Page 36 - poesia y vino

libropvfinal.qxp 08/11/2006 14:43 PÆgina 34

THE PARDONER'S TALE (fragment)

"In Flanders, once, there was a company
Of young companions given to folly,
Riot and gambling, brothels and taverns;
And, to the music of harps, lutes, gitterns,
They danced and played at dice both day and night.
And ate also and drank beyond their might."

Gran poeta inglés. Great English poet.
Nacido en Londres hacia 1340 en el seno de una Chaucer was born in London towards 1340 of middle-
familia burguesa. class parents. He seems to have attended St Paul's
Parece que asistió a la escuela de la Catedral de Cathedral School and studied laws at an Inn of Court.
San Pablo y que estudió Leyes en el Inns of Court. He learnt French and Latin and travelled through
Aprendió francés y latín y viajó por Europa. Europe.
Hombre cercano a la corte, desempeñó diversos Member of the court, he had several political roles.
cargos políticos. Towards 1366, Chaucer married Philippa Roet, lady-in-
Hacia 1366 contrajo matrimonio con Philippa Roet, waiting to the Queen.
dama de compañía de la reina. Towards the end of his life, he lived near Westminster
Al final de su vida vivió cerca de la abadía de Abby and he was buried there, after his death, in
Westminster y tras su muerte, en octubre de 1400, October, 1400.
fue enterrado en ésta. His most famous work, The Canterbury Tales, is a
Su obra más conocida, Los cuentos de Canterbury, collection of stories in verse told by pilgrims of different
es un conjunto de relatos en verso que narran la social backgrounds on the road to the tomb of St
peregrinación de una serie de personajes de todos Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral.
los estamentos sociales a la tumba de santo Tomás His great contribution to English literature was using
Becket, en la catedral de Canterbury. English at a time when literature was written in Latin
Esta obra consagró a la lengua inglesa como and Anglo- Norman.
idioma nacional. Chaucer was a great artist and a good psychologist; his
34 Chaucer fue un gran artista y un buen psicólogo, su narrative style is lively and he has a mischievous and
estilo narrativo es vivaz y hace gala de un humor
human humour.
malicioso y muy humano. Among his works: Troilus and Criseyde, The House of
Otras obras suyas son: Troilo y Crésida, La casa de Fame, The Legend of Good Women…
la fama, La leyenda de las mujeres virtuosas…