Pattern (And Chaucer)

The brain works in mysterious ways. This morning while walking Isabel, I started reciting the General Prologue from The Cantebury Tales, which I had to memorize in 9th grade. Why I still remember this is beyond me. If you ever end up playing Trivial Pursuit with me, you want me on your team.

It is sort of fun to recite in Middle/Early Renaissance English, if that's your thing. In case you want to give it a go:

Whan that April whith his shoures soote
The droghte of March hath perced to the roote,
And bathed every veyne in swich licour
Of which vertu engendered is the flour;
When Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth
Inspired hat in every holt and heeth
The tenfre croppes, and the yonge sonne
Hath in the Ram his half cours yronne,
And smale foweles maken melodye,
That slepen al the nyght with open eye
(So priketh hem nature in hir corages);
Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages,
And palmeres for to seeken straunge strondes,
To fern halwes, kowthe on sondry londes;
And specially from every shores ende
Of Engelond to Caunterbury they wende,
The holy blisful martir for to seke,
That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke.