Geoffrey Chaucer - Whan Quotes

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For whan a man hath over-greet a wit,
Ful oft hym happeth to mysusen it.

Geoffrey Chaucer
Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote
The droghte of March hath perced to the roote,
And bathed every veyne in swych licour
Of which vertu engendred is the flour;
Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth
Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
The 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.

Geoffrey Chaucer
And whan that he wel dronken hadde the wyn, Than wolde he speke no word but Latyn.

Geoffrey Chaucer
Yblessed be god that I have wedded fyve!
Welcome the sixte, whan that evere he shal.
For sothe, I wol nat kepe me chaast in al.
Whan myn housbonde is fro the world ygon,
Som Cristen man shall wedde me anon.

Geoffrey Chaucer
But, Lord Crist! whan that it remembreth me Upon my yowthe, and on my jolitee, It tikleth me aboute myn herte roote. Unto this day it dooth myn herte boote That I have had my world as in my tyme.

Geoffrey Chaucer
Whan that Aprille with his shoures soote The droghte of March hath perced to the roote.

Geoffrey Chaucer
For certein, whan that Fortune list to flee,
Ther may no man the cours of hire withholde.

Geoffrey Chaucer
Whan that the month of May Is comen, and that I here the foules synge, And that the floures gynnen for to sprynge, Farewel my bok, and my devocioun!

Geoffrey Chaucer
And whan that he was slayn in this manere,
His lighte goost ful blisfully is went
Up to the holughnesse of the eighthe spere,
In convers letyng everich element;
And ther he saugh, with ful avysement
The erratik sterres, herkenyng armonye
With sownes ful of hevenyssh melodie.

Geoffrey Chaucer
Whan that the month in which the world bigan,
That highte March, whan God first maked man.

Geoffrey Chaucer
For which he wex a litel red for shame,
Whan he the peple upon him herde cryen,
That to beholde it was a noble game,
How sobreliche he caste doun his yen.
Criseyda gan al his chere aspyen,
And let so softe it in her herte sinke
That to herself she seyde, Who yaf me drinke?

Geoffrey Chaucer
Certes, they been lyk to houndes, for an hound whan he comth by the roser, or by other bushes, though he may nat pisse, yet wole he heve up his leg and make a contenaunce to pisse.

Geoffrey Chaucer
Love is noght oold as whan that it is newe.

Geoffrey Chaucer
For of fortunes sharp adversitee
The worst kynde of infortune is this,
A man to han ben in prosperitee,
And it remembren, whan it passed is.

Geoffrey Chaucer
He hadde a croys of latoun ful of stones,
And in a glas he hadde pigges bones.
But with thise relikes, whan that he fond
A povre person dwellynge upon lond,
Upon a day he gat hym moore moneye
Than that the person gat in monthes tweye.

Geoffrey Chaucer
A womman cast hir shame away,
Whan she cast of hir smok.

Geoffrey Chaucer
And as the newe abaysed nyghtyngale,
That stynteth first whan she bygynneth to synge.

Geoffrey Chaucer