مقدمه

Chapter one

The Prologue

It’s a beautiful day! The weather is good. The birds are singing. The grass is green, and there are flowers everywhere. Now, my story can begin. My name’s Geoffrey. And today, I’m going on a pilgrimage to Canterbury. I’m going to Canterbury with a group of people. We’re going there together. I met these people yesterday, at an inn, in London.

I arrived at the inn in the afternoon. I was very tired, and hungry. ‘Good afternoon’ I said to the man who worked at the inn. He was the innkeeper. ‘I’d like a room for the night. I’m going to Canterbury tomorrow. The road to Canterbury is long. I need to sleep well before I start.’

‘Good afternoon,’ said the innkeeper. ‘Do you know that some other people are going to Canterbury tomorrow? They’re staying here tonight.’

‘I’d like to meet them,’ I said to the Innkeeper.

In the evening, I met the other people. The inn was big and there was a lot of good food and drink. Everybody had dinner together. And the innkeeper gave good food to everybody. The innkeeper was a nice person. He was a very big man and he enjoyed speaking to people. He was very good at his job. Everybody enjoyed their dinner.

After dinner, the innkeeper spoke to the group. ‘You’re a very nice group of people,’ he said. ‘I know that God will listen to your prayers. You’re all going to the same place. So, you must go to Canterbury together. What do you think?’

‘Yes, we can go together’ I said.

‘And I want to go to Canterbury with you,’ said the innkeeper. ‘Now, we have to travel for a long time. And I think we can do something interesting. We can play a game. What do you think?’

‘Yes’ said everybody in the group. ‘Tell us about this game.’

‘Now, listen to what I have to say,’ said the innkeeper. ‘We’ll go to Canterbury together. And every person will tell a story. I’ll listen to every story then I’ll tell you which story is the best.’ Everybody in the group wanted to play this game. ‘Very well,’ said the innkeeper. ‘And I will give something to the person who tells the best story. That person will have dinner at my inn. And I’ll pay for the dinner.’

The people in the group were very happy. And they began to think of what story to tell. In the group there was a Knight. Everybody liked him. And he was always happy to help people. He was an important man, but his clothes were cheap. His horse was fast, but it was small.

‘I’m a Knight, and my life is very exciting,’ said the Knight. And my story is also going to be exciting. It’s about two brothers who love the same woman.’

There was also a Clerk in the group. He was a nice man, but he didn’t speak very much. He liked reading and studying. That’s all he wanted to do. He was very slim and he didn’t eat very much. And he liked books more than food.

‘I read a lot of books,’ said the Clerk. ‘I don’t want nice clothes or good food. I don’t have much money. And I use the money I have to buy books. That’s why I read a lot of stories. My story is very easy to understand. But, it’s not boring. I think everybody will enjoy it. It’s about a king who has many secrets.’

Another person in the group was a Merchant. He had a lot of money. But he wasn’t a happy man. He always had a sad face. He was different from the Knight. His clothes were very expensive. Everything he had was expensive, his clothes, his hat, and his horse.

‘I have an important business,’ said the Merchant. And I have a lot of things to do. But I’m not very happy with my life. And that’s why my story will be sad. It’ll be about an old man who can’t see.’

I also have to tell you about another man. He was a Franklin. He was different from the Clerk. He was very rich and important, but he didn’t have a business. He had a big house in the country.

And he often invited people there. He liked good food.

‘I’m very old, And my house is big, And I like inviting people there,’ said the Franklin. ‘In my house, I often tell stories. I enjoy it. My story will be very interesting. It’s about a woman who doesn’t like the sea. Why doesn’t she like the sea? Well, you’ll have to listen to my story.’

There is another person I want to tell you about. He was a Pardoner. He also liked reading. And he liked to sing songs and say prayers. He had a strange face.

‘I travel a lot and I always say prayers for people,’ said the Pardoner. ‘There are a lot of bad people in the world. I’ll say a prayer for them, but they have to give me some money. My story will be about three people who do something very bad.’

Everybody was very tired, it was late in the evening, and the Knight said, ‘We can go to bed now. Then we can leave early in the morning.’ We all went to bed. We were tired, but happy.

Early next morning, we got up. And then we left for Canterbury on our horses. We were slow. And after many hours we came to a place called Saint Thomas. And we stopped there.

We sat down. And then we had something to eat. After eating, the innkeeper said, ‘Listen, do you remember what we said last night?’

‘Of course,’ said the Knight.

‘Well,’ said the innkeeper, ‘who wants to begin? Who wants to tell the first story?’

‘I’m happy to tell you my story,’ said the Knight. ‘I think you’ll enjoy it. It’s very exciting.’

And then the Knight began to tell his story.