It’s Middle English–loosely, “then folks long to go on pilgrimages”–and it’s the center of the beautiful welcome to The Canterbury Tales. Chaucer’s full 18-line opening sentence:
Whan that Aprill, with his shours soote The droghte of March hath perced to the roote, And bathed every veyne in swich licour Of which vertu engendred is the flour; When Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth Inspired hath in every holt and heath The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne Hath in the Ram his halfe cours yronne, And smale foweles maken melodye, That slepen al the nyght with open ye (So Priketh hem Nature in hir corages), Thanne longen folk to goon pilgrimages, And palmeres for to seken straunge strondse, To ferne halwes kowthe in sondry londes; And specially from every shires ende Of Engelond to Caunterbury they wende, The hooly blisful martir for to seke, That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke.
The language is familiar but slightly disorienting. What’s most amazing is how close modern English adheres to it–after nearly 600 years.
I haven’t read this sentence in 15 years, though it is one of the prime examples I had in mind when considering to start this blog. Thank you, Professor Holley! She encouraged us to diagram this sentence to find the roote. Not only did that task get us past the challenges of the language, it opened up the spendor of the sentence.
It’s not simply: People like to go on pilgrimages in the spring.
It’s a wonder: When April showers end the drought of March and give birth to every flower; when the wind breathes life into every new leaf; and the son has run halfway through Aries; and spirited birds sleep all night with eyes open; then folks long to go on pilgrimages, and pilgrims seek foreign shores and distant shrines; and especially from every shire of England, they find their way to Canterbury to seek the holy martyr who helped them when they were sick.
And that translation clearly cannot do justice to this fine sentence.
I heard you were beginning this writing project. Expected a sentence by you, but interested to read your selections and commentary. Nicely done.