Chaucer - canterbury tales

[lethoso]

I realise this may be a somewhat esoteric request, but i figured i might as well try it anyway. I'm currently reading some of the canterbury tales, with a translation done by E.T. Donaldson. I'm personally liking the rather raw nature of the translation, which (according the the little preface thingo) is phonetically consistant with middle english. Unfortunately the book i'm reading it in contains only several of the tales, and my university library does not have a more complete version of the same translation (if there even is one? not sure how much of it the guy translated), despite having 35 different entries for the canterbury tales :/. I'd like to read the rest of the tales once i'm done with the few i have right now, so basically what i'm looking for is a recommendation of a similar translation, because i don't really feel like looking at each and every version the library has to pick the best.

Thanks [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Timber Loftis]

Bah! Read it in the original. It ain't that hard.

http://www.canterburytales.org/canterbury_tales.html (Actually lets you choose your translation)

1 Whan that Aprille, with hise shoures soote,
2 The droghte of March hath perced to the roote
3 And bathed every veyne in swich licour,
4 Of which vertu engendred is the flour;
5 Whan Zephirus eek with his swete breeth

6 Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
7 The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne
8 Hath in the Ram his halfe cours yronne,
9 And smale foweles maken melodye,
10 That slepen al the nyght with open eye-

11 So priketh hem Nature in hir corages-
12 Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages
13 And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes
14 To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes;
15 And specially, from every shires ende

16 Of Engelond, to Caunturbury they wende,
17 The hooly blisful martir for the seke
18 That hem hath holpen, whan that they were seeke.

[Timber Loftis]

33 Sir man of lawe, quod he, so have ye blis,
Sir Lawyer, said he, as you have hope of bliss,
34 Telle us a tale anon, as forward is.
Tell us a tale, as our agreement is;
35 Ye been submytted thurgh youre free assent
You have submitted, by your free assent,
36 To stonden in this cas at my juggement.
To stand, in this case, to my sole judgment;
37 Acquiteth yow as now of youre biheeste,
Acquit yourself, keep promise with the rest,
38 Thanne have ye do youre devoir atte leeste.
And you'll have done your duty, at the least.
39 Hooste, quod he, Depardieux ich assente,
Mine host, said he, by the gods, I consent;
40 To breke forward is nat myn entente.
To break a promise is not my intent.
41 Biheste is dette, and I wole holde fayn
A promise is a debt, and by my fay
42 Al my biheste, I kan no bettre sayn.
I keep all mine; I can no better say.
43 For swich lawe as a man yeveth another wight,
For such law as man gives to other wight,
44 He sholde hymselven usen it by right;
He should himself submit to it, by right;
45 Thus wole oure text, but nathelees certeyn
Thus says our text; nevertheless, 'tis true
46 I kan right now no thrifty tale seyn;
I can relate no useful tale to you,
47 But Chaucer, thogh he kan but lewedly
But Chaucer, though he speaks but vulgarly
48 On metres and on rymyng craftily,
In metre and in rhyming dextrously,
49 Hath seyd hem in swich Englissh as he kan,
Has told them in such English as he can,
50 Of olde tyme, as knoweth many a man.
In former years, as knows full many a man.
51 And if he have noght seyd hem, leve brother,
For if he has not told them, my dear brother,
52 In o book, he hath seyd hem in another.
In one book, why he's done so in another.
53 For he hath toold of loveris up and doun
For he has told of lovers, up and down,
54 Mo than Ovide made of mencioun,
More than old Ovid mentions, of renown,
55 In hise Episteles that been ful olde;
In his Epistles, that are now so old.
56 What sholde I tellen hem, syn they ben tolde?
Why should I then re-tell what has been told?