Binh Vu
English
Canterbury Tales
And with the group that set out at first light
Was a man, both courteous and polite
Who trained hard with the sword and the pen,
One of the rare and true perfect gentlemen.
His hair was golden and his eyes were green,
His body was not fat, nor was it lean.
He traveled with a dignified grace
While showing no emotion on his face
But one could see the nobility in his eyes.
The Gentleman was quiet but also wise,
Helping to solve problems that others had,
To be of service to friends made him glad.
And on his chest he wore a silver cross,
Shaped like a sword with a golden emboss,
A sign of his faith and an earthen ward
Against Hell’s advances upon this lord.
To the Gentleman the Host then turned,
‘From you,’ the Host said, ‘may much be learned.
Tell us all a tale, something from the heart.’
‘All right,’ the other replied, ‘I will start.’
The Gentleman’s Prologue
Sadly I was born centuries too late
But I can do nothing though, curse my fate,
I do not want to live in this current time.
Placed here without reason or rhyme
I continue on, and wonder what for?
As I sigh and look back on the days of yore,
When lords and ladies occupied the land
And wise kings ruled with an iron hand
In their stone castles upon the hillsides.
Where knights journeyed with swords at their sides,
Dealing swift justice wherever they rode,
All whilst following the chivalric code.
These knights followed honor and loyalty,
Had faith, charity, and humility.
They held maidens in the highest regard,
Forfeiting their lives in order to guard
Those who belonged to the gender fair.
Ladies are lights that wash away despair,
Placing hope in our hearts where there was none
To fight against fate until all is done.
Now it is to my story that I wend,
My long introduction is at an end.
My tale is one of a foolish knight’s love,
For a lady, divine, who comes from above.
The Gentleman’s Tale
In a far off land there once was a Knight
Fair in combat skill as well as in might.
Known to be generous and also kind,
It was also said he possessed a keen mind.
Traversing the land helping those in need,
He was good in thought as well as in deed,
When faced with evil he took a stand.
There also existed in that far land
A lady seemingly come from on high,
A pure Angel, who had lived in the sky.
She was beautiful, wise, humble, and pure
And made the Knight tremble when she came near.
He fell in love with the Angel divine,
But their union was not in God’s design.
Because when the Knight first beheld her face,
He hid from the Angel in his disgrace.
He believed he was not good enough,
Too dumb, too weak, and a little too rough.
Until he could achieve near perfection,
And also be proud of his reflection
The Knight would conceal his love and his pain.
The Angel reached for the Knight in vain,
But every time he ran from her sight,
Cast into shadows, away from the light,
He made no traceable sound or motion.
Not to burden her with his devotion
Was his goal, love would not be a fetter,
The Angel deserved someone better.
And though the young Knight felt a deep regret
He thought that this way was a better bet.
He wished not to dishonor her name,
And hoped that his heart would feel the same.
Yet sometimes at night, right before he slept
He thought of the Angel, and then he wept.
So tis better to have loved and lost
Then never have loved and known the cost.
The Angel shines like a priceless jewel
And the Knight? He is a romantic fool.