The Pardoner From The Prologue to the Canterbury Tales by Chaucer: Text and Explanation

The Pardoner 

With hym ther rood a gentil Pardoner

Of Rouncivale, his freend and his compeer,

That streight was comen fro the court of Rome.

Ful loude he soong, "Com hider, love, to me!"

This Somonour bar to hym a stif burdoun;

Was nevere trompe of half so greet a soun.

 

This Pardoner hadde heer as yelow as wex,

But smothe it heeng as dooth a strike of flex;

By ounces henge his lokkes that he hadde,

And therwith he his shuldres overspradde.

But thynne it lay, by colpons, oon and oon;

But hood, for jolitee, wered he noon,

For it was trussed up in his walét.

Hym thoughte he rood al of the newe jet;

Dischevelee, save his cappe, he rood al bare.

Swiche glarynge eyen hadde he as an hare.

A vernycle hadde he sowed upon his cappe.

His walet lay biforn hym in his lappe,

Bret-ful of pardoun, comen from Rome al hoot.

A voys he hadde as smal as hath a goot.

No berd hadde he, ne nevere sholde have,

As smothe it was as it were late y-shave;

I trowe he were a geldyng or a mare.

But of his craft, fro Berwyk into Ware,

Ne was ther swich another pardoner;

For in his male he hadde a pilwe-beer,

Which that, he seyde, was Oure Lady veyl;

He seyde he hadde a gobet of the seyl

That Seinte Peter hadde, whan that he wente

Upon the see, til Jesu Crist hym hente.

He hadde a croys of latoun, ful of stones,

And in a glas he hadde pigges bones.

But with thise relikes, whan that he fond

A povre person dwellynge upon lond,

Upon a day he gat hym moore moneye

Than that the person gat in monthes tweye;

And thus with feyned flaterye and japes

He made the person and the peple his apes.

But trewely to tellen atte laste,

He was in chirche a noble ecclesiaste;

Wel koude he rede a lessoun or a storie,

But alderbest he song an offertorie;

For wel he wiste, whan that song was songe,

He moste preche, and wel affile his tonge

To wynne silver, as he ful wel koude;

Therefore he song the murierly and loude.

 

Word meanings:

 1. Rood- rode 2. Rouncivale- A hospital in London 3. compeer- companion 4. Straight- straight 5. Ful loude- very loudly 6. Stif- strong 7. Burdoun- accompaniment 8. Trompe- trumpet 9. Soun- sound 10. Strike- hang 11. Flex- rough wool 12. Ounces- strands 13. Lokkes- locks 14. Shuldres- shoulders 15. Colpons- thin bundles 16. Jolitee- for the sake of fun 17. Trussed- packed 18. Newe jet- latest fashion 19. Dischevelee- hair hanging down loosely 20. Swiche- such 21. Glarynge- glaring 22. Sowed- stitched 28. Biforn- before 29. Voys- voice 30. Goot- goat 31. Male- bag 32. Pilwe beer- pillow case 33. Lady veyl- veil of the virgin Mary 34. Hinte- caught 35. Affile- smooth

 

The Pardoner: In simple English and Hindi

With Summoner there was a gentle Pardoner. He was his friend. He had come straight from the court of Rome. He used to sing loudly, Come here, love, to me. The Summoner used to repeat his song loudly. Pardoner’s hair was waxy yellow. Strands of hair were scattered on his shoulders. Because of his vanity, he wore no hood. It was lying in his bag. It seemed to him that he used to ride in a new style. His hair used to be scattered while riding. His eyes were like a hare. His wallet lay before him in his lap. It was full of pardons that had come straight from Rome. His voice was like a goat. He had no beard. His cheeks were so smooth. As far as her business is concerned, there was not another such Pardoner from Berwick to Ware. He used to have a pillow cover in his bag. He used to call it Virgin Mary’s Veil. He used to say that he had a legendary fragment of the sail. He had a cross made of copper and zinc. He had a glass in which there were pig’s bones. By exhibiting these relics he used to earn huge money. With feigned flattery he used to cheat priests and people. But to tell the truth at last, he was a noble priest of the church. He could read a passage or tell a story but best of all he knew how to sing hymn. He knew well that by singing he must preach. He knew how to make his tongue sweet to earn money. To impress people he used to sing merrily and loudly.

 

(सम्मन जारी करनेवाले के साथ एक कोमल क्षमाप्रदाता था। वह उसका दोस्त था। वह सीधे रोम के दरबार से आया था। वह जोर-जोर से गाता था, इधर आओ, प्रिये, मेरे पास आओ। सम्मन जारी करनेवाला उसके गीत को जोर जोर से दुहराता था। क्षमाप्रदाता के बाल मोमी पीले थे। उसके कंधों पर बाल बिखरे हुए थे। अपने घमंड के कारण, वह कोई हुड नहीं पहनता था। यह उनके बैग में पड़ा रहता था। उसे लगता था कि वह नए अंदाज में सवारी करता है। सवारी करते समय उसके बाल बिखरे रहते थे। उसकी आँखें खरगोश जैसी थीं। उसका बटुआ उसकी गोद में उसके सामने पड़ा रहता था। यह क्षमापत्रों से भरा हुआ था जो सीधे रोम से आये थे। उसकी आवाज बकरे जैसी थी। उसे कोई दाढ़ी नहीं थी। उसके गाल इतने चिकने थे मानो अभी-अभी ही शेव किया गया हो। जहां तक उसके व्यवसाय का संबंध है, बेरविक से वेयर तक ऐसा कोई दूसरा क्षमाप्रदाता नहीं था। उनके बैग में तकिए का एक कवर पड़ा रहता था। वह इसे वर्जिन मैरी का घूंघट कहा करता था। वह कहता था कि उसके पास पाल का एक पौराणिक टुकड़ा है। उसके पास तांबे और जस्ता से बना एक क्रॉस था। उसके पास एक गिलास भी था जिसमें सुअर की हड्डियाँ थीं। इन अवशेषों को प्रदर्शित करके वह भारी धन अर्जित करता था। चापलूसी से वह पुजारियों और लोगों को ठगता था। लेकिन अंत में सच कहूं तो वह चर्च का एक कुलीन पुजारी था। वह एक गद्यांश पढ़ सकता था या एक कहानी सुना सकता था लेकिन सबसे अच्छी बात यह थी कि वह भजन गाना जानता था। वह अच्छी तरह जानता था कि गाकर उपदेश देना चाहिए। वह जानता था कि पैसा कमाने के लिए जीभ को मीठा कैसे बनाया जाता है। लोगों को प्रभावित करने के लिए वह मस्ती के साथ जोर- जोर से गाया करता था।)