poetry anthology: Poem 2

Narrative Poetry

Narrative poems include ballads and epics, and tell of societies and heroic deeds. They can also be very dramatic when telling of a particular situation.

Poem N° 2:

              "The Canterbury Tales"

In days of old there lived, of mighty fame,

A valiant Prince, and Theseus was his name;

A chief, who more in feats of arms excelled,

The rising nor the setting sun beheld.

Of Athens he was lord; much land he won,

And added foreign countries to his crown.

In Scythia with the warrior Queen he strove,

Whom first by force he conquered, then by love;

He brought in triumph back the beauteous dame,

With whom her sister, fair Emilia, came.

With honour to his home let Theseus ride,

With Love to friend, and Fortune for his guide,

And his victorious army at his side.

I pass their warlike pomp, their proud array,

Their shouts, their songs, their welcome on the way;

But, were it not too long, I would recite

The feats of Amazons, the fatal fight

Betwixt the hardy Queen and hero Knight;

The town besieged, and how much blood it cost

The female army, and the Athenian host;

The spousals of Hippolyta the Queen;

What tilts and turneys at the feast were seen;

The storm at their return, the ladies' fear:

But these and other things I must forbear.

       Geoffrey Chaucer

       I have chosen this poem because it shows a sense of the language at the time, it also gives a rich, intricate tapestry of medieval social life, combining elements of all classes, from nobles to workers, from priests and nuns to drunkards and thieves.

These images represent a panoramic view of society, medieval social classes, and their differences.