| 主題 Topic | Court of King’s Bench, Ordinance and Statute of Labors, Marriage, Enarratio (Analysis and Exposition of Texts) |
| 書刊名 Title | Parliament of Fowls in The Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer ( 2nd Edition) |
| 作者 Author | Geoffrey Chaucer (edited by W.W. Skeat ) |
| 出版社 Publisher | Oxford UP |
| 出版年 Year | 1900 |
| 語言 Language | Middle English |
| 裝訂 Binding | □ 平裝 Paperback □ 精裝 Hardcover |
| 頁數 Pages | |
| ISBN (10 / 13) | |
| Bibliography Reference | (STC, Duff, GW . . .) |
| 來源網址 Web Link | http://omacl.org/Parliament/ |
| 劇本簡介撰稿者 | 王明月、蔡幸紋 |
| 撰寫日期 Date | 2015.01.24 |
A. 簡介 Introduction (within 100 words, Chinese or English)
與早期作品如《公爵夫人之書》、《名人堂》等相似，喬叟以夢境文學形式寫成《百鳥議會》。二月十四日，聖瓦倫汀日（St. Valentine’s Day）的夜晚，臨睡前思索愛的本質的敘述者夢見了森林綠地間自然女神正主持一場議會，與會者是各式各樣的鳥類。春天來臨之際正是鳥兒們擇偶的時節；這些與會的鳥兒們正吱吱喳喳地討論一件大事：一隻年輕貌美的雌鷹該如何由三位年輕氣盛的雄鷹當中選出最適合的配偶？喬叟在這個動物寓言中以物種之間被認為最高貴的老鷹的擇偶比喻貴族社會婚姻理當門當戶對的規則；更以三隻年輕且旗鼓相當的雄鷹求偶時的演說，呈現了騎士與仕女宮廷愛情的辭令以及宮廷婚姻的政治角力。
B. 文本摘錄 Extracts (4-6 Pages)
(Lines 295-490) 295 Whan I was come ayen unto the place 296 That I of spak, that was so swote and grene, 297 Forth welk I tho, my-selven to solace. 298 Tho was I war wher that ther sat a quene 299 That, as of light the somer-sonne shene 300 Passeth the sterre, right so over mesure 301 She fairer was than any creature. 302 And in a launde, upon an hille of floures, 303 Was set this noble goddesse Nature; 304 Of braunches were hir halles and hir boures, 305 Y-wrought after hir craft and hir mesure; 306 Ne ther nas foul that cometh of engendrure, 307 That they ne were prest in hir presence, 308 To take hir doom and yeve hir audience. 309 For this was on seynt Valentynes day, 310 Whan every foul cometh ther to chese his make, 311 Of every kinde, that men thenke may; 312 And that so huge a noyse gan they make, 313 That erthe and see, and tree, and every lake 314 So ful was, that unnethe was ther space 315 For me to stonde, so ful was al the place. 316 And right as Aleyn, in the Pleynt of Kinde, 317 Devyseth Nature of aray and face, 318 In swich aray men mighten hir ther finde. 319 This noble emperesse, ful of grace, 320 Bad every foul to take his owne place, 321 As they were wont alwey fro yeer to yere, 322 Seynt Valentynes day, to stonden there. 323 That is to sey, the foules of ravyne 324 Were hyest set; and than the foules smale, 325 That eten as hem nature wolde enclyne, 326 As worm or thing of whiche I telle no tale; 327 And water-foul sat loweste in the dale; 328 But foul that liveth by seed sat on the grene, 329 And that so fele, that wonder was to sene. 330 There mighte men the royal egle finde, 331 That with his sharpe look perceth the sonne; 332 And other egles of a lower kinde, 333 Of which that clerkes wel devysen conne. 334 Ther was the tyraunt with his fethres donne 335 And greye, I mene the goshauk, that doth pyne 336 To briddes for his outrageous ravyne. 337 The gentil faucoun, that with his feet distreyneth 338 The kinges hond; the hardy sperhauk eke, 339 The quayles foo; the merlion that payneth 340 Him-self ful ofte, the larke for to seke; 341 Ther was the douve, with hir eyen meke; 342 The Ialous swan, ayens his deth that singeth; 343 The oule eek, that of dethe the bode bringeth; 344 The crane the geaunt, with his trompes soune; 345 The theef, the chogh; and eek the Iangling pye; 346 The scorning Iay; the eles foo, heroune; 347 The false lapwing, ful of trecherye; 348 The stare, that the counseyl can bewrye; 349 The tame ruddok; and the coward kyte; 350 The cok, that orloge is of thorpes lyte; 351 The sparow, Venus sone; the nightingale, 352 That clepeth forth the fresshe leves newe; 353 The swalow, mordrer of the flyes smale 354 That maken hony of floures fresshe of hewe; 355 The wedded turtel, with hir herte trewe; 356 The pecok, with his aungels fethres brighte; 357 The fesaunt, scorner of the cok by nighte; 358 The waker goos; the cukkow ever unkinde; 359 The popiniay, ful of delicasye; 360 The drake, stroyer of his owne kinde; 361 The stork, the wreker of avouterye; 362 The hote cormeraunt of glotonye; 363 The raven wys, the crow with vois of care; 364 The throstel olde; the frosty feldefare. 365 What shulde I seyn? of foules every kinde 366 That in this world han fethres and stature, 367 Men mighten in that place assembled finde 368 Before the noble goddesse Nature, 369 And everich of hem did his besy cure 370 Benignely to chese or for to take, 371 By hir acord, his formel or his make. 372 But to the poynt -- Nature held on hir honde 373 A formel egle, of shap the gentileste 374 That ever she among hir werkes fonde, 375 The moste benigne and the goodlieste; 376 In hir was every vertu at his reste, 377 So ferforth, that Nature hir-self had blisse 378 To loke on hir, and ofte hir bek to kisse. 