作者：乔叟, 作者生平请自己查

音像：http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue_JlvBcSWc

词汇请自己查。

译文请自己查。不过为了大家了解中古英语跟现代英语的区别，我参考现代英语译文，连蒙带猜，做一个行对行的，用大写字母。其中字与字的对应肯定有错误。欢迎行家指正。至于中文翻译，乃自作主张。


（未完待续）

I. The Legend of Cleopatra        
        
Incipit Legenda Cleopatrie, martiris, Egipti regine.        
        
580        After the deth of Tholome the kyng,
AFTER THE DEATH OF TOLEMY THE KING
托莱米王归天时
        That al Egipt hadde in his governyng,
THAT ALL EGYPT HAD IN HIS GOVERNING
埃及全地他控持
        Regned his queene Cleopataras;
REIGNED HIS QUEENED CLEAOPATRA
王崩权柄归皇后
        Tyl on a tyme befel there swich a cas
TILL ON A TIME BEFELL THERE SUCH A CASE
时日无多志未酬
        That out of Rome was sent a senatour
THAT OUT OF ROME WAS SENT A SENATOR
罗马派来大钦差
585        For to conqueren regnes and honour
FOR TO CONQUER REIGNS AND HONOR
欲为帝国添光彩
        Unto the toun of Rome, as was usaunce,
UNTO THE TOWN OF ROME, AS WAS THE USANCE (CUSTOME)
收服诸侯俗所为
        To han the world at hire obesaunce,
TO HAVE THE WORLD AT HER OBEDENCE
天下顺服罗马归。
        And soth to seyne, Antonius was his name.
AND TRUTH TO SAY, ANTONIO WAS HIS NAME.
钦差乃是安东尼
        So fil it, as Fortune hym oughte a shame,
SO FELL IT, AS FORTUNE HIM BROUGHT A SHAME
此公荣辱一身集
590        Whan he was fallen in prosperite
WHEN HE WAS FALLEN IN PROSPERITY
当年羽翼丰满时
        Rebel unto the toun of Rome is he.
REBEL UNTO THE TOWN OF ROME IS HE
竟与凯撒起争持
        And over al this, the suster of Cesar,
AND OVER ALL THIS, THE SISTUER OF CEASAR
皆因嫌弃凯撒妹
        He lafte hire falsly, or that she was war,
HE LEFT HER FASELY, BEFORE SHE WAS AWARE OF IT
瞒天过海不家归
        And wolde algates han another wyf,
AND WOULD ALWAYS HAVE ANOTHER WIFE
停妻另娶安东愿
595        For which he tok with Rome and Cesar stryf.
FOR WHICH HE TOOK WITH ROME AND CEASAR STRIFE
不惜罗马起烽烟。
        Natheles, for sothe, this ilke senatour
NEVERTHELESS, FOR TRUTH, THIS SAME SENATOR
老实讲来此朝官
        Was a ful worthy gentil werreyour,
WAS A FULL WORTHY GENTLE WARRIOR
本是忠良一好汉
        And of his deth it was ful gret damage.
AND OF HIS DEATH IT WAS FULL GREATE DAMAGE.
生死存亡国之损
        But love hadde brought this man in swich a rage
BUT LOVE HAS BROUGHT THIS MAN IN SUCH A RAGE
奈何情爱令智昏
600        And hym so narwe bounden in his las,
AND HIM SO NARROWLY BOUNDED IN HIS LACE (SNARE)
裙带之下英雄跪
        Al for the love of Cleopataras,
ALL FOR THE LOVE OF CLEAPATRA
除却女王还有谁？
        That al the world he sette at no value.
THAT ALL THE WORLD HE SET AT NO VALUE
天下竟因美色小
        Hym thoughte there nas nothyng to hym so due
HIM THOUGHT THERE WAS NOTHING TO HIME SO DUE
唯有佳人忘不了
        As Cleopatras for to love and serve;
AS CLEOPATRA FOR TO LOVE AND SERVE
五体投地服侍之
605        Hym roughte nat in armes for to sterve
HIM RECKON NOT IN ARMES FOR TO DIE
宁愿战场横己尸
        In the defence of hyre and of hire ryght.
IN THE DEFENCE OF HER AND OF HER RIGHT
女王宝贝多呵护
        This noble queene ek lovede so this knyght,
THIS NOBLE QUEEN ALSO LOVED SO THIS KNIGHT
赢得芳心多情目
        Thourgh his desert, and for his chyvalrye;
THROUGH HIS DEVOTION AND HIS CHILVARY
尽心尽力又骑士
        As certeynly, but if that bokes lye,
除非史书不诚实

