《坎特伯雷故事集》基本上採用詩歌體，開頭的幾行非常有名：
四月時分，甜蜜的陣雨飄落，
穿越乾旱的三月，浸透了萬物的根部，
把強力酒精的每一根經絡浸泡，
草木發芽，漸次生花；
西風撥出甜美的氣息，
席捲了荒地和林丘
嫩枝和嫩葉，青春的Sunny
在白羊星座走了一半的歷程，
無數小鳥通宵達旦睜著眼睛，
此時齊聲歌唱
（大自然騷擾著它們躁動不安）；
這時，人們渴望走上朝聖之路……
原文如下：
Whan that Aprill, with his shoures soote
The droghte of March hath perced to the roote
And bathed every veyne in swich licour,
Of which vertu engendred is the flour;
Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth
Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne
Hath in the Ram his halfe cours yronne,
And smale foweles maken melodye,
That slepen al the nyght with open eye-
(So priketh hem Nature in hir corages);
Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages
可以看到，這種英語普通人是根本看不懂的，必須翻譯成現代英語：
When in April the sweet showers fall
That pierce March"s drought to the root and all
And bathed every vein in liquor that has power
To generate therein and sire the flower;
When Zephyr also has with his sweet breath,
Filled again, in every holt and heath,
The tender shoots and leaves, and the young sun
His half-course in the sign of the Ram has run,
And many little birds make melody
That sleep through all the night with open eye
(So Nature pricks them on to ramp and rage)
Then folk do long to go on pilgrimage,
這一段很容易讓人想到，20世紀著名詩人T.S.艾略特的名作《荒原》的開頭：
四月是最殘忍的一個月，荒地上
長著丁香，把回憶和慾望
參合在一起，又讓春雨
催促那些遲鈍的根芽。
英文原文是：
APRIL is the cruellest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.
喬叟說四月讓人有一種朝聖的慾望，而艾略特則說四月是最殘忍的一個月。農業文明與工業文明的區別，一目瞭然。
《坎特伯雷故事集》基本上採用詩歌體，開頭的幾行非常有名：
四月時分，甜蜜的陣雨飄落，
穿越乾旱的三月，浸透了萬物的根部，
把強力酒精的每一根經絡浸泡，
草木發芽，漸次生花；
西風撥出甜美的氣息，
席捲了荒地和林丘
嫩枝和嫩葉，青春的Sunny
在白羊星座走了一半的歷程，
無數小鳥通宵達旦睜著眼睛，
此時齊聲歌唱
（大自然騷擾著它們躁動不安）；
這時，人們渴望走上朝聖之路……
原文如下：
Whan that Aprill, with his shoures soote
The droghte of March hath perced to the roote
And bathed every veyne in swich licour,
Of which vertu engendred is the flour;
Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth
Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne
Hath in the Ram his halfe cours yronne,
And smale foweles maken melodye,
That slepen al the nyght with open eye-
(So priketh hem Nature in hir corages);
Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages
可以看到，這種英語普通人是根本看不懂的，必須翻譯成現代英語：
When in April the sweet showers fall
That pierce March"s drought to the root and all
And bathed every vein in liquor that has power
To generate therein and sire the flower;
When Zephyr also has with his sweet breath,
Filled again, in every holt and heath,
The tender shoots and leaves, and the young sun
His half-course in the sign of the Ram has run,
And many little birds make melody
That sleep through all the night with open eye
(So Nature pricks them on to ramp and rage)
Then folk do long to go on pilgrimage,
這一段很容易讓人想到，20世紀著名詩人T.S.艾略特的名作《荒原》的開頭：
四月是最殘忍的一個月，荒地上
長著丁香，把回憶和慾望
參合在一起，又讓春雨
催促那些遲鈍的根芽。
英文原文是：
APRIL is the cruellest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.
喬叟說四月讓人有一種朝聖的慾望，而艾略特則說四月是最殘忍的一個月。農業文明與工業文明的區別，一目瞭然。