This
activity is an exploration of the links between the
language of the past and the language of today using
'The Squire's Tale' from Chaucer's 'Canterbury
Tales'.
'The Squire's
Tale' is one of many stories written in Middle English
by Geoffrey Chaucer, who described a band of pilgrims
travelling to Canterbury and made each one tell a tale
- hence the title, 'The Canterbury Tales'.
Chaucer probably
wrote the Canterbury Tales between 1387 and 1400. He
died on October 25th 1400 and you can see his tomb in
Westminster Abbey.
The Squire
tells of a King who decides to celebrate twenty years
of his reign with a magnificent banquet. All the nobles
are summoned to the feast and the King, his wife and
three children - two sons and a daughter - sit down
to enjoy the occasion.
The food
is so rich and exotic and there are so many dishes that
the Squire says he can not possibly describe it all
even if he speaks all day. The passage begins when they
have eaten the third course and are listening to the
music…
Listen
to the passage and follow the text on the screen.
Please
note that on slower connections there may be a small
delay before the audio begins playing - please be
patient!
And
so bifel
that, after the thridde
cours, Whyl that
this king sit thus in his nobleye,
Herkninge
hise minstralles
hir thinges pleye
Biforn him at the bord
deliciously,
80
In
at the halle-dore al sodeynly
Ther cam a knight,
upon a stede of bras,
And in his hand a brood
mirour of glas.
Upon his thombe
he hadde of gold a ring,
And by his syde a naked swerd
hanging;
85
And
up he rydeth to the heighe bord.
In al the halle ne was ther spoke a word
For merveille of this knight; him to biholde Ful bisily ther wayten
yonge and olde.
This
strange knight, that cam thus sodeynly,
90
Al
armed, save
his heed,
ful richely, Saleweth king,
and queen, and lordes alle,
By ordre, as they seten
in the halle…
The Knight brought four gifts to the King. What do you
think they were? Choose the four single words from the
passage you think are the gifts and write them in the
boxes below, in the order they appear in the text.
Chaucer's
English is much easier to read than the Beowulf passage,
but there are still a few strange words. Do you think
you could write a sentence in Middle English?
Try
translating this sentence. The words are all in the
passage for you…
A
strange knight rides to the high table and greets
the king and queen.
