There were only a few women among the pilgrims who were riding to Canterbury. One of them was the Wife of Bath. She was a large woman with a red face. She wore a big hat, and she rode on a very fat horse. She was rich, and she had travelled far and wide in the world. She had had five husbands, but they had all died. She liked to talk and be happy. Her tale was about the time of king Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table.
Once there was a young knight. He had done a very bad thing: he had broken the laws, which all knights must keep.
King Arthur heard what the young knight had done. “That is very bad!” he said. “He must die.”
The queen and her ladies were sad because they liked the young knight very much. “ He is not really bad,” they said to each other.
“Please, please,” they asked the king, “ please, do not end this young man’s life. He knows he had done a bad thing; he will never make such a mistake again.”
The king said to the queen, “ Well, do what-ever you like with him. But he must PAY for breaking the law.”
The queen thought for a little time; the she said to the knight. “ You shall live, if you can tell me the answer to this question. What does a woman want most of all? I will give you a year and a day to find out the answer. If you cannot find it, you must die.”
The knight thanked her, but he rode away very sadly.
He said, “The queen has asked a very hardy question. How can I find the answer?”
He asked many people. “What does a woman want most of all?”
He got many answers.
A man said, “ Women like jewels and money more than anything else.”
One woman said, “ They want to be happy. That’s all they want.”
“What does a woman want most of all?” another women answered. “ Fine clothes, of course. That’s all they want.”
He asked some children.
A little girl said: ” my mother is most happy when she’s cooking good food for us.”
A little boy said: “ My mother likes the best to have a new baby in our family.”
“Our mother is the happiest of all when she sees our father come home at night,” said two or three children all together.
Many of the answers seemed to be very good, but none of them seemed to be the right one. At last a year had passed. The knight had to go back and take his answer to the queen. The poor knight thought: “What shall I say? I have tried so hard. Must I really die?”
Just then he came to the great wood. Twenty- four beautiful ladies were dancing on the green grass. He said:” Here are twenty-four more people I can ask. I have just enough tie to ask them.”
p>He turned his horse towards them… Where were they? They had all gone, suddenly, into the air! Only one very old, very ugly woman sat there now. When he came nearer, she stood up and came to him.
“Sir Knight,” she said, “are you looking for something? Tell me what it is, and perhaps I can help you. We old people are wise; we know many things.”
He said, “ You may be just the person who can help me. I will lose my life if I cannot find the answer to the question. What does a woman want most of all? If you can tell me, I will PAY you well.”
“Give me your hand,” she answered. “You must do the first thing that I ask you. Promise! Then I will tell you the right answer.
The knight said: “I promise to do the first thing that you ask me to do.”
“Then your life is safe,” said the old woman. “Not one person – not even the queen- will say that your answer is not the true one.”
She spoke very quietly into his ear. “That, “ she said, “is the answer to your question.”
Then they went along together to meet the queen and all the lords and ladies.
The people heard that the young knight was coming. Everyone went to tell everyone else and they ran to the meeting place. The queen was there ready to hear his answer. Many men and women were afraid. ! The young knight will die,” they said.
“It was a very hard question,” they said to each other. “It will be bad if he cannot tell the answer to the queen.”
Everyone became quiet as they stood around. They heard the queen say in a clear voice, ” Now can you tell us, Sir Knight, What does a woman want most of all?”
The knight came forward. He fell on his knees in front of her. Everyone heard his answer. “My lady and ma Queen, the thing which every woman wants most of all is to be head of her house. She wants to make her husband do as she wishes.”
When they heard this, all the people said it was the right answer. “Let him live!” they cried. The queen was very please with this answer. She said, “You shall be free and live!”
Suddenly, the old woman came forward. “Be good to me too, my lady,” she said to the queen. “ I said to the knight, “I will tell you the answer, but you must promise to do what I ask you to do.” She turned to the knight. “Didn’t you promise that?”
“Yes,” said the knight. “That’s what I promised.”
She said,” I ask you to take me as your wife.” Her face was very ugly. It was uglier than ever! The knight said unhappily, “ What you say is true. I did promise. But please-please let me go free! Don’t make me to marry you!”
“No!” she said. “No! I am old and ugly and very poor, but I want most of all to be your wife. I want to win your love.”
“My love!” he answered. “ You cannot really hope for that!”
The queen and her ladies and the people were laughing. They knew that the knight wanted to die now. He did not want to marry this ugly old woman.
Than the queen said: “You must do as you promised.”
