Geoffrey Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer, known as the Father of English literature, is widely considered the greatest English poet of the Middle Ages and was the first poet to be buried in Poets' Corner of Westminster Abbey...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionPoet
blood dover cold
For many a pasty have you robbed of blood, And many a Jack of Dover have you sold That has been heated twice and twice grown cold. From many a pilgrim have you had Christ's curse, For of your parsley they yet fare the worse, Which they have eaten with your stubble goose; For in your shop full many a fly is loose.
als appearance
Hyt is not al golde that glareth.
patience space faces
Thus with hir fader for a certeyn space Dwelleth this flour of wyfly pacience, That neither by hir wordes ne hir face Biforn the folk, ne eek in her absence, Ne shewed she that hir was doon offence.
might diligence goodness
He that loveth God will do diligence to please God by his works, and abandon himself, with all his might, well for to do.
men hands may
With emptie hands men may no haukes lure.
men feet space
My house is small, but you are learned men And by your arguments can make a place Twenty foot broad as infinite as space.
soul literature body
Whoso will pray, he must fast and be clean, And fat his soul, and make his body lean.
may literature workmen
There's no workman, whatsoever he be, That may both work well and hastily.
men wit discretion
Drunkenness is the very sepulcher Of man's wit and his discretion.
jolly
So was hir jolly whistel wel y-wette.
virtue fame
Make a virtue of necessity.
blessed believe men
Men sholde nat knowe of Goddes pryvetee Ye, blessed be alwey, a lewed man That noght but oonly his believe kan! So ferde another clerk with astromye, He walked in the feelds, for to prye Upon the sterres, what ther sholde bifalle, Til he was in a marle-pit yfalle.
men deeds
And when a beest is deed, he hath no peyne; But man after his deeth moot wepe and pleyne.
eye woods fields
The fields have eyes, and the woods have ears.