A poor widow lived in a little college in the valley. After her husband died she lived a
simple life and she didn’t have much. She kept herself with her two daughters, three cows, and a
sheep named Molly. She ate well every day, mostly milk and bread, sometimes with bacon or an
egg since she was a dairy woman. She didn’t use any special sauce, red or white wine. She
danced all day and did not lose her temper, maintained a good diet, exercise and a positive
outlook was all she needed for a healthy life. In her yard she kept a rooster named Chanticleer.
The rooster was better at crowing than any other roosters. His crowing could tell time better than
any clocks in the church. Instinct kept him aligned with the movement of the sun, the moon and
the stars. This cock had seven hens to his pleasure. The most beautiful of them all wasthe
beautiful Pertelote. She was modest, kind and easy-going. Chanticleer was fixed on her since he
was a week old. It was beautiful to hear them sing “My love has gone away” every morning.
Back in those days birds and animals could talk and sing.
One morning Chanticleer was sitting on his perch with Pertelote and his other wives
when he began to groan as he was having a nightmare. Pertelote worriedly asked “My love, what
is wrong,what has made you groan like that?”. Chanticleer answered “Nothing is wrong, I was
just having a nightmare. I dreamt of a dog-like beast that had killed me. This scared me so much
that I was groaning.”. “Get away!” Pertelote cried, “You are a weak coward and I cannot love a
coward. All women want is a man who is strong and kind, not someone who is weak and scared.
Stand up and be a man! This was just a silly dream. You must have bad bile build up to cause
you this nightmare. Take what the great Roman writer Cato says “pay no attention to your
dreams”. Later we will go down and get you a laxative to help you clear your system and help
get rid of this nightmare”.
Thank you for your advice Madame “replied Chanticleer. “Cato was very wise for his
wisdom but there are others who spoke quite the opposite who states that dreams foresee
happiness or tragedy is to come. I can name a few examples: “ two friends that are out on a
pilgrimage. They came into a town that was crowded and could not find a place to sleep for the
night. Both decide to split up to find somewhere to sleep. One of the friends found a place in an
oxen barn. Fortune fell onto the other who found a better place to stay. This man had a dream of
his friend who stayed in the oxenbarn telling him of his murder and that he should come save
him. He woke up from this dream and shrugged it off and went back to bed. He had this dream a
second time and still he had gone back to bed. In the third dream his friend had come to tell him
that he had been murdered and where he could find his body buried in a dung. It turns out that
everything had come true. The next morning the man set out to find his friend. He met with the
barn owner who told him “Sir, your friend has already left this morning”. Remembering his
dream the man set out to find a cart of dung and there he found his body. The barn owner and
cart owner were questioned in their involvement murder. They eventually confessed and were
hanged to their death.”. Chanticleer goes on to tell Pertelote another story where a man had a
dream that if he had set sail to his voyage that he would drown. The man wakes up and tells his
companion about his dream who in disbelief says that he will not postpone his voyage on a
dream. His companion sets out on his voyage without him but before reaching halfway into sea
his ship splits into two and sinks into the sea with everyone on board to their deaths. Chanticleer
explains “Pertelote this is why we must be careful when it comes to her dreams because many of
them are to be feared”.
Chanticleer wished to end this topic and think of happier things. That he is blessed to
have Porttelote in his life. WHenever he looks at her all his fears melt away. That what they say
is true in the phrase In principio, mulier est hominis confusion which means ‘Woman is man’s
joy and the source of all his happiness.’. And to that note he and his hens flew down the rafters
to begin their day. He rustled his feathers 20 times for Pertelote and mounted her for as many
times before noon. He felt fierce and strong like a royal prince and was lo longer afraid. Soon
the month of March had passed. Chanticleer and his wives looked up at the bright sun under the
sight of Taurus. His natural instinct told him that it was his time to crow that happy
morning.”The sun”, he crowed,