379 Nature, the vicaire of thalmighty lorde, 380 That hoot, cold, hevy, light, and moist and dreye 381 Hath knit by even noumbre of acorde, 382 In esy vois began to speke and seye, 383 `Foules, tak hede of my sentence, I preye, 384 And, for your ese, in furthering of your nede, 385 As faste as I may speke, I wol me spede. 386 Ye knowe wel how, seynt Valentynes day, 387 By my statut and through my governaunce, 388 Ye come for to chese -- and flee your way -- 389 Your makes, as I prik yow with plesaunce. 390 But natheles, my rightful ordenaunce 391 May I not lete, for al this world to winne, 392 That he that most is worthy shal beginne. 393 The tercel egle, as that ye knowen wel, 394 The foul royal above yow in degree, 395 The wyse and worthy, secree, trewe as stel, 396 The which I formed have, as ye may see, 397 In every part as hit best lyketh me, 398 Hit nedeth noght his shap yow to devyse, 399 He shal first chese and speken in his gyse. 400 And after him, by order shul ye chese, 401 After your kinde, everich as yow lyketh, 402 And, as your hap is, shul ye winne or lese; 403 But which of yow that love most entryketh, 404 God sende him hir that sorest for him syketh.' 405 And therwith-al the tercel gan she calle, 406 And seyde, `my sone, the choys is to thee falle. 407 But natheles, in this condicioun 408 Mot be the choys of everich that is here, 409 That she agree to his eleccioun, 410 What-so he be that shulde be hir fere; 411 This is our usage alwey, fro yeer to yere; 412 And who so may at this time have his grace, 413 In blisful tyme he com in-to this place.' 414 With hed enclyned and with ful humble chere 415 This royal tercel spak and taried nought: 416 `Unto my sovereyn lady, and noght my fere, 417 I chese, and chese with wille and herte and thought, 418 The formel on your hond so wel y-wrought, 419 Whos I am al and ever wol hir serve, 420 Do what hir list, to do me live or sterve. 421 Beseching hir of mercy and of grace, 422 As she that is my lady sovereyne; 423 Or let me dye present in this place. 424 For certes, long may I not live in peyne; 425 For in myn herte is corven every veyne; 426 Having reward only to my trouthe, 427 My dere herte, have on my wo som routhe. 428 And if that I to hir be founde untrewe, 429 Disobeysaunt, or wilful negligent, 430 Avauntour, or in proces love a newe, 431 I pray to you this be my Iugement, 432 That with these foules I be al to-rent, 433 That ilke day that ever she me finde 434 To hir untrewe, or in my gilte unkinde. 435 And sin that noon loveth hir so wel as I, 436 Al be she never of love me behette, 437 Than oghte she be myn thourgh hir mercy, 438 For other bond can I noon on hir knette. 439 For never, for no wo, ne shal I lette 440 To serven hir, how fer so that she wende; 441 Sey what yow list, my tale is at an ende.' 442 Right as the fresshe, rede rose newe 443 Ayen the somer-sonne coloured is, 444 Right so for shame al wexen gan the hewe 445 Of this formel, whan she herde al this; 446 She neyther answerde `Wel', ne seyde amis, 447 So sore abasshed was she, til that Nature 448 Seyde, `doghter, drede yow noght, I yow assure.' 449 Another tercel egle spak anoon 450 Of lower kinde, and seyde, `that shal nat be; 451 I love hir bet than ye do, by seynt Iohn, 452 Or atte leste I love hir as wel as ye; 453 And lenger have served hir, in my degree, 454 And if she shulde have loved for long loving, 455 To me allone had been the guerdoninge. 456 I dar eek seye, if she me finde fals, 457 Unkinde, Iangler, or rebel in any wyse, 458 Or Ialous, do me hongen by the hals! 459 And but I bere me in hir servyse 460 As wel as that my wit can me suffyse, 461 From poynt to poynt, hir honour for to save, 462 Tak she my lyf, and al the good I have.' 463 The thridde tercel egle answerde tho, 464 `Now, sirs, ye seen the litel leyser here; 465 For every foul cryeth out to been a-go 466 Forth with his make, or with his lady dere; 467 And eek Nature hir-self ne wol nought here, 468 For tarying here, noght half that I wolde seye; 469 And but I speke, I mot for sorwe deye. 470 Of long servyse avaunte I me no-thing, 471 But as possible is me to dye to-day 472 For wo, as he that hath ben languisshing 473 Thise twenty winter, and wel happen may 474 A man may serven bet and more to pay 475 In half a yere, al-though hit were no more, 476 Than som man doth that hath served ful yore. 477 I ne sey not this by me, for I ne can 478 Do no servyse that may my lady plese; 479 But I dar seyn, I am hir trewest man 480 As to my dome, and feynest wolde hir ese; 481 At shorte wordes, til that deth me sese, 482 I wol ben hires, whether I wake or winke, 483 And trewe in al that herte may bethinke.' 484 Of al my lyf, sin that day I was born, 485 So gentil plee in love or other thing 486 Ne herde never no man me beforn, 487 Who-so that hadde leyser and cunning 488 For to reherse hir chere and hir speking; 489 And from the morwe gan this speche laste 490 Til dounward drow the sonne wonder faste.
台灣西洋古典、中世紀暨文藝復興學會 