《坎特伯雷故事集》基本上采用诗歌体，开头的几行非常有名：四月时分，甜蜜的阵雨飘落，穿越干旱的三月，浸透了万物的根部，把强力酒精的每一根经络浸泡，草木发芽，渐次生花；西风呼出甜美的气息，席卷了荒地和林丘嫩枝和嫩叶，青春的阳光在白羊星座走了一半的历程，无数小鸟通宵达旦睁着眼睛，此时齐声歌唱（大自然骚扰着它们躁动不安）；这时，人们渴望走上朝圣之路……原文如下：Whan that Aprill, with his shoures sooteThe droghte of March hath perced to the rooteAnd bathed every veyne in swich licour,Of which vertu engendred is the flour;Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breethInspired hath in every holt and heethThe tendre croppes, and the yonge sonneHath 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，这种英语普通人是根本看不懂的，必须翻译成现代英语：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, 这一段很容易让人想到，20世纪著名诗人T.S.艾略特的名作《荒原》的开头：四月是最残忍的一个月，荒地上长着丁香，把回忆和欲望参合在一起，又让春雨催促那些迟钝的根芽。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. 乔叟说四月让人有一种朝圣的欲望，而艾略特则说四月是最残忍的一个月。农业文明与工业文明的区别，一目了然。
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