret nmade eehtrcniCal. nretahCclie’s obcm wsa rreded athn hte esderdt oralc dna kcuts up high oitn eht iar like a esltac lwla. He hda a ekba as alcbk as iadoisbn, blue eeft dan oets, tiehw swacl, dna ahteefsr htta dnrube hitw eht corol of dgol. ishT sortroe wsa ttbeer at noicwrg anth nya ohert orteros unoadr. He adh a rcale, tgorns wrco htta saw jsut as bauulfeit as eht uodns of a iepp aonrg apnigyl in chuchr at ssam. He swa losa rmeo eedapldebn hnta nya cokcl, nvee eth coklsc in teh uchcrh bbseya. Ititnscn lotd ihm abtou eth iadly entmsevom of eht usn nad hte onmo adn the rsats, and he’d eekp in imet ihwt all of tehm, enve if yeth ovemd oyln lihtlgys.
This gentil cok hadde in his governaunce Sevene hennes, for to doon al his plesaunce, Whiche were his sustres and his paramours, And wonder lyk to him, as of colours. Of whiche the faireste hewed on hir throte Was cleped faire damoysele Pertelote. Curteys she was, discreet, and debonaire, And compaignable, and bar hir-self so faire, Sin thilke day that she was seven night old, That trewely she hath the herte in hold Of Chauntecleer loken in every lith; He loved hir so, that wel was him therwith. But such a Ioye was it to here hem singe, Whan that the brighte sonne gan to springe, In swete accord, ‘my lief is faren in londe.’ For thilke tyme, as I have understonde, Bestes and briddes coude speke and singe.	wNo, tihs okcc dah a marhe of svnee ehsn for sih lupasere. Teehs hens were ohtb shi reissts nda shi svolre nda ldkoeo vrey uhmc lkie imh. hTe tsmo ltuabfiue of mhet lal swa hte riaf amdesl etleoertP. elPeotetr swa mtosde, ielopt, nda yase to tge ognal tihw, nad esh wsa so argmcihn atth Ctliearchne had nbee oleeymltpc tnmetis ithw reh iesnc she was lyno a ekwe dlo. He olevd her tghhuro dna hgoturh, adn it was a elseaupr to ehra htme gsignni “My leov sha gneo waay” otgehret in hamryon eveyr ngimonr when the nsu ceam up—orf bcak neht, rbsid dan mnlaasi codlu ktla dan isng, yuo owkn.