The Nun's Priest II[1]

Geoffrey Chaucer - Canterbury Tales The Nun s Priest s Tale A widow who was rather old and poor In a small cottage dwelt in days of yore, Beside a grove that stood within a dale. This widow whom I tell of in my tale Had from the day that she was last a... More

Geoffrey Chaucer - Canterbury Tales The Nun s Priest s Tale A widow who was rather old and poor In a small cottage dwelt in days of yore, Beside a grove that stood within a dale. This widow whom I tell of in my tale Had from the day that she was last a wife 2825 In patience led a very simple life, So little were her gain and property. With what God gave her, though, she thriftily Cared for her daughters and herself. Three cows She had, no more, along with three big sows, 2830 And but one sheep named Molly--that was all. And sooty were the bedroom and the hall In which she d eaten many a scanty meal. With pungent sauce she never had to deal. No dainty morsel passed her throat, it s not 2835 A fancy diet found in such a cot, So overeating never caused her qualm. A temperate diet was her only balm, With exercise and a contented heart; The gout did not stop dancing on her part, 2840 And apoplexy never hurt her head. She had no wine to drink, nor white nor red, Her board was mostly Less