610        He was, of persone and of gentillesse,
既有性格又温存
        And of discrecioun and hardynesse,
处事审慎且坚贞

Worthi to any wyght that liven may;
世间凡人莫能比
        And she was fayr as is the rose in May.
玫瑰女王美色奇
        And, for to make shortly is the beste,
闲话少说归正传
615        She wax his wif, and hadde hym as hire leste.
良缘成就红线牵











           The weddynge and the feste to devyse,
        To me, that have ytake swich empryse
        Of so many a story for to make,
        It were to longe, lest that I shulde slake
620        Of thyng that bereth more effect and charge;
        For men may overlade a ship or barge.
        And forthy to th' effect thanne wol I skyppe,
        And al the remenaunt, I wol lete it slippe.
        Octovyan, that wod was of this dede,
625        Shop hym an ost on Antony to lede
        Al uterly for his destruccioun,
        With stoute Romeyns, crewel as lyoun;
        To ship they wente, and thus I lat hem sayle.
        Antonius was war, and wol nat fayle
630        To meten with these Romeyns, if he may;
        Tok ek his red, and bothe, upon a day,
        His wif and he, and al his ost, forth wente
        To shipe anon, no lengere they ne stente;
        And in the se it happede hem to mete.
635        Up goth the trompe, and for to shoute and shete,
        And peynen hem to sette on with the sunne.
        With grysely soun out goth the grete gonne,
        And heterly they hurtelen al atones,
        And from the top doun come the grete stones.
640        In goth the grapenel, so ful of crokes;
        Among the ropes renne the sherynge-hokes.
        In with the polax preseth he and he;
        Byhynde the mast begynnyth he to fle,
        And out ageyn, and dryveth hym overbord;
645        He styngeth hym upon his speres ord;
        He rent the seyl with hokes lyke a sithe;
        He bryngeth the cuppe and biddeth hem be blythe;
        He poureth pesen upon the haches slidere;
        With pottes ful of lyme they gon togidere;
650        And thus the longe day in fyght they spende,
        Tyl at the laste, as every thyng hath ende,
        Antony is schent and put hym to the flyghte,
        And al his folk to-go that best go myghte.
        Fleth ek the queen, with al hire purpre sayl,
655        For strokes, whiche that wente as thikke as hayl;
        No wonder was she myghte it nat endure.
        And whan that Antony saw that aventure,
        "Allas," quod he, "the day that I was born!
        My worshipe in this day thus have I lorn."
660        And for dispeyr out of his wit he sterte
        And rof hymself anon thourghout the herte
        Or that he ferther wente out of the place.
        His wif, that coude of Cesar have no grace,
        To Egipt is fled for drede and for destresse.
665        But herkeneth, ye that speken of kyndenesse,
        Ye men that falsly sweren many an oth
        That ye wol deye if that youre love be wroth,
        Here may ye sen of wemen which a trouthe!
        This woful Cleopatre hath mad swich routhe
670        That ther is tonge non that may it telle.
        But on the morwe she wolde no lengere dwelle,
        But made hire subtyl werkmen make a shryne
        Of alle the rubyes and the stones fyne
        In al Egypte that she coude espie,
675        And putte ful the shryne of spicerye,
        And let the cors enbaume, and forth she fette
        This dede cors, and in the shryne it shette.
        And next the shryne a pit thanne doth she grave,
        And alle the serpentes that she myghte have,
680        She putte hem in that grave, and thus she seyde:
        "Now, love, to whom my sorweful herte obeyde
        So ferforthly that from that blisful houre
        That I yow swor to ben al frely youre --
        I mene yow, Antonius, my knyght --
685        That nevere wakynge, in the day or nyght,
        Ye nere out of myn hertes remembraunce,
        For wel or wo, for carole or for daunce;
        And in myself this covenaunt made I tho,
        That ryght swich as ye felten, wel or wo,
690        As fer forth as it in my power lay,
        Unreprovable unto my wyfhod ay,
        The same wolde I fele, lyf or deth --
        And thilke covenant whil me lasteth breth
        I wol fulfille; and that shal ben wel sene,
695        Was nevere unto hire love a trewer quene."
        And with that word, naked, with ful good herte,
        Among the serpents in the pit she sterte,
        And there she ches to have hire buryinge.
        Anon the nadderes gonne hire for to stynge,
700        And she hire deth receyveth with good cheere
        For love of Antony that was hire so dere.
        And this is storyal soth, it is no fable.
        Now, or I fynde a man thus trewe and stable,
        And wol for love his deth so frely take,
705        I preye God let oure hedes nevere ake! Amen.
        
Explicit Legenda Cleopatre, martiris.

Source: eChaucer ¤ Chaucer in the Twenty-First Century