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Geoffrey Chaucer
114 quotes
“Ful craftier to pley she was Than Athalus, that made the game First of the ches: so was his name.”
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400) said by 1400 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Of alle maner of minstrales, And gestiours, that tellen tales Bothe of weping and of game, Of al that longeth unto Fame.”
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400) said by 1400 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Soun is noght but air y-broken, And every speche that is spoken, Loud or privee, foul or fair, In his substaunce is but air; For as flaumbe is but lighted smoke, Right so soun is air y-broke.”
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400) said by 1400 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Now purs, that be to me my lyves light, And saveour, as doun in this worlde here, Out of this toune help me through your might.”
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400) said by 1400 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“For I am shave as nye as any frere. But yit I pray un-to youre curtesye: Beth hevy ageyn, or elles mot I die.”
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400) said by 1400 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Hard is his herte that loveth nought In May.”
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400) said by 1400 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Your yën two wol slee me sodenly, I may the beautè of hem not sustene, So woundeth hit through-out my herte kene.”
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400) said by 1400 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Sin I fro Love escaped am so fat, I never thenk to ben in his prison lene; Sin I am free, I counte him not a bene.”
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400) said by 1400 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Madame, ye ben of al beautè shryne As fer as cercled is the mappemounde; For as the cristal glorious ye shyne, And lyke ruby ben your chekes rounde.”
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400) said by 1400 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Therwith ye ben so mery and so jocounde, That at a revel whan that I see you daunce, It is an oynement unto my wounde, Thogh ye to me ne do no daliaunce.”
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400) said by 1400 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Flee fro the prees, and dwelle with sothfastnesse, Suffyce unto thy good, though hit be smal; For hord hath hate, and climbing tikelnesse, Prees hath envye, and wele blent overal.”
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400) said by 1400 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Forth, pilgrim, forth! Forth, beste, out of thy stal! Know thy contree, look up, thank God of al; Hold the hye wey, and lat thy gost thee lede: And trouthe shal delivere, hit is no drede.”
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400) said by 1400 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The lyf so short, the craft so long to lerne, Th' assay so hard, so sharp the conquering, The dredful joy, that alwey slit so yerne, Al this mene I by love.”
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400) said by 1400 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“For out of olde feldes, as men seith, Cometh al this newe corn fro yeer to yere; And out of olde bokes, in good feith, Cometh al this newe science that men lere.”
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400) said by 1400 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Nature, the vicar of th' Almightie Lorde.”
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400) said by 1400 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Now welcom somer, with thy sonne softe, That hast this wintres weders over-shake, And driven awey the longe nightes blake!”
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400) said by 1400 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“And if that olde bokes were a-weye, Y-loren were of remembraunce the keye.”
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400) said by 1400 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The 25 Good Women, quoted in Edward of Norwich, The Master of Game (ed. 1909), prologue: "By writing have men mind of things passed, for writing is the key of all good remembrance." Cf. Roman de la Rose (ed. Méon), l. 9…
“And as for me, thogh that I can but lyte, On bokes for to rede I me delyte, And to hem yeve I feyth and ful credence, And in myn herte have hem in reverence So hertely, that ther is game noon That fro my bokes maketh me to goon, But hit be seldom, on the holyday; Save, certeynly, whan that the month of May Is comen, and that I here the foules singe, And that the floures ginnen for to springe, Farwel my book and my devocioun!”
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400) said by 1400 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Of all the floures in the mede, Than love I most these floures whyte and rede, Swiche that men callen daysies in our toun.”
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400) said by 1400 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“That wel by reson men hit calle may The 'dayesye' or elles the 'ye of day,' The emperice and flour of floures alle.”
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400) said by 1400 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“My lady cometh, that al this may disteyne.”
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400) said by 1400 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“And she was fair as is the rose in May.”
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400) said by 1400 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Your duty is, as ferre as I can gesse.”
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400) said by 1400 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“O little booke, thou art so unconning, How darst thou put thy-self in prees for drede?”
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400) said by 1400 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“For iii may keep a counsel if twain be away.”
