Doggerel Friday: Sir Thopas

Sir Thopas wax a doughty swain:
Whit was his face as paindemain,
      His lippes rede as rose;
His rode is lik scarlet in grain,
And I you telle in good certain
      He hadde a semely nose.

Notice: He’s Back!

Geoffrey Chaucer that is. See Lament for Sir William.

Middle English Air Guitar (Part I)

Here are the four basic steps to Middle English Air Guitar.

STEP ONE (locate a Middle English text)

Here bygynneth the Book of the tales of Caunterbury

Whan that aprill with his shoures soote
The droghte of march hath perced to the roote,
And bathed every veyne in swich licour
Of which vertu engendred is the flour;
Whan zephirus eek with his sweete breeth
Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
Tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne
Hath in the ram his halve cours yronne,
And smale foweles maken melodye,
That slepen al the nyght with open ye
(so priketh hem nature in hir corages);
Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages,
And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes,
To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes;
And specially from every shires ende
Of engelond to caunterbury they wende,
The hooly blisful martir for to seke,
That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke.

–Geoffrey Chaucer

STEP TWO (learn the words; kudos, pdub56)

STEP THREE (improvise; kudos, Dr. Enelow & jakeyr)

STEP FOUR (roll your own).