April again.....Longen time.

[gerardcarey]

When that April with his showers soote……........showers sweet
The drought of March hath piercèd to the root
And bathèd every vein in such liquor………..........rootlet / liquid
Of which virtúe engendered is the flower;

When Zephyrus eke with his sweetè breath….......the West Wind / also
Inspirèd hath in every holt and heath…………........grove & field
The tender croppès, and the youngè sun….....….....shoots / Spring sun
Hath in the Ram his halfè course y-run……….........in Aries / has run

And smallè fowlès maken melody……………............small birds
That sleepen all the night with open eye……...........who sleep
(So pricketh them Natúre in their couráges)….......spurs /spirits
Then longen folk to go on pilgrimáges……...........people long
And palmers for to seeken strangè strands…....pilgrims /shores
To fernè hallows couth in sundry lands……....distant shrines known


The first lines of 'The General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales' ~ Geoffrey Chaucer

April again.
And every year Geoffrey is correct again.
We pilgrims, we longen bad.

Regds
Gerard

 

[Stephen Nicholls]

Have to admit I'm longen, Gerard.
But at least I've only six weeks to go

 

[bystander]

THE PROLOGUE

When in April the sweet showers fall
And pierce the drought of March to the root, and all
The veins are bathed in liquor of such power
As brings about the engendering of the flower,

When also Zephyrus with his sweet breath
Exhales an air in every grove and heath
Upon the tender shoots, and the young sun
His half-course in the sign of the Ram has run,

And the small fowl are making melody
That sleep away the night with open eye
(So nature pricks them and their heart engages)
Then people long to go on pilgrimages

And palmers long to seek the stranger strands
Of far-off saints, hallowed in sundry lands,

as translated by Nevill Coghill

(by coincidence I had just bought a copy of his translation of the entire Canterbury Tales - highly recommend it - you should be able to find it on either Amazon or abebooks "The Canterbury Tales, An illustrated edition, Geoffrey Chaucer)

 

[Magwood]

I won't be longen for long - am off in four weeks today!

 

[Suzanne Edminster]

Thanks , Gerard and bystander. The time for longen will soon be past for me and for many! My viens are bathed in sweet liquor though... or is that a beer

 

[tploomis]

I re-read The Canterbury Tales just prior to doing the Camino last year, and it was a great preparation for the Camino. Chaucer captures perfectly that sense of people from all walks of life with different points of view and different life experiences joined together in a common activity and purpose. Like The Canterbury Tales, each of the pilgrims on the Camino had their own "tale," and it was just as fascinating to hear their tale as we all headed toward Santiago.

 

[Abby Killey]

When that April with his showers soote……...............showers sweet
The drought of March hath piercèd to the root
And bathèd every vein in such liquor………..................rootlet / liquid
Of which virtúe engendered is the flower;

When Zephyrus eke with his sweetè breath…...............the West Wind / also
Inspirèd hath in every holt and heath…………...............grove & field
The tender croppès, and the youngè sun….....…............young shoots / Spring sun
Hath in the Ram his halfè course y-run………...............in Aries / has run

And smallè fowlès maken melody……………..................small birds
That sleepen all the night with open eye…….................who sleep
(So pricketh them Natúre in their couráges)….............spurs / spirits
Then longen folk to go on pilgrimáges…….............people long
And palmers for to seeken strangè strands….................pilgrims / shores
To fernè hallows couth in sundry lands………...............distant shrines known


The first lines of 'The General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales' ~ Geoffrey Chaucer

April again.
And every year Geoffrey is correct again.
We pilgrims, we longen bad.

Regds
Gerard

I'm longen, I'm really longen!