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== The Canterbury Tales ==

=== The Prologue ===

WHEN that Aprilis, with his showers swoot*, ::::::*sweet

The drought of March hath pierced to the root,

And bathed every vein in such licour,

Of which virtue engender'd is the flower;

When Zephyrus eke with his swoote breath

Inspired hath in every holt* and heath ::::::*grove, forest

The tender croppes* and the younge sun ::::::*twigs, boughs

Hath in the Ram <1> his halfe course y-run,

And smalle fowles make melody,

That sleepen all the night with open eye,

(So pricketh them nature in their corages*); ::::::*hearts, inclinations

Then longe folk to go on pilgrimages,

And palmers <2> for to seeke strange strands,

To *ferne hallows couth* in sundry lands; ::::::*distant saints known*<3>

And specially, from every shire's end

Of Engleland, to Canterbury they wend,

The holy blissful Martyr for to seek,

That them hath holpen*, when that they were sick. ::::::*helped



Courtesy of Project Gutenberg.