“Yes,” said the knight, “ I must do as I promised. I must marry her. “
There was no dancing and singing; there were no fine clothes and fine food, no jewels and flowers at their marriage. It was done very quietly.
Then the knight went away and hid for the rest of the day. He did not want to look at his ugly old wife.
That night, his ugly wife turned to him and said, “Come, dear husband. Is this how a knight of king Arthur keeps his promise? What have I done wrong? Tell me, and I will try to do better and please you.
“Do better?” said the knight. “You cannot make your age less and you cannot make your face any better.”
“Is that al that is wrong?” she asked laughing at him.
“Isn’t it enough?” he answered.
“Beauty is only on the outside,” she said. “The face becomes old but the heart is always young. What a person does is the great thing. The man who does the best and kindest things is far better than a great lord who does bad and unkind things.”
For a long time she talked quietly to him. He was surprised. “You know a great deal, and you are very good,” he said. “You’ve taught me a lot about men and women and goodness ane badness.”
At the end she said,” Is it better to have a wife with a beautiful face who gives you great unhappiness? Or a wife who is old and ugly but is very kind to you and makes you very happy?”
The knight’s heart was very softened by all he had heard from her.
“My lady, my love and my dear wife,” he said, “ you are very wise and good. I will do what seems the best to you.”
She laughed. “Remember the answer which you gave to the queen? Will you let me rule over you?”
“Yes, truly,” he said. “I know it will be the best.”
She kissed him and said, “don’t be angry, I will be both to you – both beautiful and good. If I am not as beautiful as any queen tomorrow, do as you do wish with me.”
And the knight drew her to him and kissed her. And after a while he found, that he was kissing a beautiful young girl – the most beautiful one in the world. For his wife was really a fairy. She had wanted to see if he was a good knight.
They lived happily together all their lives.
That is the end of my story. May God send us husbands who are young and loving, and may be able to make them whatever we wish. Men should do what their wives tell them do. And they should not be too careful with their money.
There were only a few women among the pilgrims who were riding to Canterbury. One of them was the Wife of Bath. She was a large woman with a red face. She wore a big hat, and she rode on a very fat horse. She was rich, and she had travelled far and wide in the world. She had had five husbands, but they had all died. She liked to talk and be happy. Her tale was about the time of king Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table.
Once there was a young knight. He had done a very bad thing: he had broken the laws, which all knights must keep.
King Arthur heard what the young knight had done. “That is very bad!” he said. “He must die.”
The queen and her ladies were sad because they liked the young knight very much. “ He is not really bad,” they said to each other.
“Please, please,” they asked the king, “ please, do not end this young man’s life. He knows he had done a bad thing; he will never make such a mistake again.”
The king said to the queen, “ Well, do what-ever you like with him. But he must by CoupExtension" style="border: none !important; display: inline-block !important; text-indent: 0px !important; float: none !important; font-weight: bold !important; height: auto !important; margin: 0px !important; min-height: 0px !important; min-width: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; text-transform: uppercase !important; text-decoration: underline !important; vertical-align: baseline !important; width: auto !important; background: transparent !important;">PAY for breaking the law.”
The queen thought for a little time; the she said to the knight. “ You shall live, if you can tell me the answer to this question. What does a woman want most of all? I will give you a year and a day to find out the answer. If you cannot find it, you must die.”
The knight thanked her, but he rode away very sadly.
He said, “The queen has asked a very hardy question. How can I find the answer?”
He asked many people. “What does a woman want most of all?”
He got many answers.
A man said, “ Women like jewels and money more than anything else.”
One woman said, “ They want to be happy. That’s all they want.”
“What does a woman want most of all?” another women answered. “ Fine clothes, of course. That’s all they want.”
He asked some children.
A little girl said: ” my mother is most happy when she’s cooking good food for us.”
A little boy said: “ My mother likes the best to have a new baby in our family.”
“Our mother is the happiest of all when she sees our father come home at night,” said two or three children all together.
Many of the answers seemed to be very good, but none of them seemed to be the right one. At last a year had passed. The knight had to go back and take his answer to the queen. The poor knight thought: “What shall I say? I have tried so hard. Must I really die?”
Just then he came to the great wood. Twenty- four beautiful ladies were dancing on the green grass. He said:” Here are twenty-four more people I can ask. I have just enough tie to ask them.”
p>He turned his horse towards them… Where were they? They had all gone, suddenly, into the air! Only one very old, very ugly woman sat there now. When he came nearer, she stood up and came to him.
“Sir Knight,” she said, “are you looking for something? Tell me what it is, and perhaps I can help you. We old people are wise; we know many things.”