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400) said by 1400 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Cf. Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, act II, sc. iv, l. l. 186. Titus Andronicus, act 4, sc. 2, l. 144: "Two may keep counsel when the third's away." Herbert, Jacula Prudentum. Heywood, Proverbs, pt. 2, ch. 5. Franklin, P…
“A thousand tymes have I herd men telle, That ther is joye in heven, and peyne in helle; And I acorde wel that hit is so; But natheles, yit wot I wel also, That ther nis noon dwelling in this contree, That either hath in heven or helle y-be, Ne may of hit non other weyes witen, But as he hath herd seyd, or founde hit writen; For by assay ther may no man hit preve. But god forbede but men shulde leve Wel more thing then men han seen with yë! Men shal nat wenen every-thing a lyë But-if him-self hit seeth, or elles dooth; For, god wot, thing is never the lasse sooth, Thogh every wight ne may hit nat y-see. Bernard the monk ne saugh nat al, parde!”
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400) said by 1400 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“WHANNE that April with his shoures sote The droughte of March hath perced to the rote.”
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400) said by 1400 at the latest bartlett, Public domain source
“And smale foules maken melodie, That slepen alle night with open eye, So priketh hem nature in hir corages; Than longen folk to gon on pilgrimages.”
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400) said by 1400 at the latest bartlett, Public domain source
“And of his port as meke as is a mayde.”
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400) said by 1400 at the latest bartlett, Public domain source
“He was a veray parfit gentil knight.”
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400) said by 1400 at the latest bartlett, Public domain source
“He coude songes make, and wel endite.”
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400) said by 1400 at the latest bartlett, Public domain source
“Ful wel she sange the service devine, Entuned in hire nose ful swetely; And Frenche she spake ful fayre and fetisly, After the scole of Stratford atte bowe, For Frenche of Paris was to hire unknowe.”
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400) said by 1400 at the latest bartlett, Public domain source
“A Clerk ther was of Oxenforde also.”
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400) said by 1400 at the latest bartlett, Public domain source
“For him was lever han at his beddes hed A twenty bokes, clothed in black or red, Of Aristotle, and his philosophie, Than robes riche, or fidel, or sautrie. But all be that he was a philosophre, Yet hadde he but litel gold in cofre.”
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400) said by 1400 at the latest bartlett, Public domain source
“And gladly wolde he lerne, and gladly teche.”
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400) said by 1400 at the latest bartlett, Public domain source
“Nowher so besy a man as he ther n' as, And yet he semed besier than he was.”
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400) said by 1400 at the latest bartlett, Public domain source
“His studie was but litel on the Bible.”
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400) said by 1400 at the latest bartlett, Public domain source
“For gold in phisike is a cordial; Therefore he loved gold in special.”
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400) said by 1400 at the latest bartlett, Public domain source
“Wide was his parish, and houses fer asonder.”
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400) said by 1400 at the latest bartlett, Public domain source
“This noble ensample to his shepe he yaf,-- That first he wrought, and afterwards he taught.”
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400) said by 1400 at the latest bartlett, Public domain source
“But Cristes lore, and his apostles twelve, He taught; but first he folwed it himselve.”
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400) said by 1400 at the latest bartlett, Public domain source
“And yet he had a thomb of gold parde.”
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400) said by 1400 at the latest bartlett, Public domain source
“Who so shall telle a tale after a man, He moste reherse, as neighe as ever he can, Everich word, if it be in his charge, All speke he never so rudely and so large; Or elles he moste tellen his tale untrewe, Or feinen thinges, or finden wordes newe.”
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400) said by 1400 at the latest bartlett, Public domain source
“For May wol have no slogardie a-night. The seson priketh every gentil herte, And maketh him out of his slepe to sterte.”
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400) said by 1400 at the latest bartlett, Public domain source
“That field hath eyen, and the wood hath ears.”
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400) said by 1400 at the latest bartlett, Public domain source
“Up rose the sonne, and up rose Emelie.”
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400) said by 1400 at the latest bartlett, Public domain source
“Min be the travaille, and thin be the glorie.”
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400) said by 1400 at the latest bartlett, Public domain source
“To maken vertue of necessite.”
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400) said by 1400 at the latest bartlett, Public domain source
“And brought of mighty ale a large quart.”
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400) said by 1400 at the latest bartlett, Public domain source
“Ther n' is no werkman whatever he be, That may both werken wel and hastily. This wol be done at leisure parfitly.”
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400) said by 1400 at the latest bartlett, Public domain source