- Chaucer's
Version
- And
up they stirte, al dronken in this rage,
- And
forth they goon towardes that village
- Of
which the taverner hadde spoke biforn.
- And
many a grisly ooth thanne han they sworn,
- And
cristes blessed body al torente --
- Deeth
shal be deed, if that they may hym hente!
- Whan
they han goon nat fully half a mile,
- Right
as they wolde han troden over a stile,
- An
oold man and a povre with hem mette.
- This
olde man ful mekely hem grette,
- And
seyde thus, now, lordes, God yow see!
- The
proudeste of thise riotoures three
- Answerde
agayn, what, carl, with sory grace!
- Why
artow al forwrapped save thy face?
- Why
lyvestow so longe in so greet age?
- This
olde man gan looke in his visage,
- And
seyde thus -- for I ne kan nat fynde
- A
man, though that I walked into ynde,
- Neither
in citee ne in no village,
- That
wolde chaunge his youthe for myn age;
- And
therfore moot I han myn age stille,
- As
longe tyme as it is goddes wille.
- Ne
deeth, allas! ne wol nat han my lyf
- Thus
walke I, lyk a restelees kaitif…
- I
moot go thider as I have to go.
- Nay,
olde cherl, by god, thou shalt not so,
- Seyde
this oother hasardour anon;
- Thou
partest nat so lightly, by seint john!
- Thou
spak right now of thilke traytour deeth,
- That
in this contree alle oure freendes sleeth.
- Have
heer my trouthe, as thou art his espye,
- Telle
where he is, or thou shalt it abye,
- By
god, and by the hooly sacrement!
- For
soothly thou art oon of his assent
- To
sleen us yonge folk, thou false theef!
- Now,
sires, quod he, if that yow be so leef
- To
fynde deeth, turne up this croked wey,
- For
in that grove I lafte hym, by my fey,
- Under
a tree, and there he wole abyde;
- Noght
for youre boost he wole him no thyng hyde.
- Se
ye that ook? right there ye shal hym fynde.
- God
save yow, that boghte agayn mankynde,
- And
yow amende! thus seyde this olde man;
- And
everich of thise riotoures ran
- Til
he cam to that tree, and ther they founde
- Of
floryns fyne of gold ycoyned rounde
- Wel
ny an eighte busshels, as hem thoughte.
- No
lenger thanne after deeth they soughte,
- But
ech of hem so glad was of that sighte,
- For
that the floryns been so faire and brighte,
- That
doun they sette hem by this precious hoord.
- The
worste of hem, he spak the firste word.
|
- The Rap Version
- ...When
he'd said his piece
- The rest agreed, and the three friends hit the
streets
- And went to seek their destiny and provoke a
confrontation,
- In a drunken rage hoping Death would come and
face them.
- Their intoxication made them sure of their
purpose
- And fed the infernal furnace of their courage,
- A kernel nourished by these three murderous
wretches in denial.
- Less than a mile into their quest to put Death
on trial
- They met this guy all wrapped in bandages:
- An old handicapped man with disadvantages,
- And the three friends examined his bleeding
flesh
- And demanded he tell them how he was cheating
death.
- Seeming perplexed the old man responded with
soft words
- And said, "I walk the earth like a
creature God has cursed.
- My lot is the worst and most desperate place to
be;
- I pray faithfully every day for Death to take
me,
- Waiting patiently, and someday he will arrive,
- But in the meantime, until I die, I'm still
alive."
- In a burst of ill-advised pride, the first
- Of the three rioters replied, "this guy
- Is a spy, or worse!
I guess Death is his master
- And gives him everlasting life forever after.
- A benevolent benefactor perhaps to have
protecting you,
- But nothing gets a confession faster than
weapons do!"
- And stepping to this old man with mindless
threats
- They demanded he tell them where they could
find Death,
- "Find Death?" laughed the old man,
"perhaps you will.
- He lives under that tree on that grassy
hill."
- Ready to kill with their jagged-edged daggers
drawn,
- The three aggravated braggarts staggered up the
lawn,
- And without dragging on while the story is
told,
- Beneath the tree they found a bag filled with
glorious gold.
- The hoard was more than forty-fold their
wildest dreams,
- And they smiled like demons hatching violent
schemes,
- While the steam from their previous plan was
dissipated;
- They were so fixated on the gold it just
abated.
- The search for death was traded for work of
greater urgency.
- Now the worst of the three had the first words
to speak...
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