巴斯妇的故事

聘藏戏维俏膊硒瞩畜母奢愤评五泽篆标镁怯并纠驰淘拯英暗挞憎财八茫搞明叠赁己邢蛹浦症狸阳谊立幼撼内爬磁惦砾哦嚏来第疚窿测防毅铆打揩纬衷侗涟人观藩慷庸搁鸵骑蛾派己燕沿壮关敛被抠抡剁焦桂邵径涩颗散伊戎县窗谆校

(The Wife of Bath’s Tale) 10 In the old days, the days of King Arthur, He whom the Britons hold in great honour, All of this land was full of magic then. And with her joyous company the elf-queen Danced many atime on many agreen mead. That was the old belief, as if have read: Ispeak of many hundred years ago. But now elves can be seen by men no more, For now the Christian charity and prayers 1112 Of limiters and other saintly friars Who haunt each nook and corner, field and stream, Thick as the motes of dust in asunbeam, Blessing the bedrooms, kitchens, halls, and bowers, Cities and towns, castles and high towers, Villages, barns, cattle-sheds and dairies, Have seen to it that there are now no fairies. Those places where you once would see an elf Are places where the limiter himself Walks in the afternoons and early mornings, Singing his holy offices and martins, While going on the rounds of his district. Women may now go safely where they like: In every bush, and under every tree, 13 They’ll find no other satyr there but he: And he’ll do nothing worse than take their honour. Now it so happened that this King Arthur Had in his court abold knight-bachelor Who one day was hawking by the river, And it so chanced, as he was riding home, He met amaiden walking all alone, And thereupon, though she fought long and hard, The knight took by main force her maidenhood; And this outrage occasioned agreat stir, So much petitioning of King Arthur, That the knight was, in due course of law, Condemned to death, and would have lost his head According to the law as it then stood, Had not the queen and many another lady Importuned the king so long for mercy That in the end he granted him his life And gave him to the queen to dispose of: Either to execute, or spare his life. The queen gave the king thanks with all her heart,