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
thankfulness looks look-up
Look up on high, and thank the God of all.
poverty rich poor
He who accepts his poverty unhurt I'd say is rich although he lacked a shirt. But truly poor are they who whine and fret and covet what they cannot hope to get.
men invention
By nature, men love newfangledness.
prayer littles praying
We know little of the things for which we pray.
rose legs may
Certes, they been lye to hounds, for an hound when he cometh by the roses, or by other bushes, though he may nat pisse, yet wole he heve up his leg and make a countenance to pisse.
men progress
Men love newfangleness.
love honour
He loved chivalrye Trouthe and honour, freedom and curteisye.
men may sake
Of alle the floures in the mede, Than love I most these floures whyte and rede, Swiche as men callen daysies in our toun. . . . . Til that myn herte dye. . . . . That wel by reson men hit calle may The 'dayesye' or elles the 'ye of day,' The emperice and flour of floures alle. I pray to god that faire mot she falle, And alle that loven floures, for hir sake!
cat flesh als
Lat take a cat, and fostre him wel with milk, And tendre flesh, and make his couche of silk, And let him seen a mous go by the wal; Anon he weyveth milk, and flesh, and al, And every deyntee that is in that hous, Swich appetyt hath he to ete a mous.
men busy busier
Nowhere so busy a man as he than he, and yet he seemed busier than he was.
men long als
The Iyf so short, the craft so long to lerne, Thassay so hard, so sharp the conquenng. . . . . For out of olde feldes, as men seith, Cometh al this newe corn fro yeer to yere; And out of olde bokes, in good feith, Cometh al this newe science that men lere.
powerful age filth
Filth and old age, I'm sure you will agree, are powerful wardens upon chastity.
firsts taught twelve
But Christ's lore and his apostles twelve, He taught and first he followed it himself.
spiritual heart journey
For in their hearts doth Nature stir them so Then people long on pilgrimage to go And palmers to be seeking foreign strands To distant shrines renowned in sundry lands.