From Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales", The Miller's Tale, lines 231-288

From The Canterbury Tales:
The Miller's Tale
lines 231-288: Absalom's affection for Alison

	This Absolon, that jolif was and gay,
	Gooth with a sencer on the haliday,
	Sensynge the wyves of the parisshe faste;
	And many a lovely look on hem caste,
235	And namely on this carpenteris wyf.
	To looke on hire hym thoughte a myrie lyf,
	She was so propre and sweete and likerous.
	I dar wel seyn, if she hadde been a mous,
	And I the cat, he wolde hire hente anon.
240	This parissh clerk, this joly Absolon,
	Hath in his herte swich a love-longynge
	That of no wyf took he noon offrynge;
	For curteisie, he seyde, he wolde noon.

	This Absalom, who was so light and gay,
	Went with a censer on the holy day,
	Censing the wives like an enthusiast;
	And on them many a loving look he cast,
235	Especially on this carpenter's goodwife.
	To look at her he thought a merry life,
	She was so pretty, sweet, and lickerous.
	I dare well say, if she had been a mouse
	And he a cat, he would have mauled her some.
240	This parish clerk, this lively Absalom
	Had in his heart, now, such a love-longing
	That from no wife took he an offering;
	For courtesy, he said, he would take none.

	The moone, whan it was nyght, ful brighte shoon,
245	And Absolon his gyterne hath ytake,
	For paramours he thoghte for to wake.
	And forth he gooth, jolif and amorous,
	Til he cam to the carpenters hous
	A litel after cokkes hadde ycrowe,
250	And dressed hym up by a shot-wyndowe
	That was upon the carpenteris wall.
	He syngeth in his voys gentil and smal,
	'Now, deere lady, if thy wille be,
	I praye yow that ye wole rewe on me,'
255	Ful wel acordaunt to his gyternynge.
	This carpenter awook, and herde him synge,
	And spak unto his wyf, and seyde anon,
	"What! Alison! Herestow nat Absolon,
	That chaunteth thus under oure boures wal?"
260	Ans she answerde hir housbonde therwithal,
	"Yis, God woot, John, I heere it every deel."
	This passeth forth; what wol ye bet than weel?
	Fro day to day this joly Absolon
	So woweth hire that hym is wo bigon.
265	He waketh al the nyght and al the day;
	He kembeth his lokkes brode, and made hym gay;
	He woweth hire by meenes and brocage,
	And swoor he wolde been hir owene page;
	He syngeth, brokkynge as a nyghtyngale;
270	He sente hire pyment, meeth, and spiced ale,
	And wafres, pipyng hoot out of the gleede;
	And, for she was of towne, he profred meede.
	For som folk wol ben wonnen for richesse,
	And somme for strokes, and somme for gentillesse.

	The moon, when it was night, full brightly shone,
245	And his guitar did Absalom then take,
	For in love-watching he'd intent to wake.
	And forth he went, jolly and amorous,
	Until he came unto the carpenter's house
	A little after cocks began to crow;
250	And took his stand beneath a shot-window
	That was let into the good wood-wright's wall.
	He sang then, in his pleasant voice and small,
	"Oh now, dear lady, if your will it be,
	I pray that you will have some ruth on me,"
255	The words in harmony with his string-plucking.
	This carpenter awoke and heard him sing,
	And called unto his wife and said, in sum:
	"What, Alison! Do you hear Absalom,
	Who plays and sings beneath our bedroom wall?"
260	And she said to her husband, therewithal:
	"Yes, God knows, John, I bear it, truth to tell."
	So this went on; what is there better than well?
	From day to day this pretty Absalom
	So wooed her he was woebegone therefrom.
265	He lay awake all night and all the day;
	He combed his spreading hair and dressed him gay;
	By go-betweens and agents, too, wooed he,
	And swore her loyal page he'd ever be.
	He sang as tremulously as nightingale;
270	He sent her sweetened wine and well-spiced ale
	And waffles piping hot out of the fire,
	And, she being town-bred, mead for her desire.
	For some are won by means of money spent,
	And some by tricks, and some by long descent.

275	Somtyme, to shewe his lightnesse and maistrye,
	He pleyeth Herodes upon a scaffold hye.
	But what availleth hym as in the cas?
	She loveth so this hende Nicholas
	That Absolon may blowe the bukkes horn;
280	He ne hadde for his labour but a scorn.
	And thus she maketh Absolon hire ape,
	And al his ernest turneth til a jape.
	Ful sooth is this proverbe, it is no lye,
	Men seyn right thus, 'Alwey the nye slye
285	Maketh the ferre leeve to be looth.'
	For though that Absolon be wood or wrooth,
	By cause that he fer was from hire sight,
	This nye Nicholas stood in his light.

275	Once, to display his versatility,
	He acted Herod on a scaffold high.
	But what availed it him in any case?
	She was enamoured so of Nicholas
	That Absalom might go and blow his horn;
280	He got naught for his labour but her scorn.
	And thus she made of Absalom her ape,
	And all his earnestness she made a jape.
	For truth is in this proverb, and no lie,
	Men say well thus: It's always he that's nigh
285	That makes the absent lover seem a sloth.
	For now, though Absalom be wildly wroth,
	Because he is so far out of her sight,
	This handy Nicholas stands in his light.