"Whan that April with his showers soote The droghte of March that perced to the roote And bathed every veyne in swich licour Of which vertu engendered is the flour" (Lines 1-4) Versified Modern Translation "When the sweet showers of April fall and shoot Down through the drought of March to pierce the root. Bathing every vein in liquid power From which there springs the engendering of the flower"
These lines form the opening four lines of Chaucer’s “Prologue to The Canterbury Tales” written by Geoffrey Chaucer. The pilgrims in the poem are making their way together to Canterbury to see Thomas Becket’s shrine. There is excitement in the air as this band of pilgrims travels toward the religious shrine at Canterbury, where they all hope to gain God’s grace.
Their trip begins in April, and the very first lines of the poem emphasize the significance of that time of year. “Whan that April with his showers soote / The droghte of March that perced to the roote.” In other words, the poem begins by evoking the process of rainwater reaching dormant roots, revitalizing them. Here the speaker describes how the soft showers of April have provided relief from the dryness of March, which has reached the roots of plants. It is the period of revitalization that happens over and over in the earth’s cycle each spring. It is a time of renewal, of life, of the glories of nature shaking off the mundane. The moisture that has been restored in plant veins by the rains is essential for the development of flowers. It is a time of beginnings and a time of hope.
