What is Geoffrey Chaucer's contribution to English language

What is Geoffrey Chaucer's contribution to English language
What is Geoffrey Chaucer's contribution to English language

What is Geoffrey Chaucer's contribution to English language
Geoffrey Chaucer,the founder of English poetry,was born,about 1340,in London.
Chaucer's contribution to English poetry lies chiefly in the fact that he introduced from France the rhymed stanzas of various types,especially the rhymed couplet of iambic pentametre(to be called later the "heroic couplet"to English poetry,instead of the old Anglo-Saxon alliterative verse.
Though drawing influences from French,Italian and Latin models,he is the first great poet who wrote in the current English language.His production of so much excellent poetry was an important factor in establishing English as the literary language of the country.The spoken English of the time consisted of several dialects,and Chaucer did much in making the dialect of London the foundation for modern English speech.

乔叟（Geoffrey Chaucer）是历史上第一个用英语进行文学创作的人，他对英语的形成和发展起到了巨大的贡献，被公认为第一个英语文学家、英语文学的开创者。
乔叟出生于1340年，担任过国王的随从。1370～1371年，他曾经去过一次意大利。当时，意大利是欧洲文艺复兴的中心，一批知识精英抛弃教会的拉丁语，开始用意大利俗语进行创作，其中代表人物是诗人彼特拉克和薄伽丘。没有证据表明，乔叟见...

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乔叟（Geoffrey Chaucer）是历史上第一个用英语进行文学创作的人，他对英语的形成和发展起到了巨大的贡献，被公认为第一个英语文学家、英语文学的开创者。
乔叟出生于1340年，担任过国王的随从。1370～1371年，他曾经去过一次意大利。当时，意大利是欧洲文艺复兴的中心，一批知识精英抛弃教会的拉丁语，开始用意大利俗语进行创作，其中代表人物是诗人彼特拉克和薄伽丘。没有证据表明，乔叟见过这两个人，但是他无疑受到了影响。他最重要的作品《坎特伯雷故事集》就是模仿了薄伽丘《十日谈》的结构。
《坎特伯雷故事集》开始创作于1385年，到乔叟死的时候（1399年）都没有写完。它的内容是一群来自社会各个阶层的香客要去坎特伯雷（英国基督教中心）朝圣，一路上每个人讲一个故事，现存共23个故事。
《坎特伯雷故事集》基本上采用诗歌体，开头的几行非常有名：
四月时分，甜蜜的阵雨飘落，
穿越干旱的三月，浸透了万物的根部，
把强力酒精的每一根经络浸泡，
草木发芽，渐次生花；
西风呼出甜美的气息，
席卷了荒地和林丘
嫩枝和嫩叶，青春的阳光
在白羊星座走了一半的历程，
无数小鸟通宵达旦睁着眼睛，
此时齐声歌唱
（大自然骚扰着它们躁动不安）；
这时，人们渴望走上朝圣之路……
原文如下：
Whan that Aprill, with his shoures soote
The droghte of March hath perced to the roote
And bathed every veyne in swich 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 halfe cours yronne,
And smale foweles maken melodye,
That slepen al the nyght with open eye-
(So priketh hem Nature in hir corages);
Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages
可以看到，这种英语普通人是根本看不懂的，必须翻译成现代英语：
When in April the sweet showers fall
That pierce March's drought to the root and all
And bathed every vein in liquor that has power
To generate therein and sire the flower;
When Zephyr also has with his sweet breath,
Filled again, in every holt and heath,
The tender shoots and leaves, and the young sun
His half-course in the sign of the Ram has run,
And many little birds make melody
That sleep through all the night with open eye
(So Nature pricks them on to ramp and rage)
Then folk do long to go on pilgrimage,
这一段很容易让人想到，20世纪著名诗人T.S.艾略特的名作《荒原》的开头：
四月是最残忍的一个月，荒地上
长着丁香，把回忆和欲望
参合在一起，又让春雨
催促那些迟钝的根芽。
英文原文是：
APRIL is the cruellest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.
乔叟说四月让人有一种朝圣的欲望，而艾略特则说四月是最残忍的一个月。农业文明与工业文明的区别，一目了然。

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