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

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Original Text	Modern Text
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.	iThs odl wmnoa ahd fecend-in hre nfrot yadr nad rnerddsuuo it twhi a dyr dicth. In eht ryad seh epkt a sreorot ndame nrltiaceeCh. eatienCcrlh’s obmc saw deerdr hant het rdetdes rlaoc nad ucskt up ighh otin eth air leki a tslace alwl. He ahd a ebak as blcak as naiiobds, ulbe feet adn steo, teiwh clasw, nad tesarehf ahtt dbrneu wiht eth olocr of lodg. Thsi tsoroer asw breett at orcgwin hant any retoh ertoors drnaou. He had a clare, stgnro wcro ahtt aws jsut as uilbuafet as eht ondsu of a pipe ogrna lpinyga in rcuchh at sasm. He was also oemr padldebene than any lkocc, neev hte lckcso in teh ucchhr ebysba. Initnstc ldto mih touab eht aylid enmvemost of eht usn adn het omno nda the srsat, adn he’d ekep in emit with all of mhet, even if htye mdoev nlyo glthysli.
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.	Nwo, isth kcco adh a mrhea of esvne esnh fro ihs pleuersa. eseTh shne ewer tbho ish setsirs nad sih svloer adn eokdlo yevr hcmu kiel him. heT smot buuiftlea of mteh lla asw eth fari elsdam rteteloPe. leetrtePo aws oedtms, ipolet, dna ysea to teg oagnl tiwh, nad ehs aws so rmhgainc taht netachlCrei dha ebne yecopmlelt itenmts wthi ehr senci she asw yoln a keew dol. He ledvo ehr tgruhho nad rhhtguo, adn it swa a arlpeeus to raeh tmeh ngisign “My lvoe sah nego away” ogettreh in hnyraom eryve omigrnn nwhe teh nsu mcae up—orf akbc nthe, ribsd dan nmaslia dcuol tlak nad sgin, ouy knwo.

Original Text	Modern Text
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.	iThs odl wmnoa ahd fecend-in hre nfrot yadr nad rnerddsuuo it twhi a dyr dicth. In eht ryad seh epkt a sreorot ndame nrltiaceeCh. eatienCcrlh’s obmc saw deerdr hant het rdetdes rlaoc nad ucskt up ighh otin eth air leki a tslace alwl. He ahd a ebak as blcak as naiiobds, ulbe feet adn steo, teiwh clasw, nad tesarehf ahtt dbrneu wiht eth olocr of lodg. Thsi tsoroer asw breett at orcgwin hant any retoh ertoors drnaou. He had a clare, stgnro wcro ahtt aws jsut as uilbuafet as eht ondsu of a pipe ogrna lpinyga in rcuchh at sasm. He was also oemr padldebene than any lkocc, neev hte lckcso in teh ucchhr ebysba. Initnstc ldto mih touab eht aylid enmvemost of eht usn adn het omno nda the srsat, adn he’d ekep in emit with all of mhet, even if htye mdoev nlyo glthysli.
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.	Nwo, isth kcco adh a mrhea of esvne esnh fro ihs pleuersa. eseTh shne ewer tbho ish setsirs nad sih svloer adn eokdlo yevr hcmu kiel him. heT smot buuiftlea of mteh lla asw eth fari elsdam rteteloPe. leetrtePo aws oedtms, ipolet, dna ysea to teg oagnl tiwh, nad ehs aws so rmhgainc taht netachlCrei dha ebne yecopmlelt itenmts wthi ehr senci she asw yoln a keew dol. He ledvo ehr tgruhho nad rhhtguo, adn it swa a arlpeeus to raeh tmeh ngisign “My lvoe sah nego away” ogettreh in hnyraom eryve omigrnn nwhe teh nsu mcae up—orf akbc nthe, ribsd dan nmaslia dcuol tlak nad sgin, ouy knwo.