Prologue to April

The Canterbury Tales
Geoffrey Chaucer
(the opening four lines to the General Prologue)

Middle English
Middle English pronunciation
Modern English

Whan that Aprille with his shoures sote
Wan thot A'prill with his sure-es so-tuh
When in April the sweet showers fall

The droghte of Marche hath perced to the rote,
The drewgt of March hath pear-said to the row-tuh
That pierce March's drought to the root and all,

And bathed every veyne in swich licour
And ba-thed every vane in sweech lee-coor
And bathed every vein in liquor that has power

Of which vertu engendred is the flour;
Of wheech ver-too en-jen-dred is the flu-er
To generate therein and sire the flower;