THE CANTERBURY TALES
GROUP A
The prologue
By Geoffrey Chaucer
《坎特伯雷故事集》
第一组 楔子
作者：杰佛里•乔叟
When the sweet showers of April fall and shoot
Down through the drought of March to pierce the root,
恰逢四月降下了甘霖，
穿透三月干旱的须根。
Bathing every vein in liquid power
From which there springs the engendering of the flowers,
每一片叶子都接受沐浴，
花蕾在雨水中竞相涌出。
When also Zephyrus with his sweet breath
Exhales an air in every grove and heath
西风带着甜美呼吸，
吐纳来自树木的灵气。
Upon the tender shoots, and the young Sun
His half-course in the sign of the Ram has run,
太阳挂在嫩芽的上空，
一只脚踏进了白羊宫。
And the small fowl are making melody
That sleep away the night with open eye
小鸟吱吱地歌唱不停歇，
两眼睁着度过了慢慢长夜。
(So nature pricks them and their heart engages)
Then people long to go on pilgrimages
受命于天它们尽情地哼，
人人渴望着去朝圣。
and palmers long to seek the stranger strands
of far-off saints, hallowed in sundry lands,
香客渴望朝圣到异乡，
远方的圣人处处受敬仰。
And specially, from every shire's end
In England,down to Canterbury, they wend
特别是，从英格兰的每一个郡，
他们前往坎特伯雷镇。
To seek the holy blissful martyr,quick
In giving help to them when they were sick.
快快去追寻极乐的殉难圣徒，
及时给需要的患者以帮助。
It happened in that season that one day
In Southwark, at The Tabard, as I lay
故事发生在那个季节的某一天，
当时我投宿在萨瑟克的泰巴店。
Ready to go on pilgrimage and start
For Canterbury, most devout at heart,
心中怀着的敬意最虔诚，
动身到坎特伯雷去朝圣。
At night there came into that hostelry
Some nine and twenty in a company
旅店客人夜来晚，
三五成群结好伴。
Of sundry folk happening then to fall
In fellowship, and they were pilgrims all
凑巧都是同路人，
他们都是去朝圣。
that towards Canterbury meant to ride.
The rooms and stables of the inn were wide;
前往坎特伯雷要骑马.
酒店房间马厩够宽大;
They made us easy, all was of the best.
And shortly, when the sun had gone to rest,
服务一流我们住得真舒适,
不久，正好太阳已去了休息.
By speaking to them all upon the trip
I was admitted to their fellowship
关于行程，我和他们有谈及,
跟他们同行，我得到了同意.
And promised to rise early and take the way
To Canterbury, as you heard me say.
答应了要早起，踏上一条路
前往坎特伯雷，正如你听过我讲述。
But none the less, while I have time and space,
Before my story takes a further pace,
但无论如何，我有的是时间和空间,
在我的故事尚未开始前.
It seems a reasonable thing to say
What their condition was, the full array
Of each of them, as it appeared to me.
According to profession and degree，
这似乎是一件合理的事，
于我而言，把他们的情况提一提。
他们当中的每一个人，
一个也不落下，根据地位和身份。
And what apparel they were riding in;
And at a Knight I therefore will begin.
以及骑马时他们着什么装；
从一个骑士我的故事要开讲。
There also was a Nun,a Prioress;
Simple her way of smiling was and coy.
Her greatest oath was only ’By St Loy!’
还有个修女，兼院长
她一脸的浅笑，还带着几分忸怩
言则必称“如是说圣洛伊！”
And she was known as Madam Eglantyne.
And well she sang a service,with a fine
Intoning through her nose, as was most seemly,
And she spoke daintily in French,extremely
After the school of Stafford-atte-Bowe;
French in the Paris style she did not know.
人称夫人埃格兰汀，她唱的祷词
从鼻腔发出，似乎能绕梁三日。
讲一口流利法语，带着斯特拉特福地区独特腔调；
巴黎风格的法语，一点也不知晓。
At meat her manners were well taught withal;
No morsel from her lips did she let fall.
Nor dipped her fingers in the sauce too deep;
But she could carry a morsel up and keep
The smallest drop from falling on her breast.
For courtliness she had a special zest.
餐桌礼仪真不错，嘴里的饭一粒也不让掉落。
（蘸酱料时手指也没放太深），拿起一小块食物很谨慎
一丁点汤汁也不许滴在衣襟上
待人和处世，她别有一副热心肠。
And she would wipe her upper lip so clean
That not a trace of grease was to be seen
Upon the cup when she had drunk;to eat,
She reached a hand sedately for the meat.
饭后上唇擦得很干净
一点油脂也见不到影
在喝过水的杯子上；吃饭时夹肉，
伸出的纤手慢悠悠。
She certainly was very entertaining,
pleasant and friendly in her ways, and straining
To counterfeit a courtly kind of grace,
a stately bearing fitting to her place,
她确实是个乐天派，表现友好且愉快。
举止优雅不露痕，端庄大方合身份。
And to seem dignified in all her dealings.
As for her sympathies and tender feelings,
She was so charitably solicitous
She used to weep if she but saw a mouse
Caught in a trap, if it were dead or bleeding.
And she had little dogs she would be feeding
With roasted fresh ,or milk,or fine white bread.
Sorely she wept if one of them were dead.
与人交往，她一脸矜持，富有同情和柔意
怀有如此大爱和慈悲，
看见老鼠被夹死或滴血，她常常会流眼泪。
有只小狗会给它喂食，用烤鲜肉，牛奶或优质白面包
她会痛苦地哭泣，如果有一只过了世。
Or someone took a stick and made it smart.
She was all sentiment and tender heart.
或有人拿棍子将它痛打
多愁善感的她会心疼它
Her veil was gathered in a seemly way,
Her nose was elegant, her eyes glass-grey
Her mouth was very small, but soft and red,
And certainly she had a well-shaped head,
面纱一披彰显出她的风韵，
优雅的鼻子，玻璃灰的眼睛。
小巧的嘴，柔软且红润，
还拥有一个天生的好头型。
Almost a span across the brows,I own
She was indeed by no means undergrown
Her cloak,I noticed,had a graceful charm.
She wore a coral trinket on her arm,
她眉宇开阔，我不隐瞒，
并非发育不全而使然。
她的斗篷，我注意到，优雅而且有魔力，
臂间戴着一串珊瑚小首饰。
A set of beads,the gaudies tricked in green,
Whence hung a golden brooch of brightest sheen
On which there first was graven a crowned A,
And lower,Amor vincit omnia.
一串大念珠衬底为绿色，
金质胸针发出了最耀眼的光泽。
上面镂雕着一个凸起的A，
“爱战胜一切”，刻在它的下位。