quote · Legacy record
Ne deeth, allas; ne wol nat han my life; will not take Thus walke I, lyk a restèlees caityf, restless wretch And on the ground, which is my modres gate, mother’s I knokke with my staf, both erly and late, And seyè, “levè moder, leet me in! say, “Dear mother Lo, how I vanish, flesh, and blood, and skin! waste away” Allas! whan shul my bonès be at reste?”
Ne deeth, allas; ne wol nat han my life; will not take Thus walke I, lyk a restèlees caityf, restless wretch And on the ground, which is my modres gate, mother’s I knokke with my staf, both erly and late, And seyè, “levè moder, leet me in! say, “Dear mother Lo, how I vanish, flesh, and blood, and skin! waste away” Allas! whan shul my bonès be at reste?”
In print by 1921 AD · modern
Recorded in a printed collection by this date; the original date of these words is still unknown.
Meaning not yet available
An individual explanation has not yet been added. We do not substitute a generic description for an interpretation of these particular words.
Begin with source-checked readings and explanations ↗Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Chaucer (identity unresolved)
Attribution: unknown - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- In print by 1921 AD · modern
In print by 1921: recorded in My Commonplace Book (third English edition,1921). Collection publication is an upper bound for this wording, not its earliest origin, composition date or the author's lifetime.
An author lifetime, approximate period or collection date is not necessarily the date when these words were first written or spoken. - Recorded source
- My Commonplace Book (third English edition,1921) (1921 AD)
Page 212 · printed citation: Chaucer (1340-1400) (The Pardoner’s Tale). · compiler notes excluded
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
