From Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales", The Squire's Tale, lines 42-75

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From The Squire's Tale, lines 9-41:
King Cambinskan and his family

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From The Canterbury Tales:
The Squire's Tale
lines 42-75: A feast in honour of the king

	And so bifel, that whan this Cambyuskan
	Hath twenty wynter born his diademe,
	As he was wont fro yeer to yeer, I deme,
45	He leet the feeste of his nativitee
	Doon cryen thurghout Sarray his citee,
	The last Idus of March after the yeer.
	Phebus the sonne ful joly was and cleer,
	For he was neigh his exaltacioun
50	In Martes face, and in his mansioun
	In Aries, the colerik hoote signe.
	Ful lusty was the weder, and benigne,
	For which the foweles agayn the sonne sheene,
	What for the sesoun and the yonge grene,
55	Ful loude songen hir affecciouns;
	Hem semed han geten hem protecciouns
	Agayn the swerd of wynter, keene and coold.

	And so it happened that, when this Cambinskan
	Had twenty winters worn his diadem,
	As he was wont from year to year, I deem,
45	He let the feast of his nativity
	Be cried throughout all Sarai, his city,
	The last Idus of March, as 'twas that year.
	Phoebus the sun right festive was, and clear;
	For he was near his exaltation grown
50	In face of Mars, and in his mansion known
	In Aries, the choleric hot sign.
	Right pleasant was the weather, and benign,
	For which the wild birds in the sun's gold sheen,
	What of the season and the springing green,
55	Full loudly sang their love and their affection;
	It seemed that they had got themselves protection
	Against the sword of winter keen and cold.

	This Cambyuskan, of which I have yow toold,
	In roial vestiment sit on his deys,
60	With diademe, ful heighe in his paleys,
	And halt his feeste so solempne and so ryche,
	That in this world ne was ther noon it lyche.
	Of which, if I shal tellen al th'array,
	Thanne wolde it occupie a someres day,
65	And eek it nedeth nat for to devyse,
	At every cours the ordre of hire servyse.
	I wol nat tellen of hir strange sewes,
	Ne of hir swannes, nor of hire heronsewes;
	Eek in that lond, as tellen knyghtes olde,
70	Ther is som mete that is ful deynte holde,
	That in this lond men recche of it but smal;
	Ther nys no man that may reporten al.
	I wol nat taryen yow, for it is pryme,
	And for it is no fruyt but los of tyme.
75	Unto my firste I wole have my recours.

	This Cambinskan, of whom I have you told,
	High in the palace, mounted on his throne
60	With crown and royal vestments sat alone,
	And held his feast, so splendid and so rich
	That in this world its like was not, of which,
	If I should tell you all of the array,
	Then would it occupy a summer's day.
65	Besides, it needs not here that I apprise
	Of every course the order of service.
	I will not tell you of their each strange sauce,
	Nor of their swans, nor of their heronshaws.
	Moreover, in that land, as tell knights old,
70	There are some foods which they for dainties hold.
	Of which in this land the esteem is small;
	There is no man that can report them all.
	I will not so delay you, for it's prime,
	And all the fruit of this were loss of time;
75	Unto my first theme I will have recourse.

Next:
From The Squire's Tale, lines 76-88:
A strange knight enters the king's hall