He said, “ You may be just the person who can help me. I will lose my life if I cannot find the answer to the question. What does a woman want most of all? If you can tell me, I will by CoupExtension" style="border: none !important; display: inline-block !important; text-indent: 0px !important; float: none !important; font-weight: bold !important; height: auto !important; margin: 0px !important; min-height: 0px !important; min-width: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; text-transform: uppercase !important; text-decoration: underline !important; vertical-align: baseline !important; width: auto !important; background: transparent !important;">PAY you well.”
“Give me your hand,” she answered. “You must do the first thing that I ask you. Promise! Then I will tell you the right answer.
The knight said: “I promise to do the first thing that you ask me to do.”
“Then your life is safe,” said the old woman. “Not one person – not even the queen- will say that your answer is not the true one.”
She spoke very quietly into his ear. “That, “ she said, “is the answer to your question.”
Then they went along together to meet the queen and all the lords and ladies.
The people heard that the young knight was coming. Everyone went to tell everyone else and they ran to the meeting place. The queen was there ready to hear his answer. Many men and women were afraid. ! The young knight will die,” they said.
“It was a very hard question,” they said to each other. “It will be bad if he cannot tell the answer to the queen.”
Everyone became quiet as they stood around. They heard the queen say in a clear voice, ” Now can you tell us, Sir Knight, What does a woman want most of all?”
The knight came forward. He fell on his knees in front of her. Everyone heard his answer. “My lady and ma Queen, the thing which every woman wants most of all is to be head of her house. She wants to make her husband do as she wishes.”
When they heard this, all the people said it was the right answer. “Let him live!” they cried. The queen was very please with this answer. She said, “You shall be free and live!”
Suddenly, the old woman came forward. “Be good to me too, my lady,” she said to the queen. “ I said to the knight, “I will tell you the answer, but you must promise to do what I ask you to do.” She turned to the knight. “Didn’t you promise that?”
“Yes,” said the knight. “That’s what I promised.”
She said,” I ask you to take me as your wife.” Her face was very ugly. It was uglier than ever! The knight said unhappily, “ What you say is true. I did promise. But please-please let me go free! Don’t make me to marry you!”
“No!” she said. “No! I am old and ugly and very poor, but I want most of all to be your wife. I want to win your love.”
“My love!” he answered. “ You cannot really hope for that!”
The queen and her ladies and the people were laughing. They knew that the knight wanted to die now. He did not want to marry this ugly old woman.
Than the queen said: “You must do as you promised.”
“Yes,” said the knight, “ I must do as I promised. I must marry her. “
There was no dancing and singing; there were no fine clothes and fine food, no jewels and flowers at their marriage. It was done very quietly.
Then the knight went away and hid for the rest of the day. He did not want to look at his ugly old wife.
That night, his ugly wife turned to him and said, “Come, dear husband. Is this how a knight of king Arthur keeps his promise? What have I done wrong? Tell me, and I will try to do better and please you.
“Do better?” said the knight. “You cannot make your age less and you cannot make your face any better.”
“Is that al that is wrong?” she asked laughing at him.
“Isn’t it enough?” he answered.
“Beauty is only on the outside,” she said. “The face becomes old but the heart is always young. What a person does is the great thing. The man who does the best and kindest things is far better than a great lord who does bad and unkind things.”
For a long time she talked quietly to him. He was surprised. “You know a great deal, and you are very good,” he said. “You’ve taught me a lot about men and women and goodness ane badness.”
At the end she said,” Is it better to have a wife with a beautiful face who gives you great unhappiness? Or a wife who is old and ugly but is very kind to you and makes you very happy?”
The knight’s heart was very softened by all he had heard from her.
“My lady, my love and my dear wife,” he said, “ you are very wise and good. I will do what seems the best to you.”
She laughed. “Remember the answer which you gave to the queen? Will you let me rule over you?”
“Yes, truly,” he said. “I know it will be the best.”
She kissed him and said, “don’t be angry, I will be both to you – both beautiful and good. If I am not as beautiful as any queen tomorrow, do as you do wish with me.”
And the knight drew her to him and kissed her. And after a while he found, that he was kissing a beautiful young girl – the most beautiful one in the world. For his wife was really a fairy. She had wanted to see if he was a good knight.
They lived happily together all their lives.
That is the end of my story. May God send us husbands who are young and loving, and may be able to make them whatever we wish. Men should do what their wives tell them do. And they should not be too careful with their money.
การแปล กรุณารอสักครู่..