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CANTERBURY TALES

THE SECOND NUN'S TALE

OF THE LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA

by Geoffrey Chaucer

THE SECOND NUN'S TALE

OF THE LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA -

This maiden bright, Cecilia, her life saith,

Was Roman born and of a noble kind,

And from the cradle tutored in the faith

Of Christ, and bore His gospel in her mind;

She never ceased, as written do I find,

To pray to God, and love Him, and to dread,

Beseeching Him to keep her maidenhead. -

And when this maiden must unto a man

Be wedded, who was a young man in age,

And who had to his name Valerian,

And when the day was come for her marriage,

She, meek of heart, devout, and ever sage,

Under her robe of gold, well-made and fair,

Had next her body placed a shirt of hair. -

And while the organ made its melody,

To God alone within her heart sang she:

"O Lord, my soul and body guide to The

Unsoiled, lest I in spirit ruined be."

And for His love Who died upon a tree,

Each second or third day she used to fast,

And ever prayed she till the day was past. -

The night came, and to bed she must be gone

With her young husband, but she had no fear,

And privately to him she said anon:

"O sweet and well-beloved spouse so dear,

There is a secret, if you will to hear,

Which I am fain enough to you to say,

So that you swear that me you'll not betray." -

Valerian to her his oath did swear

That evermore, whatever thing might be,

He never would betray what she said there

And so beginning straightway thus said she:

"I have an angel lover that loves me,

And with a great love, whether I wake or sleep,

He will my body ever guard and keep. -

"And if he feels (and this is truth," she said)

"That you will touch or love me vulgarly,

At once he'll slay and leave you with the dead,

And in your days of youth thus shall you die;

And if you love me cleanly, so say I,

He'll love you as now me, for your cleanness,

And show you all his joy and his brightness." -

Valerian, checked thus as God would mould,

Replied: "If I'm to trust you, let me see

That angel with my eyes and him behold;

And if that it a very angel be,

Then will I do as you have asked of me;

And if you love another man, forsooth

Right with this sword then will I slay you both." -

Cecilia replied right in this wise:

"If you so wish, that angel shall you see,

So you believe in Christ and you baptize.

Go forth to Via Appia," said she,

"That from this town is distant but miles three,

And to the poor folk who in that place dwell

Say to them what I'll now proceed to tell. -

"Tell them that I, Cecilia, have sent

You to the good man Urban, who is old,

For secret need, and with a good intent.

And when this holy Urban you behold,

Tell him the thing that I to you have told;

And when he shall have purged you of your sin,

That angel shall you see ere thence you win." -

Valerian to that place got him gone,

And just as he'd been told about the thing,

He found this ancient saint, Urban, anon,

Among the holy catacombs lurking.

And he anon, with never tarrying,

Told him his errand; and when it was told,

Urban for joy his two hands did uphold. -

Some teardrops from his two eyes he let fall-

"Almighty Lord, O Jesus Christ," said he,

"Sower of counsel chaste, herd of us all,

The fruit of that same seed of chastity

Which Thou sowed'st in Cecilia, take to Thee!

Lo, like a busy bee, and without guile,

Thy thrall Cecilia serves Thee all the while! -

"For that same spouse that lately wedded she,

Who was like lion fierce, she sends him here,

As meek as ever was a lamb, to Thee!"

And with that word anon there did appear

An old, old man, clothed all in white clothes clear,

Who had a golden-lettered book in hand,

And who before Valerian did stand. -

Valerian for fear fell down as dead

When him he saw, who raised him from the floor,